VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

The Inter-Seasonal Sounds of Fury

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By Philippe Defechereux
Photos courtesy Planet F1

Well, well, well. This may be the first inter-season in a long time to prove more thrilling, exciting and dramatic than the racing season itself. Last month in Part 1, we used the words “staccato of events” to describe the early post-season events. Now, we need to use something much stronger like “major news releases at maximum revs.” And that’s 19,000 rpms as befits F1. Let’s hear these latest loud sounds of fury; we suggest wearing earplugs.

In order of amplitude:

* Schumi is back. Great blasts of trumpets and fireworks! Anybody who would have predicted this in writing six months ago would have quickly been taken to the loony house (next to Max Mosley’s favorite club). [Read more…] about The Inter-Seasonal Sounds of Fury

This Week, of Interest

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This week, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Bet you’ve heard that before but trite or not, it is so true. The old is the Talbot Darracq Grand Prix car of 1926, the new is our three layer in-depth coverage, the photos we borrowed from Stuart Anderson, LAT via Austin Harris the Ultimatecarpage and Vince Johnson. The blue is obvious.

Although our journey with the Talbot Darracq began long ago in April of last year, since that time, owner Stuart Anderson decided to put the magnificent beast up for sale. It will be at the Bonhams Auction on January 23rd, at Retromobile, Paris.

Not included in the triptych is our book review of “The Classic Twin Cam Engine” but a perfect tie-in anyway. Don’t miss it.

Stuart Anderson was absolutely wonderful and patient through the entire process of putting together the articles for this week. We are looking for other owners of both French and Italian cars who can take the time and provide the photos and information we need to bring you in depth articles such as these.

VeloceToday is now up on Facebook. Click here: VeloceToday. Your editor is also on Facebook. this will give us a way to present material such as backstories, anecdotes, previews or discussions which don’t really have a place in the VeloceToday today website. Facebook allows us an informal structure, while the WordPress VeloceToday.com is a formal, weekly presentation. Or at least that’s the thinking here. Your opinions are welcome. My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com and search Pete Vack, so check there for daily items of interest and log your comments.

GP Talbot Darracq: The Cars

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vt-1.jpg Anderson out with the restored Talbot Darracq. Photo by Vince Johnson.

Story by Pete Vack

Stuart Anderson remembers the day in 1988 he finally laid eyes on the old blue single seater. “The car was in scruffy condition and was rescued from a shed locked up like Fort Knox. It was buried under junk and festooned with creepers, but amazingly, nothing was broken.” Anderson had persuaded Jack Day’s de-facto widow to part with the car, which had been interred for over twenty years. Day had bought it in 1949 and installed a Wilson pre selector gearbox and 16 inch wheels. It was then garaged and almost forgotten, one of the lost treasures of Australia. [Read more…] about GP Talbot Darracq: The Cars

GP Talbot Darracq: The Engines

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By Pete Vack and Stuart Anderson
Photos courtesy Stuart Anderson

Despite the coming-out of one of the three Talbot Darracq 1500cc Grand Prix cars in the mid 1990s, (see “Classic and Sportscar”, March 1996) there has been very little information available about the powerful, DOHC high tech engine designed by two ex-Fiat employees for the 1926 Grand Prix 1500 cc supercharged formula. The Talbot Darracq featured the first use of an offset driveshaft to allow a lower driver position and a three piece chassis frame of great beauty. But the piece de resistance was the straight-eight roller bearing DOHC supercharged engine. [Read more…] about GP Talbot Darracq: The Engines

GP Talbot Darracq: The Races

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Louis Wagner in the 1.5 GP Talbot Darracq at the 1927 French Grand Prix, where he broke the lap record.
Photo courtesy of LAT via Austin Harris

By Pete Vack

An International Effort

Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq, or STD for short, was a strange combination of French, British, Italian concerns, money and talent. To put it briefly if not perfectly accurately, in 1919, the British firms of Sunbeam and Talbot merged and in 1920, the two further merged with the French firm of Darracq. At the time, a prime force behind the boardroom doors was a mechanical engineer by the name of Louis Coatalen. [Read more…] about GP Talbot Darracq: The Races

This Week, of Interest

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Wallace A. Wyss is a guy of many talents, from artist (left), to author (Ford GT40) to poster creator and fine art photographer (Ferrari 250LM). Not to mention the many articles he has written for VeloceToday, the most recent being “The Car That Saved Maserati” in last week’s edition. His new book, his artwork and photos are all on his VeloceToday webpage, and we urge you to take a look.

There will be no issue of VeloceToday on December 23rd or the 30th due to the Holidays, so we’ve doubled up this week’s VeloceToday. Below:

Santa in a Silver Spyder
Book Review, Racing Blue, Green and Silver
Cost of our Passion at Bonhams
Simeone’s Automotive Hippocratic Oath
Shell Historics for 2010

We wish you all a very happy Holiday Season and see you in January.

Santa in a Silver Spyder

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If Johnny ever thought counting the days to Christmas was tough, it was nothing compared to waiting for his ride in the Spyder. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The following true story is based on the recollections of John Wiech, who bent my ear for a few hours at a car meet last year. Our apologies for a story about Porsches but it’s the truth and it’s a sin to tell a lie, particularly at Christmas time. [Ed.]

The subject had started another family argument. Johnny had become enamored with a rare foreign car but no one knew exactly how to pronounce the name. It was German, or no, not really, “…it’s Austrian,” said his Dad. “But it’s made in Stuttgart,” said Johnny, being careful to put the “sch” in. He reasoned that the sch in the car’s name might sound the same and the vowel at the end be pronounced. His older sister said otherwise. “It’s Porch, as in front porch or back porch, without the e.”

She always thought she was so smart.
[Read more…] about Santa in a Silver Spyder

Simeone’s Automotive Hippocratic Oath

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Alfa Romeo 8C 2900

Preservation is preferable to restoration for Dr. Fred Simeone. Above, his Alfa 8C2900.

Doing no harm to historically accurate artifacts

By Brandes Elitch

In June of 2008, Dr. Frederick Simeone opened the doors of a unique car museum, dedicated to the spirit of competition, and featuring some of the most valuable and desirable sports and racing cars ever made. About 60 cars are arranged in dioramas, many with a common theme such as Le Mans or the Mille Miglia. [Read more…] about Simeone’s Automotive Hippocratic Oath

The Cost of our Passion at Bonhams

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8-ferrari8835.jpg A half scale Ferrari 312T for children with a 2-stroke 50cc engine sold for 6900 pounds (11,238 USD).

Story and photos by Alessandro Gerelli

The Bonhams London auction on December 7th included about 80 cars and a great deal of memorabilia, with many books and magazines coming from the collection of George Horne. The cars were mostly English but there were a few Italian and three very rare French cars on the block.
[Read more…] about The Cost of our Passion at Bonhams

Shell Ferrari Historics For 2010

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Peter Giddings, Drum Brake Champion 2009 in the 250F Maserati.

Photos by rprincephoto.com

The Shell Ferrari Historics will begin 2010 at the Cavallino Classic, at Palm Beach International Raceway, on January 21 and 22, 2010.

For 2010, the purpose of the Shell Ferrari Historic series will remain unchanged, to allow the drivers of historic Ferrari race cars (and selected others: Maserati race cars and pre-war Alfas) to enjoy their cars in a safe competitive environment on historic tracks in North America, with the maximum track time possible.
[Read more…] about Shell Ferrari Historics For 2010

This Week, of Interest

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Phyllis Devine,
The long time editor of The Alternate: A Chronicle of 20th
Century Motor Racing, Phyllis Devine of Grantville Pennsylvania, passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2009 in the Select Specialty Hospital, Harrisburg.

Phyllis was a remarkable woman and a true friend. She shied, however, from accepting the public credit she deserved. One major service to racing history she performed was publishing the recollections of various American race car drivers of the early years before their stories were lost. She was brave, too, often printing articles in the little homespun “journal” she founded and edited for 21 years that rankled some readers who seemed less interested in racing history than in their version of racing history. She published racers and historians alike. I was delighted to see VT’s Michael Lynch writing for her a few months ago. Although The Alternate dealt only with American racing history through 1970, Phyllis was happy to print my article on the French Bugatti/Alfa racer Helle Nice’s American tour in 1930.

She was implacable, however, when it came to the visuals I sent, one of which was a photo of the dancer-turned-racer in her tutu. That image, Phyllis said, was inappropriate! She printed the others.

Surviving are: her husband, Joseph Devine, racing enthusiast and race car builder; a son, Thomas M. Gutzler and his wife, Grace Lynn, of New Oxford; 2 grandchildren, Jessica and Joseph Gutzler of Florida. She was preceded in death by son Wallace Gutzler.

We will sincerely miss Phyllis–and The Alternate, truly a part of motorsports publishing history–and our condolences go out to Joe and family.

Patricia Lee Yongue

Bill Scott
We are sorry to hear that Bill Scott, 71, the owner of Summit Point Raceway, passed away on Dec. 7, 2009. He had been in the hospital since Thanksgiving. Bill was instrumental in developing Summit Point since he purchased the West Virginia racetrack in 1980. As Summit Point was less than two hours from Washington D.C., Scott enhanced the facility by adding courses in accident avoidance and counter terrorism techniques in addition to sports car and motocycle events. He will be sorely missed.

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The National Geographic Channel will be broadcasting a show on Thurday, December 10th called “Ultimate Factories”. It is a one hour tour of the Ferrari factory and follows the building and testing of a 599. Our thanks to Dick Irish for this note.

Bi-Turbo: The Car that Saved Maserati

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maserati biturbo

The Maserati BiTurbo just may have saved Maserati from extinction.

By Wallace Alfred Wyss

In the late 1970s, Alejandro de Tomaso came to America to find out what kind of car Americans want. He had been building the Pantera since 1971 (continuing even after 1974 when Ford ceased importing it to the U.S.) and bought Maserati yet he wasn’t sure what kind of car Americans really desired.

It was by happenstance he dropped by Dick Guldstrand’s shop and Guldstrand invited me over to talk to Alejandro about what I thought he needed to build. I mentioned the BMW 2002 to the Italian car builder and told him what a great car it was in its time. He left and not long after I heard about the Maserati Bi-turbo. [Read more…] about Bi-Turbo: The Car that Saved Maserati

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