The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
A rare trio for Perth: Panhard PL17, 1959 Facel Vega HK500 and rear-engined Simca 1000.
By John Waterhouse
French cars appeared in the state of Western Australia within a few years of the 1901 federation process that formed modern Australia. Readers may recall last year’s article, “A Tale of Two Renaults”, concerning two rarities in WA, a 1900 Type A car and a 1903 Type N that was imported as early as 1904. Both cars were restored in Perth in recent years.
Le Mans, June 1962. The Kimberly/Thompson Tipo 151, chassis 006, being pushed to its start position. On the left Maserati suspension designer Gianpaolo Dallara and chief mechanic Guerrino Bertocchi, on the right Cunningham team manager John Baus. (Flip Schulke)
By Willem Oosthoek
The 1962 season would turn out to be a low point in term of the number of race appearances for Bill Kimberly. Occupied with his corporate job at Kimberly-Clark in London, and with his Ferrari 500TR sold, he appeared trackside only twice. But they were memorable rides, both again with the Briggs Cunningham team.
Although Briggs showed up in force at Sebring in March, Bill was unable to make it. But in Europe competition would be easier to arrange based on his vacation days. Across the English Channel, Le Mans was only a short distance away. [Read more…] about The Racing Career of Bill Kimberly Part 5
Scene in Malibu. Photo by Wallace Wyss
A recent sighting of the Porsche Zagato coupe described by Wallace Wyss
Graham Gauld recounts the re construction of the Porsche Zagato Spyder
Strange Apparitions in Malibu–Wallace Wyss
Call it what you want, but the Storez Zagato coupe I saw in Malibu at Cars ‘n Coffee was more than a replica. It was a re-creation; a continuation or tool-room copy of a configuration that Zagato purportedly planned to build but never did.
1972 Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato at the Floriopoli,the location of the old pits. Photo by L. Ariosto.
Photos by Gianni Petta and friends as noted
VeloceToday covers the Mille Miglia every year, but rarely have we seen photos from the similar Targa Florio event in Sicily. The following are from several recent editions of the Classic Targa Florio, when both spectators and entrants were abundant. In fact before the Pandemic, there were so many spectators that the traditional paddock location by the old pits was no longer sufficient. [Read more…] about A Taste of Targas Past
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Museo Nicolis, Dell’Auto – Della Tecnica – Della Meccanica
From the Archives, October 2017
Luciano Nicolis was born on the 19th of January 1933, the second of six children. At the age of 14, after school had finished for the day, he would cycle to Mantova to find and collect empty cement sacks discarded by the local stone masons. He would then resell them to the local cement company, sometimes carrying 300 empty sacks on the back of his bicycle.
It is no surprise then to learn Signor Nicolis went on to become a very successful industrialist in the field of paper recycling. Lamacart, the company he founded in 1963, is still a leading player in the recycling field today and remains family owned.
From an early age Luciano was fascinated by all things mechanical and technical, and he had a dream to one day open a museum dedicated to his fascinations. Luciano’s dream came true with opening of the Museo Nicolis in the year 2000. Located just a few minutes’ drive from Verona Airport in Villafranca, the Museo is a modern steel and glass structure housing Luciano’s private collection of 200 cars, 500 cameras, 100 motor bikes, 110 bicycles,100 musical instruments, 100 typewriters , 100 Formula 1 steering wheels, and on the roof of the building, three aircraft. Other than the aircraft most mechanical items still work. The cars are regularly maintained and are driven in many classic rallies and events. [Read more…] about Italy’s Nicolis Museum
Road America 500, Wisconsin, September 1961. Bill Kimberly in the brand-new, but badly running chassis 63.002. Note the redundant full width FIA windshield and the air hoses for cockpit cooling. (Willem Oosthoek Collection)
By Willem Oosthoek
With a busy corporate schedule at Kimberly-Clark in Connecticut, Bill Kimberly had fewer opportunities to race during the 1961 season. As a regular “working stiff” his number of vacation days were limited, so invitations by Briggs Cunningham for Sebring, Le Mans and Road America were welcome. Briggs’ mechanics would do the preparations on the cars that Bill would race, another time and money saver for the amateur race driver.
1973 Fiat Abarth 124 Rally
By Gianni Petta and Pete Vack
Photos by Gianni Petta
We’ve never covered the Classic Targa Florio, but historian and Sicilian resident Gianni Petta has photographed the event for years. Petta is known to our readers as the creator of the stunning Targa Florio dioramas, which we featured a year ago in VeloceToday (The 1970 Targa Florio). [Read more…] about Classic Targa Florio, October 15-18, 2020
Photographed around 1996, the Carma FF is in almost concours condition.
From the Archives, August 2014
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
Has anyone seen the Carma FF lately?
On August 5th, 2014, Martino Finotto died of cancer at the age of 80. He was a Milanese gentleman driver, his family fortune stemming from their pharmaceutical company. Finotto was the man behind various racing ventures with his business partner and racing driver Carlo Facetti. Together they ran Achille Motors in Milan where Facetti was in charge. [Read more…] about Facetti Ferrari Carma
Epic Alfa Battle. Photo by Michael Dipleco.
Story by Sean Smith
Photos by Sean Smith unless otherwise noted
Anniversaries are meant to be celebrated. Alfa Romeo was having a big one – 110 years old. There were many celebrations planned, but 2020 gave us a nasty slap in the face with COVID 19, and the carefree world of vintage racing got put on everyone’s back burner with events being canceled across the country. No racing, no camaraderie, no fun. We all had more serious things to think about. We got locked in, locked down, and locked out. Summer passed by with very few high points.
Le Mans, June 1959. Bill Kimberly and E.D. Martin taking E.D.’s Ferrari 250TR through the scrutineering process. (Henri Beroul)
Story by Willem Oosthoek
Expecting an early sprint contest between the Ferrari and Aston Martin works entries at the 1959 Le Mans 24 hours, E.D. and Bill decided to drive at a conservative pace early on and see what would happen. After seven hours they had reached 10th place, climbing to 9th overall in the next hour. Bill: “We were very careful not to overdo it and we stayed very close to our set lap times. Then transmission trouble struck, and we had to retire. We were running 8th overall when it happened.” They completed 108 laps in nine hours.
Dale Powers in his Crosley, circa 1954. Dale Powers photo
By Eric Davison
With a sidebar on the Bandini Crosley
COVID 19 has raised hell with most lives and relationships. Too much togetherness has caused some serious family breaches. Just about every activity that you can name has been affected. Hang around at your favorite tavern? No! A round of golf with your pals? No, unless you each have a private cart. So much for the fellowship that has drawn so many to the game. Maybe trout fishing in a river in Montana is OK but fishing is a lonely sport to begin with. Football games, baseball games, basketball; they all seem a bit weird without screaming fans.
It seems that us car guys have been spared. Those of us who enjoy hands-on experiences with machines propelled by fossil fuels can still participate. Got a great car. Get in it and go. Or, go to the garage and polish it. Or, just sit there and admire it.
If you are thinking about spending as much as 20 million (or more) on three used Alfas at tomorrow night’s Sotheby’s Auction, it is advised that you read the following four articles, which provide additional background information about the Scaglione B.A.T.s. From the Archives of VeloceToday, they were published in 2019 but timely and relevant today.
After making a few sketches, working with Ezio Cingolani, who was responsible for fabrication, Franco Scaglione developed a full size model, watched daily by Nuccio Bertone. This is B.A.T. 5
What are these openings for? One, to strengthen the rather large fin itself, and two, to allow some of the air to escape that was ‘tunneled’ through the extremely inward curved fins on B.A.T. 7.
Aiming to create more of a GT car and needing a direct connection with Alfa, Scaglione forgot penetration and allowed the use of the new Giulietta grille on B.A.T. 9.
Courtesy Centro Documentazione Storica Alfa Romeo