The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
What we as kids back in the 60s used to call the “old crocks race,” the London to Brighton Run has over the past few years morphed into a sort of London Motoring Week which kicked off on the Wednesday, October 29 with the opening of the Royal Automobile Club’s ‘Art of Motoring’ exhibition at the Iconic Images Gallery in Waterloo Place Piccadilly, and reached its zenith on the Sunday November 2 with the London to Brighton Veteran car run.
Taking center stage in the atrium of the RAC Club House, this 1902 Wolseley two cylinder 10hp Tonneau, only the 53rd car to be road registered in the city of Birmingham. Originally fitted with solid rubber tyres, the Wolseley now runs on pneumatic tyres, and has done since 1953. Before being purchased by the Oldman family in 2001 the car was owned by Jack Howes, an enthusiast who entered and completed 45 London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs, in fact this Wolseley has now made the run 55 times.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
For the past two years, us scruffy old media types have been allowed into the venerable RAC Club house located on Pall Mall, slap bang in the center of the St James Motoring Spectacle. So a chance to enter through the mahogany revolving doors and take a peek inside was not something I was going to miss.
1961 Abarth 700 Bialbero Record Monza ex-Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus
Last week Hugues Vanhoolandt brought us the F1 cars at this year’s Auto e Moto d’Epoca, as well as a few other race cars of interest. This week he brings us cars from, and in alphabetical order, Abarth, Bandini, Cisitalia, Diato, Ferrari, Fiat Innocenti, Lancia and Siata. At least.
Captions and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
A gem on the ANAS stand, an Autobianchi Giardinera.
Every year, Auto e Moto d’Epoca Bologna overwhelms our correspondents and our pages. Last week Sharp just concentrated on the Fiats at the show and as he reports this week, Italian commercial vehicles of all shapes and sizes are out for display and all are part of the commercial and transportation history of that country. We would be remiss if we did not include a few them.
Captions and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Gijsbert-Paul Berk in 2007.
By Pete Vack
Gijsbert-Paul Berk, Dutch author, artist, editor, administrator, journalist and VeloceToday contributor, has passed away at his home on October 29, 2025, at age of 95. [Read more…] about Gijsbert-Paul Berk: An Appreciation
Script on the grille of this Fiat seems to read “Weber”. Any ideas?
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Just back from Bologna after visiting Auto e Moto d’Epoca (October 23-26). A great show as usual with much to see. For me it is not the exotic stuff that makes the show, though the F1 display (see Vanhoolandt’s report) in the atrium was impressive, it’s the obscure stuff dotted around the various halls, sometimes on the club stands but more often buried in amongst the hundreds of cars for sale from both the dealers and private owners.
The Mercedes W196 R made its mark on its era. Winner in its very first race, the 1954 French Grand Prix at Reims, the W196 R went on to win the 1954 and 1955 world titles with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Auto e Moto d’Epoca 2025
This year, Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna (October 23-26) commemorated 75 years of Formula 1.
As such, around fifteen cars were on display in the atrium, and many more were scattered throughout the various halls.
Let’s take a look at the most interesting models, most of which were entered by Italian racing teams, as well as a few non-F1 competition cars seen at the show.
The poster for the 1955 Grand Prix at Zandvoort. It was designed by the well-known Dutch graphic artist Frans Mettes.
The Dutch Grand Prix was scheduled for one week after the disastrous 1955 Le Mans event. Should it have been cancelled? What would you have done? In this exclusive story, VeloceToday correspondent Gijsbert-Paul Berk, who was an assistant to the Royal Netherlands Automobile Club at the time, describes the ensuing crisis and decision.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
From the VeloceToday Archives, June, 2015
This year’s 24 hour race at Le Mans is now over, but no one who has closely followed motor racing in the fifties can ever forget the horrible accident exactly 60 years ago, on June 11, 1955 during the Le Mans 24 hours race. This black page in the history of motor sports caused the immediate death of the French driver Pierre Bouillin (who drove under the pseudonym of Pierre Levegh), at least 88 spectators, and hundreds of wounded. It was and remains the greatest loss of life due to a motor racing event.
After a long hot summer.
This is part 9 in a series of articles by Paul Wilson. Click here for Part 8 and links to Parts 1-7.
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
As a self-taught amateur, when I can’t fix a mechanical problem I imagine a Real Expert saying, “Oh, that’s easy,” and solving it effortlessly. I’ve learned that such Experts are rare, but I’m still embarrassed that I have such trouble with apparently trivial puzzles. So I squirm a bit as I tell this part of my car’s story. It’s a confession of ignorance. [Read more…] about Wilson’s Roadster: Small Details
Every instinct says “It’s backwards”! No, it’s the front wheel drive 1936 Cord engine, although the car in the picture is a 1937.
Story and photos by Charley Seavey
A recent trip to the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, IN, produced 403 pictures of some of the greatest American cars ever. I imagine that the vast majority of VT readers know what the cars look like, but the museum has a lot of picture worthy items that are not complete cars.
Words and illustrations by Richard Bartholomew
From the Archives, April 1, 2019
A renegade group of disgruntled Ferrari mechanics has possibly been committing atrocities on certain Ferraris, but so far nobody is sure of what the heck is going on. Some owners of the fabled Italian brand have reported returning from vacations and finding their prized Ferraris refurbished and redone in odd ways. Inside jobs are suspected but nobody has taken credit yet. The changes range from the simplistic, like the Cyclops-Dino in our lead image, to fantastic, complex modifications like making an SUV out of Testarossa.
