VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Silverstone Museum Part 2

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The British Empire Trophy, awarded between 1932 and 1961, which Stirling Moss won in 1951, 56, 58 and 1961.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

See Part 1

At the Silverstone Museum, I really enjoyed looking at the cars and bikes on display, which I understand are changed on a regular basis. The race suits and helmets impressed, especially Nigel Mansell’s race suit with all of those personal sponsor patches, and I could just feel the history when looking at the hand painted logo on Barry Sheene’s helmet, and only smile at the cigarette hole in the chin protector. But it was the smaller items displayed in the many display cabinets that interested me most, the trophies, the signing on sheets, programs and dinner menus, such history.

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VSCC at Brooklands, 2018

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Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the Archives, June 2018

The Brooklands museum complex is like a nostalgic oasis surrounded by modern glass fronted corporate head offices and a Tesco’s supermarket. However once you have entered into the site the years simply drop away. Whether it’s just the 1930s music playing over the PA system, or the restored buildings, one feels (if you use a bit of imagination) that you are back in the 1920s. The feeling of nostalgia increases 10-fold when the VSCC (Veteran Sports Car Club) have an event there. [Read more…] about VSCC at Brooklands, 2018

Sebring ’58 Dawn of the Red Heads P3

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Sebring 1958. Phil Hill in the early part of the race, maintaining a conservative pace with his Ferrari 250TR. Phil took the start and he and Peter Collins hovered between 4th and 5th overall during the first three hours.

By Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

With Stirling Moss taking an immediate lead from the start, second place was contested by Mike Hawthorn and Roy Salvadori. Salvadori soon managed to pass his fellow countryman in the opposite team, making it an Aston Martin 1-2 for the first three hours of the race. The model’s name DBR stood for David Brown Racing and the owner of the firm must have been pleased so far.

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Sharp at the Silverstone Museum

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Welcome to the Silverstone Museum

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

With a history stretching back not just to 1943 with the building of RAF Silverstone but way back to medieval times when the site was home to a monastery, it was likely that at some point the Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit would open a museum. The project to create a museum and educational centre for British Motor Sport at the circuit began in 2012, with the museum opening its doors in 2019.

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The Works of Willem Oosthoek

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Interview by Pete Vack
From the Archives, February 2019

Most of us are avid readers, particularly of good, solid historical books which feature our favorite cars; the more detailed the better, with decent contemporary photos, chassis numbers, hardcore information that you can count on, preferably on nice stock and hardbound.

But few readers realize what goes into the making of such a book, and how difficult it is to find publishers. We decided to ask Maserati expert Willem Oosthoek how he did it and what kind of problems he encountered in writing his last three major works; in 2004, Birdcage to Supercage, in 2009, The Magnificent Front Engined Birdcages, and the three volume set, Sports Car Racing in the South,Texas to Florida, 1957-1962.

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Sebring ’58: Dawn of the Red Heads P2

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Pretty as they come, the 1.1-liter Stanguellini Bialbero of Carl Haas/Allan Ross/Chuck Dietrich awaits its turn for practice. [Bob Bellows photo]

By Willem Oosthoek All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

Waiting farther upfront is Jim Kimberly’s Maserati 200SI, just as elegant. But who is in the passenger seat of chassis 2412? Since he is holding a microphone, likely a reporter recording the car’s engine sounds for the racing LPs so popular at the time. [Bob Bellows photo]

[Read more…] about Sebring ’58: Dawn of the Red Heads P2

Those Lovely Italianate Aston Martins P2

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Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

In my duology of Aston Martin at venues other than Palm Springs, my viewfinder did not locate too many of them on my sojourns around Southern California back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I saw my first Aston Martin in 1956 and only a few more in 1957 and 1958. Since 99.9% of my shots will be of the DB3S model I’ll just call them Astons. This chapter will concentrate on the myriad of other racecourses located in our beautiful Southern California. True, most of our courses, eight out of the thirteen I attended, were on runways or large parking lots. That’s what you can expect from mostly desert locations.

My first sighting, shooting with my folks’ Kodak Pony 135 camera loaded with Kodachrome, was of Bob Drake, the winner of the main event at Pomona on October 21, 1956. It wouldn’t be until some time in 1957 that I would graduate to my beloved Canon IVS2 35mm camera.

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Four Fab Zagatos

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Few of us were lucky enough to own a TZ1 or a SZ Coda Tronca. Al Morrison owned them both at the same time and would later own a Junior Zagato and a Fulvia Zagato. We present all four of his Spada-designed Zagatos in this feature.

Story and photos by Al Morrison
From the Archives, October 20, 2015 and from the archives February 12, 2019

Alfa Romeo GTZ 1

I first laid eyes on a new Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ 1 at the 1965 London International Motor Show when I was working in England as a very young architect. Right then I knew I wanted to own one someday.

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Sebring 1958: Dawn of the Red Heads

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Sebring 1958: Peter Collins at the wheel of chassis 0704, the works 3-liter Ferrari Testa Rossa he shared with Phil Hill.

Part 1

By Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.

Saturday March 22, 1958, at 10 AM, would see the Le Mans start for the 8th Annual International Grand Prix of Endurance at Sebring, Florida, more commonly known as the Sebring 12 Hours. If the latter term is used, 1958 was actually the 7th edition, since the very first one – held in 1950 – was a six-hour event. Alec Ulmann had been the driving force from day one and he selected an abandoned airfield by the name of Hendricks Field near the town of Sebring.

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Those Lovely Italianate Aston Martins

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TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLEN R. KUHN

On our trip down memory lane this week we will be gazing upon some of the beautiful Aston Martin “Chariots of Power” that I was able to capture through my viewfinder. All of those in this part were taken at Palm Springs between 1956 to 1958. I did not even discover one of them until a year ago. It was a photo taken at Pomona in early 1956 and was the first DB3S I ever shot. It was the winner of the main with Bob Drake driving. It will be featured in my Aston Martin Part 2 story.

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Medardo Fantuzzi by Graham Gauld

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Photographed together at a dinner in Sant Agata Bolognese in the late 1950s. Standing at the back are young Fiorenzo Fantuzzi and his father Medardo. Front row Jean-Paul Behra and his father Jean Behra, Maserati chassis builder Caiani and Omer Orsi of Maserati. ( Photo: Adolfo Orsi, Historica Selecta)

Story by Graham Gauld

One outstanding element in the rise of Modena as a center for high performance road cars and racing cars in the 1950s was the proliferation of specialist artisans each of whom contributed something unique to the picture. As a result, there were numerous coachbuilders, many of whom were linked to companies like Stanguellini, Maserati, OSCA and Ferrari, so it was normal that at one time or another they would intermingle.

A typical example would be Carrozzeria Fantuzzi founded by Medardo Fantuzzi, who was born in 1906 in Bologna and trained as an engineer. In 1927 he and his brother Gino joined Maserati as apprentices shortly after the Maserati brothers started building their own racing cars. [Read more…] about Medardo Fantuzzi by Graham Gauld

Fellini’s Fantuzzi Ferrari and the 540 Aperta

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The 540 Aperta is it appeared at Villa d ‘Este. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

By Wallace Wyss

From the VeloceToday Archives, 2010

Let’s say you have more money than God and way back you saw an old Italian movie that had a sexy car in it. The movie was by Fellini and the car, as near as anyone can tell, was a special by Fantuzzi, and/or originally installed on a racing chassis.

According to our friends at Coachbuild.com, “Fantuzzi’s golden Spider body was first installed on the chassis of 330 TR-LM #0808TR in 1963. After its racing career, this 330 TR-LM also received a new Coupe body by Fantuzzi and the car was once offered for sale with both the Coupe and the Spider body. In 1964 the Spider body was constructed onto #4381SA – originally the first of four 1963 330 LM Berlinettas.” All this before appearing in its first and only movie.

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