The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Bahrain Grand Prix
by Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
With the new world order being completely accepted in this season, Toyota was hoping that their shot would lead to the team’s first win in F1 since entering the sport and spending countless hundreds of millions of dollars resulting in a huge goose egg in the wins column.
[Read more…] about Lost Opportunities
Magnificent Lancia Aurelia B52 of 1952 with a coupe body by Vignale (design by Michelotti): one of the three built.
Cernobbio, Italy, April 24th-26th, 2009
Story and photos by Alessandro Gerelli
The traditional Concorso d’Eleganza held at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio on the lake of Como (Italy), has taken the opportunity this year to celebrate a few anniversaries; 80 years of the first Concorso, 100 years of Bugatti, and 80 years of BMW, one of the sponsors of the event.
[Read more…] about Villa d’Este 2009
1962 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder (SWB)
Photo credit: Shooterz.biz
By Wallace Wyss
RM Auctions will return to Maranello next month for the third annual Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione. It will be an event “that celebrates the automotive legacy of Enzo Ferrari and the passion of the Ferrari enthusiast.” The single day auction will present a diverse range of Ferraris. A number of the cars will be “coachbuilt” which refers to the cars custom built by coachbuilders such as Ghia, Bertone and Touring, as opposed to the mass produced models.
[Read more…] about RM Ferrari Maranello Auction set for May 17th
Riding with Paul Frere in Ferrari’s F50 at Pista di Fiorano. Notice the side load on the front tire and the lean in the body.
A CONTINUING EDUCATION
A lap of Pista di Fiorano, Ferrari’s on-site testing facility for all production and F1 cars, lived in my head. My first laps there were in a 328GTB. I returned to experience the first Testarossa and again for the 512TR. Then, on the fiftieth anniversary of the marque we were given the opportunity to try the F50. [Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane
Fiat 1100 powered Formula Juniors were popular at Watkins Glen in 1959 with three entered in the Seneca Cup–an unrestricted Formula Libre race contested by many large engine sports cars and specials as well as pre-war Grand Prix Maseratis.Walt Hansgen, driving the Cunningham Stanguellini Formula Jr., is greeted by race organizer and director Cameron Argetsinger after winning the race. Photo courtesy of Argetsinger family collection.
By Karl Ludvigsen
Getting by with a little help from its friends
The Fiat-based Cisitalias that made their racing debut in September of 1946 hit the post-war motoring world like an earthquake. They were developed from the 500 cc Fiat chassis and 1100 cc engine and refined with such niceties as a tubular frame. Designer-builders such as Alfredo Vignale and Pinin Farina helped give Cisitalia its reputation of being the car of tomorrow.
[Read more…] about The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America PIII
This Friday, April 24th, will mark Karl Ludvigsen’s 75th birthday. For the occasion, we’ve gathered up a few happy birthday greetings from friends and enthusiasts, who were positively affected by his many and significant works.
Extremely rare Talbot-Darracq of Stuart Anderson. Nuvolari drove one to a second place at the 1929 Monza GP.
Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport,
March 13 through 15 2009
Story and race photos by Vince Johnson
[Read more…] about Phillip Island Classic Festival, Australia
1963 Fiat 1500 coupe by Allemano.
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Red in Germany..
[Read more…] about Italian Classics at Techno Classica Essen
The Chinese Grand Prix
by Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
I can remember in the late 90s when Ferrari wasn’t on the top of their game and the faithful tifosi would pray that it would rain so a certain Herr Schumacher could drive an underperforming car to victory.
[Read more…] about Waterlogged in Shanghai
This is a face that might be hard to like, but easy to love. Lamborghini’s Gallardo Superleggera is, as CEO Winkelmann will enthusiastically, and repeatedly explain, “We do not make exotic cars, it is a super sports car.”
LAMBO LITE
A Lamborghini with attitude–no news there! No. I mean BAD attitude–like at the edge of rage. The Superleggera shares the Gallardo’s odd V-10 warble in its everyday traffic mode, but as it is allowed past 5000 revs, it gets angry (very angry!) inside and out. As the valve timing reaches near-contact overlap and the exhaust pressure finds the now well-established route around the baffles, it makes you want to pay attention. It also tempts you to pay something painfully close to a quarter of a million U.S. dollars for the pleasure of that entertainment. Worth it? Got it?
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane
Part II brings us to mid-century, when Fiat was offering very sporting small displacement cars such as this rare 1100 S driven here by Tony Pompeo at Waktins Glen. Photo by Frank Shaffer.
By Karl Ludvigsen
The Saga of David Bruce-Brown
David Bruce-Brown, an 18-year-old prep-school lad whose mother was listed in New York’s social register, came on the scene in time for the American Grand Prize races. Driving Fiats for most of his brief but meteoric career, Bruce-Brown broke Willie Vanderbilt’s mile record at Daytona Beach in 1908. [Read more…] about The Racing Fiats: Tiremarks on America PII
1958 Radovitch. Based on the Peugeot 403 4-door saloon, it was built by a French coachbuilder from Reims (France). Only one known to exist.
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Bugatti celebrates 100 years, Talbots and oddities abound
1912 Bugatti Type 15. Built between 1909 and 1914, this is the first automobile launched under Ettore Bugatti’s name. It was an immediate success and the archetype for many later high performance sports cars.
[Read more…] about French Classics, 2009 Techno Classica Essen