VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Pebble Beach Tour: French

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Merle Mullin is at the helm as Peter checks the gauges on their 1951 Delahaye 235 Saoutchik Cabriolet. It was awarded a 3rd place ribbon in the Postwar Touring Class.

Text and Captions by Michael T. Lynch
Photos front, Dale LaFollette (Vintage Motorphoto)
Photos rear and side, Hugues Vanhoolandt

The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance presented by Rolex is regarded as a watershed in encouraging the use of collector cars on the road no matter how rare or expensive. VeloceToday is happy to share images of a selection of French and Italian automobiles that took part in this year’s tour.
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Pebble Beach Tour: Italians

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David and Ginny Sydorick have a soft spot for Zagato coachwork. This Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spyder is a fine example of that bodybuilder’s touch. It is the oldest car in the Sydorick’s significant collection of Zagato-bodied cars.

Text and Captions by Michael T. Lynch
Photos front, Dale LaFollette (Vintage Motorphoto)
Photos rear and side, Hugues Vanhoolandt

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance did not become the greatest car show in the world by resting on its laurels. In 1998 the organizers added the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance as an ancillary event to the Concours itself. [Read more…] about Pebble Beach Tour: Italians

Nurburgring Oldtimers: Mainly French

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The most famous of all Amilcars is the 1926 C6. It almost dominated the 1100cc classes in France, using a DOHC supercharged six cylinder engine. A masterpiece of diminutive engineering, it was built as both as a customer car and factory team racer.

Correspondent Alessandro Gerelli goes French at the Nurburgringring Oldtimers. Also included are Maserati and Ferrari images so scroll down. All photos copyright Alessandro Gerelli. Captions by staff.

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Nurburgring Oldtimers: Alfa Romeo

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1970 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm–maybe. In any case, what does Am mean? The A was for ‘alleggerita’ (lightened) and the m was for ‘maggiorata’, (increase) in reference to the new larger 2 liter engine. The ‘m’ could also have meant ‘monobloc’. Readers comments welcome.

Correspondent Alessandro Gerelli goes Alfa hunting at the Nurburgringring Oldtimers. All photos copyright Alessandro Gerelli. Captions by staff.
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Steven J. Earle: A Legend Moves On

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In the Americas, the only place you can see sights like this is at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Juan Manual Fangio and Sir Jackie Stewart warm up an Alfa 159 and P3 respectively, before a demonstration run in 1985 that included Phil Hill in an Alfa P2. Credit: General Racing

Exclusive story by Michael T. Lynch

Last Sunday evening, an era in American motor racing ended. At the traditional prize giving ceremony at the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Steven J. Earle, by far the most influential person in U.S. vintage racing, announced that the 36-year old Rolex Monterey Historics, which he founded in 1974, was ending.
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Pebble, Carmel and Quail Winners

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A typical Pebble Beach tableau. Ferrari built four 250 Testa Rossas in 1959 for his factory team. All four were at Pebble Beach fifty years later. Some spent hours strolling past, comparing and contrasting the details of the cars. Credit: Michael T. Lynch

By Michael T. Lynch

Pictured below are some major show winners from the Monterey Car festivites, and a few other notables seen during the week. After the gloom and doom of the recent financial unpleasantness, the week was a wonderful respite. The Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue and The Quail-A Motorsports Gathering both had their finest entry yet. The doyenne of the week, the venerable Pebble Beach Concours, also had an exceptional entry, one of the best of its storied sixty year history.
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New Museum for French “Grandes Routieres”

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Bugatti sculpture in front of Mullin museum display at Retroauto, Pebble Beach 2009. Photo by Petya Elitch.

Exclusive story by Brandes Elitch

There are always a few surprises at the Monterey Historics, and this year was no exception. A few years previously, a very large tent appeared at the Equestrian Center at Pebble Beach, called Retroauto, a collection of about forty vendors of automobilia-artwork, posters, books, models, all the things that you would absolutely need to have if you hit the lottery and had the room to put them. This year, a new tent appeared next door, with two Bugattis inside, cars never before seen in the US. The display announced a new museum opening next year, founded by Peter Mullin. [Read more…] about New Museum for French “Grandes Routieres”

Ferrari 458 Tech Bits

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This week, what’s under the skin of the new Ferrari.

What we know so far about the new Ferrari V8

By Wallace Wyss

Technically the new Ferrari 458 Italia advances the art of the road going mid-engined car by making it almost as fast as the Enzo at a much lower cost.

The 458 Italia is going to be marketed with an automatic, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission designed to increase performance and still deliver very smooth shifts even at full throttle. The engineers have developed specific, sportier gear ratios to match the power and torque curves of the new V8, knowing that high torque is the key to acceleration even at lower engine speeds.
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Shell Ferrari Historics at Mt. Tremblant

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By David Seibert
Photos by Bruce B. Miller
Facebook/MySpace: bruce@forza.cc – wtiger

(Mont Tremblant, PQ, Canada, July 27) A small field and a wet race track don’t sound like the ingredients for a fun weekend, but Shell Historics drivers at Mont Tremblant faced just those conditions last weekend–and yet it was a really enjoyable event. The small field removed some of the usual pressures, and the weather allowed drivers more time to relax and talk with other drivers and enthusiasts, making for a low key, fun weekend.
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Great Books for Free Online

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Thinking about buying a new illustrated book on racing or your favorite car? Soon, in fact now, you can easily view the entire book online at no cost. Here’s one on Porsche.

porsche-book-b.jpg

By Pete Vack

There is a lot of buzz going on these days about the free economy–those services and products offered via the Internet for free. For example, Google is free. WikiPedia is free. Social networks like My Space and Twitter are free. Winding Road is free.
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Alfa Romeo P2 Part II

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p2-side.jpg
The first Grand Prix Alfa Romeo and the father of all modern Alfas.

The Great Ancestor Part II
Alfa Romeo P2, 1925-1930

Read Part I

By Nicholas Lancaster

Who is Nicholas Lancaster? Author of a new history of Brooklands for Shire Books, Nicholas Lancaster (UK) has been interested in motor racing history since the age of twelve. Recently he has contributed several articles on Alfa Romeo history to the AROC (UK) Magazine and has written two articles on Alfas for VeloceToday in the past.

Color Photography by Roberto Motta and thanks to the Automobilismo Storico Alfa Romeo Centro Documentazione (Arese, Milano).

The 1925 season began at the end of June with the Grand Prix of Europe, held that year at Spa. The only opposition came from Delage. The V12 engined cars were now fitted with superchargers and fully competitive. There were changes on the driver front as well. Ascari and Campari remained with Alfa Romeo, but Wagner had joined Delage alongside Divo and Benoist.
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