VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

By


Chasing the bikes, we had no idea our direction from Salisbury and did not note the names of the tiny villages en route. This was simply a picturesque shot with an audience of one.

Italophiles in the Emerald Isles Too.

“Like old bikes?” Spoken in a thick brogue by an old gentleman in a well-worn tweed jacket fitted snugly over a much-loved cardigan sweater, checked shirt and necktie. He was standing next to an ancient, equally well-seasoned, open trailer containing a Clyno motorcycle.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

Bountiful Berlinettas: Mille Miglia 2009 PI

By


Did Ferrari coin the term “berlinetta”? If not, he certainly created many cars that defined the word. Here is perhaps the greatest berlinetta of all, 0026M, a 195 MM Ferrari driven to victory in the 1950 Mille Miglia.

All photos by Alessandro Gerelli
Story by staff.

This year, our photographer thought it might be interesting to concentrate his efforts on the Italian berlinettas which are so prevalent at this event. We thought so too, and decided write an etymology of the term “berlinetta” as applied to Italian two position coupes.

Part I will cover Alfa through Ferrari, Part II, Fiat through Siata.

In 1987, in an introduction to the book “Berlinettas: Classic coupes of yesterday and today”, Sergio Pininfarina wrote: “When Enzo Ferrari invented the word ‘Berlinetta’ to designate his Coupes, he meant to emphasize a particular set of qualities.” [sic]
[Read more…] about Bountiful Berlinettas: Mille Miglia 2009 PI

Bountiful Berlinettas: Mille Miglia 2009 PII

By


Hot on the tail of Alfa, Ferrari and Lancia, Fiat did their berlinetta act on the 1100, culminating in the 1947 1100S Mille Miglia model. It in turn was preceded by the absolutely berlinetta 1935 Balilla 508S.

Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
Story by staff

In this part, Alessandro Gerelli brings us the Mille Miglia berlinettas from Fiat to Siata. As we have related in Part I, Enzo Ferrari was implicated in the birth of the term berlinetta. But was this so, and if so, how?
[Read more…] about Bountiful Berlinettas: Mille Miglia 2009 PII

Mille Miglia 2009 in French

By

In the 1954 Mille Miglia, a 4CV Renault was driven by the team of Redele/Pons to victory in the Special Touring class, followed by two other Renaults.

All Photos by Alessandro Gerelli

A small selection of the French at the Mille Miglia this year. No matter how many times we cover the Mille Miglia, we are always amazed at the delightful variations on the theme of the automobile.
[Read more…] about Mille Miglia 2009 in French

City of Turin

By

Captions Not Applicable

Photography by Simon Grand

Simon Grand has contributed to these pages in the past, and recently he sent us some of his artful images of the “automotive jewellery” that was on display at the Concorso D’eleganza in Turin. While VeloceToday, unlike many websites, does not simply publish scattered images without thought or identification, captions here seem superfluous.
[Read more…] about City of Turin

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

By


Rounding Creg-ny-Baa en route to famous Kate’s Cottage (in reverse direction from the TT) with the roar of 16 tiny Bugatti cylinders. During the Manx TT super bikes round the Cottage corner with knee-down and descend this hill at 160 mph+.

Italophiles in the Emerald Isles

This is the Cranes we’re talking about here. When we did a tour if England and Tracy’s ancestral home on the Isle of Man, we borrowed an Alfa Romeo 164 for the trip. We started with a run up to Liverpool and took the Steam Packet (four-hour, deep water ferry) to the Island.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

The Monster

By

Wyss:

Wyss: “This is my oil painting of my car, once I switched it from International Harvester Green to Rosso Corsa.” Art by Wallace A. Wyss

By Wallace A. Wyss

Monster though it may be, the C4 Wyss paid $19,000 for is now worth about $150,000.

The man’s wife, an actress who looked Scandinavian, called it “The Monster.”

“You’ve come for the Monster,” she said.
“Yes, I have,” I said, while trying to figure out why she would call one of Pininfarina’s most beautiful Ferraris–the GTC/4– “The Monster.”

I say “most beautiful” but the Italians, with their ever more refined eyes for body shapes (both women and cars) called it “the hunchback with clown lips” because it had an ever so slight rise to the center of the rear deck lid, and up front there was a rubber bumper surround. Neither feature hurt the car’s looks but you know the Italians. They wanted things just right or they would find something to criticize.

I found out later on, once I took the car, it ate money. It wasn’t the cookie monster, but the money monster.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Monaco Grand Prix

By

Podium Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen

by Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media

Button Again

There is always something special about Monte Carlo in the late spring. Some seem to be caught up with the glitz and glamour of royalty, the cache of the Casino. For most tourists venturing to worship at one of the greatest racing events, the memories usually drift to incredible traffic, vulgar Russians with even more vulgarcars and being asked to cough up close to $30 for a drink…anywhere.
[Read more…] about Monaco Grand Prix

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

By

DRIVING BUGS


The Veyron, above is a modern interpretation of a pur sang Bugatti. The EB 110 below, while a brilliant engineering exercise, is not; all that went into Artioli’s factory.

EB 110

An Italian Interpretation

It’s clean and comfortable in here. The engine idles so smoothly it’s hard to know if you need the clutch to get into first. The seats are more Bentley than Bugatti, in fact, the dash is burl walnut not razor-edged, retro racer. In an effort to make the world’s fastest and most expensive commuter the “exotic” element has simply been eliminated.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

Quail on Two

By


Tom Stephens’ Ducati MH900e won the Design and Style Award. It has a Ducati carbon fiber accessory body that mimics the contours of the original. Ducati made 2000 of these Pierre Terblanche designs in 2001/2. All were sold over the internet. The bike was Terblanche’s updated homage to Mike Hailwood’s historic Ducati win at the Isle of Man in 1978. Credit: MTL


A full report on the first Quail Motorcycle Gathering

By Michael T. Lynch

The Quail Lodge in Carmel California has a long motorsports tradition, but it wasn’t until May 8-9, the Friday and Saturday before Mothers’ Day this year that it held its first motorcycle-only event. The Quail Motorcycle Gathering enjoyed clear days in the mid-60s, with a brisk breeze at times.
[Read more…] about Quail on Two

MENU