Legendary restorer and racer Tony Merrick passed away on December 15th. To donate, click on this image. To read our recent review of Tony Merrick’s book see link below.
Tony Merrick
More Classics from Hampton Court 2020
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
There was one bright spot in last year’s Concours season, as it was decided to hold the annual Hampton Court Show shortly before Covid restrictions became more drastic. And what a show it was. Jonathan Sharp covered the Italian entries last September, but we didn’t publish his photos of the many other great cars that made it to the event. Sharp hereby corrects that situation, with more great photos and detailed descriptions (information primarily from the event program) to explain the history behind each car. And a good thing, too, as we are not as familiar with Bentleys as Bugattis.
Martin Squires: Art and the Motorcycle
From Martin Squires’s Banked Track Heroes project.
By Brandes Elitch
Art by Martin Squires
Assumptions are generally pretty tenuous as a rule, but it is perhaps a safe assumption that if you’re reading VeloceToday, you are interested in (and probably knowledgeable about) French and Italian cars. The total number of French and Italian vehicles that were sold in the U.S. for the last fifty years as percentage of total vehicle sales is miniscule, so this is a pretty arcane subject, but not as arcane as motorcycle collecting versus car collecting.
Oscar Koveleski, A Personal Portrait
Jack Deren advising Oscar Koveleski in the McLaren. Oscar didn’t set the Can Am world on fire, but “They knew I was there!”
By John R. Wright
Oscar Kovelevski died on the evening of Monday December 28th, 2020 at age 87. I will miss him.
From 1966 until 1974, it was a ritual for us Canadian gearheads to travel to our home race track, Mosport for the annual CanAm race. After the race had ended, instead of fighting the traffic out of the track area, we would instead wander the paddock and pits to see the drivers up close: Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, Denis Hulme, Canadian John Cordts – and Oscar Kovelevski. Many of them would leave by helicopter and avoid the fans but not Oscar.
Fiat 1100 History Part 1
First called the Nuova Balilla, the new Fiat quickly became the 1100, or Millecento as the Italians called it. Inset: A 30-year-old engineer named Dante Giacosa was responsible.
Eighty years ago, in November 1937, Fiat introduced its first 1100 cc four-cylinder engine with overhead valves. This small, mass-produced engine not only powered a great number of Fiat’s bread and butter automobiles, but also became the heart of many exciting Italian and French specialist sports and racing cars. This article covers the years 1937 – 1940.
Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk
From the VeloceToday Archives, 2017
In 1935 Italy was in the middle of a controversial colonial war in Abyssinia. In Turin that same year, Antonio Fessia, the manager of Fiat’s engineering department, asked the thirty-year-old engineer, Dante Giacosa, to develop a successor to the popular Balilla model. Giacosa had earned the respect of the Fiat management for his brilliantly designed 500 model, nicknamed Topolino (little mouse). Fessia explained that the new car should fill the gap between the small 500 and the recently introduced flagship of the Fiat range, the modern six-cylinder 1500 model.
Romolo Tavoni Remembered
Romolo Tavoni has passed away at the age of 94. During his years with Ferrari, there were times when Tavoni appeared to be something of a father confessor to the drivers. Here he calms down Phil Hill who obviously has been having a problem. (Photo Graham Gauld)
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
On December 21, we heard the news that Enzo Ferrari’s former private secretary and team manager, Romolo Tavoni died at the age of 94 at his home in Casinalbo near Modena.
For me it was a deeply personal loss as I have known Romolo for over 63 years since my first visit to Maranello to visit Ferrari. He came striding out from under the archway in his formal grey suit and tie, and made me and my old Scottish friend Sandy Forrest very welcome.
Favorite Fourteen of 2020
To effectively display our Favorite Fourteen articles, this week we are using a form of slide show. The slides do NOT automatically move from one to another; you must click the right arrow to see the next image. You can also click on the center arrow and it will take the you directly to the subject article. Place your cursor over the photo to see the arrows and begin.
But enjoy, and let us know what were your favorites articles of 2020!
Thanks and Happy Holidays
We wish to thank all the wonderful people who made VeloceToday.com possible in 2020, in alphabetical order:
Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Completed & Revealed
By Paul Wilson
Over the years my skills improved, but my income remained modest, and it was clear that the project would have to be done with my own hands, if at all. Was I crazy? The jury is still out on that question. I did cheat. I realized that, sitting quietly in junkyards, was sheet metal in many of the shapes I needed. The 1937 Lincoln Zephyr, for example, had gorgeous rear fenders, with skirts over the wheels. [Read more…] about Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Completed & Revealed
Stop, Look, but don’t Listen…
36 photos by Jonathan Sharp
Stop: Forget rivet counts and restoration details.
Stop: Enlarge each photo by clicking on it to double the size. Slow it down.
Stop: Enjoy the ambiance for there is nothing else quite like it in the world.
Stop: Look at the faces, feel the tension, imagine the noise, thrill with the excitement.
For this is Goodwood at its most glorious, and how great it would be there to see and hear and feel what Jonathan Sharp did on that wonderful September day in 2019.
Bizzarrini in Paradise
By Wallace Wyss
We’re supposed to be hunkered down because of the plague. I get it.
But being a car guy, I can’t help (properly masked of course) going to Malibu at dawn each Sunday morning to see what’s at the informal cars ‘n coffee. And recently I was rewarded with the sight of a 1967 Bizzarrini GT5300 Strada so fresh from France it still has French plates (or are those vanity plates?)
Siata Balbo Coupe CS071 Part 2
Story and photos by Sean Smith
From our Archives, 2018
On June 4th, 2017, Walter and the SIATA won the “Vintage Rallies” award at the 2017 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. But the car still was not running right—so off it went to Automotive Restorations in Stratford Connecticut.
They were chasing what they thought were some electrical gremlins. They got the SIATA running better, and technician Chip Webb took the car out for a road test.
On June 8th at 1:30 in the afternoon, Chip was waiting for a light at the corner of Stratford and Surf Avenues with his signal on, when a woman in a Toyota Camry came along doing something she shouldn’t have been doing… one hand on the wheel and the other on her ubiquitous cell phone… driving distracted.
BANG!