By Roy Smith
Vic Elford. What can one say, maybe his nickname “Quick Vic” sums it all up. But it was not just his speed, he was a man with a lively personality, and talented beyond measure when behind the wheel.
The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By pete
By pete
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
French Cars at Essen will follow this brief letter:
April 7, 2008
Dear Mr. Vack,
Established in Belgium, I am a long time reader of Veloce Today and occasionally a photographer of Italian classics. I enjoyed the pictures of Techno Classica Essen that I visited myself last Saturday. It would be a great pleasure for me if I could help you in identifying some cars.
The Cisitalia is a 1947 202 SMM s/n 005 SMM with a 1.4 litre Gordini engine.
The Maserati coupé is a A6 1500 with a Pinin-Farina body. The s/n is 068.
The “Etceterini” is an Ermini based on a Fiat 1100 with a Motto body. The
s/n is 1301.You will find attached some of my pictures of other Italian cars of great interest (see below). I really hope it can help.
Best regards,
Hugues Vanhoolandt
And that, dear readers, was almost exactly 14 years ago and it appeared in the pages of VeloceToday in an article titled “Much Less Guessin’ at Essen”. Hugues Vanhoolandt is still here, and there, at Essen, reporting with his complete and alway accurate captions under perfect photography. Below, more French treasures that appeared at this year’s Essen. Thank you, Hugues for all you have done.
By pete
Story by Pete Vack
Photos by Glen Glendenning Courtesy Dave Rex
As we have seen, Dick Irish made good use of the hairy, scary yet beautiful beast that is Ferrari 340/375 Comp Berlinetta, s/n 0322.
He entered four events in 1954, and finished well against the toughest competition money could buy; at the Glen he was fourth overall, behind the Cunningham of Phil Walters, the Ferrari of Jim Kimberly and the Cunningham of Sherwood Johnston. Even owner Marty Christensen did well with it in the two events he entered.
By pete
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
The world has changed quite a lot since the last edition of Rétromobile in 2020, but one thing has not changed; the inimitable atmosphere that emanates from this show, even if it was smaller, with less spectacular displays and less international dealers and their expensive cars.
By pete
Review by Pete Vack
Order here:
www.palawan.co.uk
Roy Smith’s latest book made this reviewer think of Roy’s career as a driver/writer/historian. It is more than impressive; we’ve been working with Roy since 2010 or before and as I looked back I was amazed at what he has achieved and what I forgot! Silver Steeds, Roy’s 10th book in 12 years, was published by the strictly upper echelon Palawawn Press, and already has been selected by Classic & Sports Car Magazine as their March 2022 ‘Book of the Month.’ [Read more…] about Porsche Silver Steeds Reviewed
By pete
By Graham Gauld
From the VeloceToday Archives, September 2017
Bearing in mind the tremendous success of German drivers in Grand Prix racing before WW2, it is baffling that since the inception of the World Championship in 1950, it took 44 years before Germany could claim its first Formula 1 Champion, Michael Schumacher in 1994.
By pete
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Two years after the last edition of Rétromobile, Artcurial Motorcars was also back in the business on March 18-19 2022 with some 170 cars going on sale, including a collection of Bandini cars, gathered over the years by Dino Bandini, the nephew of Ilario who founded the make in 1947.
By pete
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Some may say that Retromobile 2022 was not a vintage year. Yes, it was a bit smaller, many of the big dealers were absent, there was less participation from the manufacturers, but it was still Retromobile ! You just had to dig a little bit deeper to find the gems.
By pete
By pete
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the VeloceToday Archives, May 2018
In 2016, Jonathan Sharp made an intensive visit to the Schlumpf Museum, and returned with thousands of photos. This week we’ve selected just a few of our favorites taken from the several articles showing the treasures of the Schlumpf. [Read more…] about Twenty Shots From the Schlumpf Collection
By pete
Story and Photos by Graham Gauld
Race mechanics have something of a maverick streak about them which usually leads to an interesting and exciting life. Such was the case with Bob Wallace, a New Zealander who left his native country in 1960 and arrived in Modena looking for a job.
By pete
By Pete Vack
We left Dick Irish in 1953, pushing the Excalibur for 3.5 miles at Sebring earning the Shell Sportsmanship Trophy, but the rest of the year was a wash. He managed to stay Stateside during the Korean War, and ended up teaching aviation maintenance at the Transportation Corps school at Ft. Eustis, VA. “During 1954, I got leave to race at Tampa, FL MacDill driving Gordon C. “Tippy” Lipe’s Porsche, Brooks Stevens Excalibur (at Sebring again) and best of all, Marty Christensen’s Ferrari 340/375 “Competizione” Berlinetta.”