VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Roadster, Part 7

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Story and photos by Paul Wilson

From the VeloceToday Archives, November 2021

Readers may have already guessed why this series has stalled: the story has caught up with progress on the car itself. I spent the Pandemic Winter pushing a sanding board, then it went to a paint shop, from which it has just returned. Now as I start on the reassembly, wiring, making and trimming the interior, and sorting out mechanical issues, I’ll have more to write about.

I didn’t tell about constructing the center body, which presented more dilemmas than I expected. I thought, how hard could it be? It’s just two boxes, one ahead of the cockpit and the other behind it. Just make them light and stiff, and what else is needed? A lot, as it turns out. Most of the problems arise from what comes in between: the doors and the rocker panels. Often there’s a chicken-and-egg dilemma: if two pieces have to fit together, which do you make first?

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The Art of Selling Art

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Sold! For $1700!

Wallace Wyss reports on finding a market for his road art…and how you can, too!

In the beginning…way back in the 60s… I started out in college as an art major. But I barely got started when some hotshots from an ad agency showed up and said “We need summer interns.” I raised my hand for artist but wouldn’t you know they said “That’s filled,” so I raised my hand again as copywriter and was chosen.

I followed up after graduation as a copywriter on the Oldsmobile account where I worked with the late VeloceToday contributor Eric Davison, but then segued to a more exciting job as a copywriter on the Chevrolet account. There I became the go-to guy for high performance. That led to a job at Car Life, then Motor Trend and 50 years of free lancing interspersed by a few books including three on Shelby, one of which became a best seller (50,000 copies).

But then the digital revolution came along. Everybody with a phone became a photographer. Everybody with access to the net could research and write. No editors, magazines, or for that fact, money was involved anymore. Just do a blog. [Read more…] about The Art of Selling Art

Hugues Vanhoolandt at Chantilly 2022, Part 1

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This is a 1925-6 Itala V12 and the focus of a short photo feature. Scroll down to read more about this fantastic Grand Prix car.

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

One week ago, (September 24-25) the Domain of Chantilly welcomed for the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours for the sixth time. Starting on Saturday with a short rally for the cars entered on Sunday’s Concours, the event saw on Sunday 20,000 visitors converging to the Chantilly Estate, a wonderful setting for classic and concept cars, north of Paris.

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The Lighter Side of Goodwood

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1955 Maserati 250F

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

First thing Friday morning, the well-behaved demonstrators just wanted transparency, that the public be told the truth. The first clue as to what was behind the gates was hidden on the sign by the entrance, “Goodwood twinned with Roswell New Mexico.” So what was all the fuss about? and what was behind the gates? The gates opened at 7.30am but the Police and the Army did not want us to see it, greeting us with shouts of “move alone, nothing to see here” but you could not miss it!…….so Aliens do exist! A blooming great flying saucer had crash landed next to the pedestrian tunnel under the track.

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Vanhoolandt at Chantilly 2022, Part 2

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It’s a Lancia and our Photo Feature. For details see below.

Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

We continue with the cars presented at the Chantilly Arts and Concours event held on September 24-25 2022. Please note the sidebar on the Tjaarda Lancia which appears at the bottom of this article.

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Goodwood 2022 Pit and Paddock

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Ferrari’s Alfa Beater

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

Like many of us, I watched the various races streamed from Goodwood this year (favorite was the St. Mary’s Trophy). Obviously, nothing can beat the video coverage of Goodwood. At the same time I processed hundred of Jonathan’s still photos from Goodwood and prepared them for VeloceToday. Jonathan’s photos add a great deal to Goodwood coverage, aiding and abetting the video coverage, providing a depth and ambiance lacking in the brevity of video. We also hope that our readers are enlarging their screens to as much as 200 percent to better appreciate the many still photos; look large and linger long. –Ed.

I said to myself before the event “try not to take quite so many photos.” It is not the taking, it is the sorting that takes so much time. Anyway, Thursday afternoon at the cricket match, with reasonable control of my trigger finger, I took only about 88 shots, which is just about manageable. Friday morning early at the circuit I reminded myself to just shoot what you can use, stick to the French and Italian stuff! But it is just so photogenic that by 8.30am any chance of sticking to the script had gone out of the window. By close of play Sunday night a total of 3260 photos were taken!

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One Family, Five Fantuzzis

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Uncle Gerry Vack got the ball rolling by photographing 2079 in Paris, 1954.

Story by Pete Vack

We’ll call them Fantuzzis, for more than anyone else Medardo Fantuzzi inspired the coachwork of the A6GCS. Perhaps Ermanno Cozza, who was actually an employee at Maserati at the time, gives us the most accurate summation of who was responsible for the design. In his autobiography, Maserati at Heart, (Nada 2018) Cozza describes the phases of construction which involved drivers, mechanics, and designers. He wrote, “The most striking example was without doubt was the launch of the A6GCS/53, which debuted in that year’s Mille Miglia, winning its class with Emilio Giletti. The engine was a version of the A6GCM unit revised by Gioachino Columbo, while the bodywork built by Fantuzzi, was also fruit of an idea by Colombo.” (p43). (Not all of the A6GCS cars were constructed by Fantuzzi’s shop: Thirty three of the bodies were constructed at nearby Fiandri and Malagoli.)

The new Maserati was beautiful, purposeful, as curvy as Gina Lollabrigida and influenced several of our family members. We came up with five Fantuzzi A6GCS Maseratis connected to the Editor’s family. Rest assured that no one actually owned any examples of the real thing. But here’s our story anyway. [Read more…] about One Family, Five Fantuzzis

Goodwood: Italians on Track

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The Tazio Ottis/Manuel Elicabe 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza races into the sunset, Freddie March Memorial Trophy race.

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

It’s Revival time; get out the tweed jacket and wear a tie and look like someone from the 1960s or earlier. But this year the tie was black and came with a matching arm band. The flags (Union Jacks) all around the circuit were all perfectly set at half-mast and the staff and Marshalls wore black armbands. The show went on but with all due respect being shown for the Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and the Duke of Richmond giving a brief eulogy on the grid each day accompanied by a short film followed by a minute’s silence during which you really could have heard a pin drop.

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Goodwood Revival: Drivers

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James Wood, 1952 Ferrari 375 Grant Piston Ring Special, Ferrari 75th anniversary parade

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The multiple joys of Goodwood; in addition to the practice sessions and the 16 races held over three days, the spectators could also enjoy a parade of in excess of 100 Austin Sevens each morning in celebration of the humble baby Austin’s centenary. A parade in commemoration of the late great Graham Hill, it being sixty years since he won his first Formula One World Championship, and a parade in celebration of 75 years of Ferrari.

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Hampton Court Concours Classic Cameo #1

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Dubonnet’s Xenia

Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Court Concours of Elegance
Add-on by Vince Johnson

This year’s Concours of Elegance was held at Hampton Court Palace located on the side of the river Thames just under 12 miles South West of the center of London. Originally built for Cardinal Wolsey, the Arch Bishop of York, with construction commencing in 1514. King Henry the VIII received the Palace from the Cardinal in 1520. The Royal Palace of Hampton Court is a fantastic and historical place to visit even when the formal gardens are not playing home to over 60 of the world’s greatest and most beautiful cars. [Read more…] about Hampton Court Concours Classic Cameo #1

Hampton Court Concours Classic Cameo #2

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The FCA Heritage document for Keith Roberts 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport by Touring chassis 915819 states that it was first sold to Elena Petrovsky of Pedaso Marche Italy on the 16th June 1950.

Photos by Jonathan Sharp, September 1-3 2022
Captions by Hampton Concours de Elegance
Add on by Pete Vack

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