VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Le Mans Cars at Retromobile

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Where the legend began. It is with a Chenard & Walcker Sport 3 Litre of this type that André Lagache and René Léonard won the first edition of the French classic in 1923. Its four cylinder 3 Litre engine developed 95 bhp and allowed to reach 145 km per hour.

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

For the first time since 2020, the Parisian show is back at full strength, again spread over three halls. With more than 1,700 vehicles on display, Retromobile continues the tradition that began in 1976. No less than 125,000 people visited the show making it the second highest attendance since its inception. As this year the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrates its centenary, many exhibitors brought classic racing cars that took part in the famous race.

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Exceptional French Cars at Retro

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Again, where the legend began… in 1873, Amédée Bollée built the first vehicle with mechanical and steam traction capable of carrying twelve passengers. In October 1875, Bollée completed the Le Mans-Paris journey in 18 hours but received 75 fines from the police!

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

We continue with our Retro coverage and highlight some of the many interesting and significant French classics.

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Graham Gauld’s Retro (2018)

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Story by Graham Gauld
From the VeloceToday archives, February 2018

There was a lot to talk about at Retromobile two weeks ago, particularly if you took a good look round some of the nooks and crannies, particularly in the upper floor of the exhibition hall.

For instance, Retromobile wanted to honor the great French racing driver Jean-Pierre Wimille who would have been celebrating his 110th birthday next week. Wimille was never truly appreciated outside his native France. Born in February 1908 he was immersed in motor sport from an early age as his father was one of France’s pioneering motoring journalists. Wimille took part in his first Grand Prix at the age of 22 in the French Grand Prix of 1930 held on the street circuit at Pau. He drove a Bugatti T37A and was immediately 5th fastest in practice but retired on the second lap when his supercharger broke.

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Paolo Martin’s Sigma Revisited

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The revolutionary Sigma Grand Prix car by Pininfarina and powered by Ferrari. Note the Ferrari mag wheels

Graham Gauld wrote this article a year ago, but in the meantime Roberto Motto came up with image of the Sigma from Pininfarina, while new information about Sigma came from Paolo Martin’s new book, Visions in Design, also reviewed this week. We put it all in a blender an came up with the story below. Ed.

Photos courtesy Pininfarina, Paolo Martin and Graham Gauld

“Some might feel inclined to remark, perhaps in a chiding tone, that this work has seduced us away from what has been our traditional path. We would certainly rebut such a charge.” Those words were uttered by Sergio Pininfarina when his company surprised everyone at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show by showing a startling one-off Grand Prix car, the Sigma.

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A Bugatti T35 at Schenley Park

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Elizabeth Junek, Helle Nice, and Miranda Seymour weren’t the only women to enjoy the power, speed and ecstasy of a Bugatti. Once upon a time, VeloceToday’s Office Manager Mary Decker Vack had a chance to become intimately friendly with a Type 35. Like others who have experienced Ettore’s masterpiece, the adventure was not easily forgotten. But how did our brave (in retrospect) come to catch a track ride in a magnificent unrestored Bugatti T 35?

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The Alfa Romeos of Whit Smith

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Poster Boy: A shot taken of Whit Smith and his father in 1996 and used for this poster the following year.

Story by Sean Smith
From the VeloceToday Archives

After 18 years gone missing, Whit Smith finds his father’s Alfa racecar

It’s all Whit Smith’s mother’s fault. She and Whit’s dad met in Galion, Ohio. Pat was a local, Mason a New York city guy stuck in Ohio for work and a bit bored. The future Mrs. Smith spun tales of a race track just down the road at Mid-Ohio; they went to check it out.

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Graham Gauld Mini Autobiography Part 3

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Claviers was to be Gauld’s next home.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

In 1994, Having made my decision to return to Europe, and the further decision to move to the South of France, I chose the tiny village of Claviers to be close enough to Italy and within easy driving distance to Milan, Turin and, of course, Modena.

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Graham Gauld in Claviers

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The 1932 Salmson GS (Grande Sport) that arrived in the village. (Jane Wallis-Hosken)

By Graham Gauld
From the Archives October 2020

I live in a small village in the south of France in the hills behind the beaches of Cannes and Frejus where very little happens. However, I am constantly reminded of the major role France played in the birth and development of automobile racing.

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Graham Gauld Mini Autobiography Part 2

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Graham explaining the driving test to Jackie Chan at Kowloon.


Story and photos by Graham Gauld
Read Part 1

In the first episode of this yarn I left you with my reply to the company in Hong Kong regarding their wish to have someone edit a car magazine they planned for mainland China and going off to Silverstone for a historic race meet. On my return on a Sunday evening in 1993, there was a reply informing me that tickets from Edinburgh to Hong Kong via London would arrive the following day and could I fly on Wednesday. [Read more…] about Graham Gauld Mini Autobiography Part 2

Speedweeks 1959 Part 5

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It took a while for the organizers to realize that Carroll Shelby was leading the race in his Maserati Tipo 61.

By Willem Oosthoek
Photos by Bob Bellows and Dave Nicholas (Willem Oosthoek Collection)

Links to all previous chapters below

So how did the Nassau Trophy exactly unfold in 1959? With such a diverse field and some drivers making faster getaways than others, it always takes a few laps before everything is sorted out, However, reading what the motorsport journalists in period, and some of the subsequent book authors, tell us about this feature race, a rather vague picture emerges.

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Old Yeller II Down Under

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By Ernie Nagamatsu
Photos by Sam Snape

The American “Backyard Special,” 1959 Old Yeller II Buick Special was shipped to Australia to face off against some of the rare and iconic Formula Cars from Down Under. The event was the Summer Festival at Sydney Motorsports Park held on December 3-4, 2022. It was an honor for the Old Yeller II to be placed in the most challenging grid of race-cars with exceptionally skilled drivers.

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