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The Bonds in front of the R&T offices with their Ferrari 330GT, 1964.* Courtesy Marilee (Lee) Bond Nudo
By Pete Vack with Jim Sitz, John R. Bond, Jr. and Marilee (Lee) Bond Nudo
John Bond took over a distressed Road and Track in the fall of 1952, but always admitted that Elaine was the brains of the outfit. David E. Davis wrote (C&D Nov 1990) that she “…was the ramrod that turned R&T into the magazine it was in the Sixties and Seventies.”
Shannons Adelaide Rally, South Australia, 24-27 March 2021
Story and photos by Vince Johnson
Originally planned for the second half of 2020, the Shannons Adelaide Rally, like many worldwide, was another casualty of the pandemic. Towards the end of the year, when the lights at the end of the tunnel were shining again in South Australia, late summer seemed an ideal time to run the postponed event. Over fifty entrants came from interstate, braving the uncertainty of lockdowns or quarantine. As it turned out, not all the roads were dry during the four-day meeting, but this didn’t deter competitors and results were in doubt until the final stages on Saturday.
Montage by Peter Darnall.
“Kas” Kaster passed away on April 11, 2021. As a tribute, we republish Peter Darnall’s article about the Triumph K car, designed by Peter Brock and engineered and built by Kastner. From the VeloceToday Archives, August 2016
Story by Peter Darnall
Black and White photos courtesy Peter Brock
The K-car has always been one of my favorite designs – Peter Brock
High praise indeed! Peter Brock can include the Corvette Stingray, the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, and the Hino Samurai in the portfolio of exciting cars he has been involved with. I first saw the Triumph TR-250K in person at the David Love Memorial event at Sonoma earlier this year. The sophisticated wedge-shaped profile of the car was simply elegant. The K-Car, on its looks alone, might have saved Triumph from oblivion, but it was never put into production.
And therein lies a tale…
The story of the early years of Road and Track, thanks to Jim Sitz.
Off to a great start: Bonneville, 1951. Road and Track, Hop Up, and Motor Trend staff members gather for the Bonneville Speed Week. Jerry Cheseborough is on the far left, that might be Oliver Billingsley on the other side of the MG. Motor Trend photographer unknown. Courtesy Jim Sitz.
By Pete Vack and Jim Sitz
Ed. note: Most of the information below was provided by historian Jim Sitz, who was a witness to the early years at the magazine, via emails to me over a period of weeks in 2020. He also was in the possession of the rare photos taken at the Road & Track offices in 1951, obtained from the Billingsley collection in the early 1990s. We have not been able to determine who took these photos or under what circumstances. Any questions regarding these photos can be sent to the Editor at vack@cox.net.
You Bet Your Life
In 1952, while Groucho Marx was gambling his future on the new-fangled TV with a show called “You Bet Your Life”, a thirty-nine-year-old engineer in California with a bright, enthusiastic wife, a new son and a MGTC was betting that the sports car fad was here to stay. In fact he was betting his family’s entire future on a sports car magazine that was deeply in hock. It had been offered to other magazine publishers but turned down, and one wouldn’t even take Road and Track (no ampersand in the early days; the “&” in the title was introduced in 1954) for just the bills. But staff members John and Elaine Bond were determined to save the magazine and were fully aware of its potential of a magazine devoted to the growing sports car movement. They decided to take a huge risk. [Read more…] about The Early Years of Road and Track
Charles Nearburg – 1954 Lancia D50A the 2019 HMSA Spring Club Event run at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Nikon 200mm f/11 at 160 second for speed motion blur.
Interview by Brandes Elitch
Dennis Gray grew up in Turlock, California, back then a tiny ranching community of perhaps 10,000 people. In 1959, when Dennis was in 10th grade, his father gave him a Nikon camera. From that auspicious beginning, today Dennis is recognized as one a handful of the most important auto race photographers in the United States, with a body of work stretching over sixty years, and he is still shooting. [Read more…] about Dennis Gray: A Master of Auto Racing Photography
Jonathan Feiber – 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 in Group 3A – 1955-1961 Sports Racing Cars over 2000cc at the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, Nikon 300mm f/13 at 1/250 second.
Intro by Brandes Elitch
All Photos copyright Dennis Gray
Read the Interview with Dennis Gray
In my last column, I interviewed noted photographer Dennis Gray in Modesto last month. Dennis discussed some of his techniques for race photography based on fifty plus years of work. Afterwards, we realized that we needed to show more of his output, hence this second column. The photos speak for themselves and do not require additional commentary. However, I thought I would say a few words about this subject in general to put things in perspective for our readers. [Read more…] about Dennis Gray Photo Gallery
Story By Michael T. Lynch
From the VeloceToday Archives, September 2018
When the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance decides to have a Special Class, they leave no stone unturned, and the result is always spectacular. This year featured a marque dear to VeloceToday readers’ hearts, OSCA, the Maserati Brothers jewel-like masterpieces that dominated smaller displacement classes on both sides of the Atlantic in the immediate post-WWII period. Pebble’s foraging led to entries from Canada, Germany, Israel and Japan, as well as examples resident in the U.S. [Read more…] about Michael Lynch’s OSCA Pocket History
Photo from the book, Alfa Romeo Junior Z.
By Pete Vack
The Alfa Junior Zagato was a landmark car for the coachbuilder, and marked the final transition from the hand-built aluminum bodies to a far less expensive pressed steel body.
For a number of reasons, the handcrafted panel beaten aluminum confections could no longer offer a viable and cost-effective way to produce a body in any kind of production run, no matter how small. Zagato, being in Milan and not Turin, was one of the last holdouts. Everyone else had seen the future and adopted accordingly, led by the wise old Battista Pininfarina who was as good a businessman as he was a designer.
Story by Paul Wilson
For my 6C roadster body, I made two important improvements in my technique. I used steel instead of aluminum. And with a few changes, I made my wire-form buck much better.
The Lotus and the Amilcar were originally made with aluminum bodies, so I had no choice of material. Aluminum is light and easily worked. So why would anyone use steel? Experience suggested some answers. First, it’s hard to get good welds in aluminum without much better (more expensive) equipment than I have. More skill, too, maybe. But I still don’t have it after twenty years of effort and instruction from many experts (none of whom could do fast, tidy welds with my welder). If practice would do the trick, I’d have it by now. [Read more…] about Paul Wilson’s Alfa 6C 2500 Roadster Part 4
John at speed passing the front of Goodwood house. Jonathan Sharp photo.
By Pete Vack
Photos by Jonathan Sharp and Hugues Vanhoolandt
On October 25, 1964, as he won the Formula One World Championship driving for Ferrari, John Surtees achieved what no man before or since has accomplished, becoming a world champion on both two wheels and four. Catching up with the indestructible 67-year-old champion at the Amelia Island Concours in 2001, we were granted an exclusive interview with the Champion and learned firsthand the perils and pleasures encountered while racing for both MV Agusta and Ferrari. This interviewed originally appeared in Forza magazine in 2001, and we reproduce the full text below for the first time in VeloceToday. This is Part 2.
By the end of the year, Ferrari was knocking at the door of John Surtees. Bravely, he turned Mr. Ferrari down, politely, of course, and probably the only driver aside from Stirling Moss to do so. He was working on a new Lola and found sponsorship with Bowmaker for the 1962 season, and knew he wanted to go to Ferrari feeling 100% sure of himself and his abilities. In late 1962, he was again approached by Ferrari. Surtees recalled this time, relating it to his motorcycle years. “In terms of satisfaction, the motorcycle career was better, because I made less mistakes off the track. I knew all the people. With car racing, I didn’t know a soul, had never really seen a race car. I found out the hard way who you could trust and who you couldn’t.”
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
Once the chassis of my Alfa was sitting on its wheels I could start on the fun part, building the body. Over many years and several major projects, I’ve developed methods of fabrication that work pretty well for me, but it’s important to understand what my situation is, what my goals have been, and the limitations of my system. [Read more…] about Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Roadster Part 3
John waits for the signal to depart the assembly area at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2014 to demonstrate the NART Ferrari 158, now part of George Barber’s collection. Jonathan Sharp photo.
By Pete Vack
Photos by Jonathan Sharp and Hugues Vanhoolandt
From the VeloceToday Archives, March, 2017
On October 25, 1964, as he won the Formula One World Championship driving for Ferrari, John Surtees achieved what no man before or since has accomplished, becoming a world champion on both two wheels and four. Catching up with the indestructible 67-year-old champion at the Amelia Island Concours in 2001, we were granted an exclusive interview with the Champion and learned firsthand the perils and pleasures encountered while racing for both MV Agusta and Ferrari. This interviewed originally appeared in Forza magazine in 2001. John Surtees passed away on March 10, 2017. This is part 1 of 2.
He is still instantly recognizable, though most photos one might see of him date from the 1960s. The eyes are sharp, clear and blue, and if he has a bit less hair than he once did, he is as energetic as ever. His complexion, once much the concern of Ferrari Team Manager Dragoni, is as pale as it has always been. He speaks calmly, slowly, containing each word with an accent very similar to actor Michael Caine, also from South London. Now living in Edenbridge, Kent, John Surtees is very much at home with himself, at ease with the past, comfortable with the present, and confident of the future.