The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
This is a Georges Irat cabriolet type MM with a 4-cylinder 954cc Ruby engine. Around 600 examples with Ruby engines were produced between 1935 and 1939 and 130 with Citroën engines in 1939.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
We continue with more French and Italian makes at the Epoqu’Auto, Lyon.
Entrant 123, 1902 2 cylinder 10hp Georges Richard Tonneau.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
To people of a certain age the London to Brighton Veteran Car run is still known as ‘the old croc’s race’ (that will be me then!) but for the one thing, it is definitely not a race but a run to celebrate the passing of the “Locomotives on the Highway Act” which came into force at midnight on the 14th November 1896, which raised the speed limit for light Locomotives (horseless carriages) from 4 mph to 14 mph (but lowered to 12 mph before the act came into force), and abolished the requirement for the Locomotive to be proceeded by a man on foot.
Entry 364, 1904 4 cylinder 32hp Simplex Mercedes.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny and living in Brighton means I can cover the finish and do not need to get up before the birds to make the 7am start. This year I decided to photograph some of the entrants on the outskirts of Brighton so positioned myself initially by the major junction of the A23 London road and A27 Worthing road. I thought my timing was perfect as I had just parked the car when two entrants came passed but then nothing for the next half an hour! By about midday the stream of entrants was pretty steady so before moving onto the sea front I took some more shots between the roundabout and the Black Lion Pub (if you know the area then you will know where I mean).
You did not need to look far to see the very rare. This is a 1954 Fiat 1100 TV with coachwork designed by Giovanni Michelotti and constructed by Carrozzeria Canta. Carrozzeria Canta was formed in 1949 and mainly bodied Fiat 1100 and 1400 chassis. In 1954 the company introduced two models but soon the Studebaker lawyers came calling forcing the company to change their designs for 1955.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The following is probably best described as a Fiat fest. I imagine that these days should you choose to purchase a new Fiat, you probably have thousands of options with regards to colour/trim combinations, extra chrome, maybe carbon fibre, a sunroof perhaps. But how great it must have been in the 1950s and 60s to decide that I want to buy a new Fiat, but I want it to be truly different to the next door neighbors’.
Mansfield, March 1961. Based on Jim Hall’s grimy face, a photo taken just after the race. From the left: Frank Lance, Jim, body man Foy Barrett and part-time mechanic Billy Billings, next to Jim’s feature winning Maserati 570S. Harry Heuer’s Meister Brauser Scarab is in the background.
As told by Frank Lance to Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.
The 1961 season started well for Jim Hall. During the Polar Prix at Green Valley in February he raced a Porsche RSK to a feature win, beating preliminary winner Delmo Johnson in his Jaguar XK-SS [chassis 701].
Frank: “That was the former Penske RSK. Jim had a new Porsche RS-60 that he raced at Green Valley in August 1960, beating Delmo’s XK-SS for first overall. Roger wanted an RS-60 because Bob Holbert was beating him with his own RS-60. So, Roger made a deal with Jim to swap cars, although not engines. I had to remove the engine from the RS-60 and reinstall it in the tired RSK that Penske sent us. We took it to Green Valley in the new year and again won overall in a race against my old friend, the XK-SS Jaguar, now with Chevy power.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Auto Moto d’Epoca La passione per I motorie e a Bologna, so said the full page advert in ‘il Resto del Carlino, the local newspaper; I could not agree more. Having now visited again after too many years, with the new location I am better placed to organize my next visit, probably next year. This year, because I was last minute about everything, I was left with less hotel choices and whilst I picked a hotel with Fiere (exhibitions) in its name it was still a taxi ride to the event.
6C 2500 coupe photo by Mark Bennett
As you probably know (or at least we hope you do) Paul Wilson will be formally introducing his Alfa 6C 2500 coupe at the Larz Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts on November 30 – only 9 days away! He will not only present the car itself but provide a very interesting show about how the design developed and the techniques of construction. Click here for more information on Paul’s presentation at Larz Museum. This week we asked Paul tell us about the latest status on both the coupe and roadster. In addition, we have some photos taken by Paul’s friend, Mark Bennett. So take it away, Paul….
Story by Paul Wilson [Read more…] about 6C 2500 Alfa Coupe and Roadster updates
Dallas, October 1960. Frank Lance and Bob Schroeder working on Jim Hall’s second Birdcage Maserati, chassis 2463, before the Times Grand Prix at Riverside.
As told by Frank Lance to Willem Oosthoek
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection], unless stated otherwise.
After their adventures In Nassau, Frank and Red Byron stopped at Sebring to watch the first U.S. Grand Prix, won by Bruce McLaren in a works Cooper/Climax. It had been a busy 1959 year, and not only confined to competition cars.
Frank: “In the latter part of 1959 we also restored a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing coupe that Jim had taken as a trade-in. Red and I did an in-car rebuild of the engine as well as installing a made-to-order air conditioning. This may have been the only 300SL to be air conditioned. Foy Barrett did a total body job with a candy apple red paint job. Red and I took it for a shake-down run going through Plano at 142 mph, with Red driving. Jim kept that car until several years ago and sold it for a nice sum.”
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
So said the media packet, “You are cordially invited to the unveiling of the new Alfa Romeo 33 at 2:30 on Thursday” or words to that effect. So at 2:30 I joined the crowd, all with their camera phones ready, to watch the unveiling, and to my surprise it was on time! After a few speeches (in Italian of course) the red cover was pulled back and yes it is very nice. But
Stewart and the author, the Rand Grand Prix poster.
Story by Robert Young
Some time back I was in a lonely corner of the Goodwood paddock admiring a race car when I sensed someone close by.
I looked up and instinctively said “Hello” to which a dapper fellow wearing a tartan cap replied “Hello”.
Stunned for something to say I stuttered “I saw your first ever Formula One race.”
Sir Jackie Stewart smiled and recalled “…it was the 1964 Rand Grand Prix in South Africa and I drove the Lotus.” He proceeded to tell me a little about the event.
Paul Wilson will be formally introducing his Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline Massachusetts on November 30.
Larz and Isabelle Anderson
Diplomat and ambassador Larz Anderson and his wife, Isabelle Weld Perkins, were fascinating people. Both were wealthy, but Isabelle was by far the richer.* [Read more…] about Paul Wilson and the Larz Anderson Museum
Dallas, November 1960. Frank Lance welding the cracked tubes on Jim Hall’s Birdcage Maserati, chassis 2463. The tube structure between the shock absorbers needed reinforcing as well.
As told by Frank Lance to Willem Oosthoek.
All photos by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection] unless otherwise stated
I met Frank at the Old Race Drivers Reunion, organized by R. David Jones, a former SCCA top official, at his Soldier Creek Ranch in Fort Worth a few years ago. In addition to Frank, I met Bill Janowski, Delmo Johnson, Bob Schroeder, Jim Hall, Willis Murphy, J.C. Kilburn, Enus Wilson, Toly Arutunoff, John Mecom and many other people associated with motor racing in The Golden Age. Frank stood out with his excellent memory at 90 years of age, and I decided he deserved to have his race history in writing. Frank and I put together his story via email and I used the many photos from my collections. Parts of this series appeared earlier in my book “Sports Car Racing in the South”(Dalton Watson). Most images of Frank’s early years were the work of Dallas Times Herald photographer Bob Jackson, a racing enthusiast. Jackson became a winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Photography for his image of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald in the Dallas Courthouse.
Race drivers are the ones who receive all the attention and glory in the press. Their mechanics seldom do. Yet, Frank Lance’s career should get our attention as well. Frank served as the racing mechanic for five of the most prominent Texas drivers and team owners of the fifties and sixties: Jim Hall, Ebb Rose, Carroll Shelby, John Mecom and A.J. Foyt. He saw it all, from amateur [SCCA] and professional [USAC] sports car racing in the U.S., international long-distance racing at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans, Formula One racing at Watkins Glen, Riverside and Mexico City, to the Indianapolis 500, where he was part of the winning team twice. And all that in only a ten-year timeframe.