The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Giancarlo Fisichella, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, and Stefano Domenicali
Kimi Wins at Spa, Again
by Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
At what is starting to be jokingly referred to as “Kimi’s track,” the flying Finn was able to hold off the Force India car of Giancarlo Fisichella (no, you read that correctly) to earn Ferrari their first win of the season. [Read more…] about Grand Prix of Belgium
After winning Best of Show Award at Carmel on Tuesday, Jon Shirley and his 250 TR s/n 0666 had a moment in the corkscrew on Saturday.
With Porsche as the featured marque at this year’s 36th Monterey Historic Automobile Races, and more than 145 cars from Stuttgart on a field of 450 race cars, non-Porsche fans could fear to be bored. But, as always at the Monterey Historics, there was enough for everyone, French and Italian enthusiasts included. Here is my selection for VeloceToday.
Citroens were featured at La Dolce Vita, while our correspondent sold paintings there to get him through the night. Credit: Petya Elitch.
The Internet abounds with blogs about Monterey Car Week impressions, or ‘what I did this summer.’ Some are very good indeed. But none are written by a motoring journalist and artist who has worked for Car Life, was an associate editor at Motor Trend, and is the author of ten automotive books. Below, Wallace Wyss of the above description gives us a unique and humorous look at the Monterey Car Week on a motoring scribe’s budget.
By Wallace A. Wyss
Wednesday, August 12th
Leaving a smog-shrouded Los Angeles at Wednesday morning of Monterey Car Week, I toodled northward in a wheezing Geo Metro loaded to the gills with art and memorabilia. My goal was to immerse myself in that heaven-on-earth for exotic car enthusiasts known as Monterey for as many days as I could on as few dollars as I could spend. [Read more…] about Monterey Car Week On a Dollar a Day
Kimi Raikkonen
BRAWN BACK ON TOP
by Erik C. Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
Don’t stick a fork in them. Contrary to some members of the press singing lyrics to Monty Python musicals, Brawn GP is not dead yet. [Read more…] about European Grand Prix
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.
[Read more…] about Pebble Beach Tour: French
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
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.
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.
[Read more…] about Nurburgring Oldtimers: Alfa Romeo
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.
[Read more…] about Steven J. Earle: A Legend Moves On
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.
[Read more…] about Pebble, Carmel and Quail Winners
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”
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.
[Read more…] about Ferrari 458 Tech Bits