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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Special Brew, The Story of the Southern African Formula One and Libre Specials

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By Robert Young
Published in April 2026
ISBN 978-1-918070-02-6
$70 plus shipping
Published by Evro Publishing, Westrow House, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5LF, UK
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Review by Pete Vack

Robert Young has been researching the history of racing in South Africa for years, almost as long as he has known Graham Gauld. Says Gauld, “I have known Rob Young for many years and have always been aware of his plan to record for posterity the racing specials built in South Africa, particularly in the post-World War II years.” [Read more…] about Special Brew, The Story of the Southern African Formula One and Libre Specials

Road America, 1956 June Sprints

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Jim Kimberly in the OSCA coming down the hill into turn five.

Text by Robert Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning

Road America June Sprints, 23-24, 1956

After an exuberant late 1955, an abbreviated time to sit back and smell the roses was shortened even more when the Chicago Region SCCA received approval to hold two race weekends at Road America, the first on June 23 – 24, 1956 and another on September 8 – 9. If that wasn’t ambitious enough, the National Association for Stock Car Racing’s (NASCAR) Grand National Series secured a race date in August. Clearly all involved, Clif Tufte and his extended team, local merchants and SCCA officials, had their winter hours spoken for to assure competing drivers and their respective teams, area merchants and attending fans from across the Midwest and beyond had safe, enjoyable and profitable summer. [Read more…] about Road America, 1956 June Sprints

Road America 1956 NASCAR and SCCA events

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Paul Goldsmith took the Jag MK VII to victory in the under 3.5 liter race. Photo courtesy of Bernie Silverberg Collection,

Story by Bob Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning unless otherwise noted

NASCAR at Road America

On the weekend of August 11-12, 1956 a NASCAR group of mostly good ‘ol southern boys took to Road America in two events. On Saturday a 100 mile race for European and American cars under 3.5 liters and Sunday the 250 mile feature for American made stock cars. Saturday’s grid had a mixture of small European sedans, an American Studebaker and one Jaguar VII Saloon, the latter driven to victory by NASCAR’s Paul Goldsmith.

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Frank Harrison’s Maseratis P1

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By Willem Oosthoek

The above title quote is how a Maserati-loving bottling magnate always ended his correspondence.* The bottling magnate was J. Frank Harrison Jr., whose father was a nephew of John T. Lupton, one of the Coca-Cola pioneers.

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Frank Harrison’s Maseratis P3

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By Willem Oosthoek

The Harrison team brought all three Maseratis to the next event, the Road America 500 miler in September. Each car was practiced and the 450S was fast but considered too much of a handful in a long-distance race. With the new red Birdcage offering even better handling than the Streamliner, it became Jeffords’ preferred car.

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The Birth of Road America, 1955

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Glen Glendenning captured the first cars on the new track, probably in June of 1955.

Robert Birmingham tells us about Road America’s first event
With photos by Glen Glendenning unless otherwise noted

During the late 1800s, and decades beyond, was a small, calm pastoral village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin serving the farming community. Times were good, America was entering an industrial period and the village became a popular vacation destination. Available via the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) the village served many wealthy Chicago and Milwaukee families who sought to enjoy what was offered.

Quality resorts served visitors, the Schwartz Hotel, Siebkins, Pine Point, Sharps and Osthoffs, each overlooking a deep, blue lake where stately trees lined the shore. Business ebbed during World War I, picked up after but during the mid-thirties Great Depression returned to hard times. World War II continued the demise until signs of recovery in the late forties. To put it bluntly the town was not growing, business continued to laze and then something changed. The town was Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

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1939 Tripoli Grand Prix: The Race

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Lang makes a rocketing start and leads Caracciola and Farina whilst Villoresi’s streamliner falters. (Mercedes-Benz Classic)

Story by Robert Young
Photos courtesy Mercedes-Benz Classic

Read Part 1

The race

The 30-lap race started in searing temperatures and one wonders how Luigi Villoresi was coping in the cramped confines of the streamliner’s cockpit. The track temperature was reported to be some 50 degrees and it was up to 40 degrees in the shade.

The race was to be started by ‘lights’ and by Marshall Balbo waving a flag, and this caused some confusion as the lights flashed before Balbo dropped the flag, and Lang, watching the lights, streaked away. For the Officine A. Maserati it was a disaster – Trossi’s car broke a piston and failed to complete a lap, the streamliner had a gearbox fault and Cortese retired on lap 4.

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AutoWorld Brussel’s Lancia Exhibition

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Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The Autoworld Brussels museum is currently presenting an exhibition retracing the epic story of the Lancia brand through a dozen vehicles entitled “Lancia 120 Years – Innovation through Italian Design”.

From the very first models, Lancia cars distinguished themselves by their lightness, functionality and originality of design.

These are the characteristics illustrated by the models displayed here. [Read more…] about AutoWorld Brussel’s Lancia Exhibition

Ferrari 750 Monza: Beauty Saved

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By Peter Darnall
From the Archives, February 2021

Déjà vu: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before . . .

I came across an old friend at Thunderhill recently. I had not seen her in more than fifty years—and she had not changed a bit. She was drawing quite a bit of attention in the paddock, which was just the way I remembered our last meeting in the Del Monte Forest in the spring of 1956.

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Repco Adelaide Motorsport Festival, 2026

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Esperienza Giro Lamborghini, display paddock

Story and photos by Vince Johnson

The heavens chose to wait until the last day of summer to finally bring South Australia some much-needed rain this year. In the state capital on the Victoria Park circuit, crews had obviously done their homework and on Saturday morning, in the paddock and pits, slicks were nowhere to be seen. With fifteen categories, ranging from Formula 1 to Historic Sports and Racing, including Motorbikes, the track was live from 8:30 to 5:30 each day.

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