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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

The Early Years of Road and Track

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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

Dennis Gray: A Master of Auto Racing Photography

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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

Dennis Gray Photo Gallery

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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

Michael Lynch’s OSCA Pocket History

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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

Marking the End of an Era: Alfa Junior Zagato

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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.

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Paul Wilson’s Alfa 6C 2500 Roadster Part 4

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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 Surtees Part 2

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John at speed passing the front of Goodwood house. Jonathan Sharp photo.

By Pete Vack
Photos by Jonathan Sharp and Hugues Vanhoolandt

Read Part 1

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.”

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Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Roadster Part 3

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Story and photos by Paul Wilson

Read Part 1
Read Part 2

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

Interview with John Surtees Part 1

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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.

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Driving the Napier-Railton

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Of course I drive a car. What makes you think I don’t drive a car?’ Copyright Stan Mott.

The Brooklands Museum Director, Allan Winn, takes us on a spin with the Napier W12-engined Railton, the car which conquered Brooklands for all time. We think you’ll find his words more informative and interesting than the videos, found at the end of the article. Our thanks to both for these exclusive stories Also, thanks to Paul Stewart, Brooklands Museum Marketing and PR Manager, and VeloceToday’s Jonathan Sharp

From our Archives, November 2013

Driving Impressions by Allan Winn, Brooklands Museum Director

First off, the Napier-Railton is an enormously powerful, iconic machine. However, the overwhelming impression you have from driving it on a regular basis is how benign and user-friendly it is. That’s not to say it is an easy car to start or drive, but it is an extraordinary, well-behaved machine.

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Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Dream Gets Real

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The Alfa 2500 Freccia d’Oro. Nice chassis, so so body. Cutaway is the art of Giovanni Cavara.

Story and photos by Paul Wilson

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My dream of building a roadster body on an Alfa 6C2500 took a startling turn, from something absurdly impractical to an idea that might be possible. I was talking to a collector who was restoring a unique 6C for Pebble Beach, when he casually mentioned that he had a parts car. [Read more…] about Paul Wilson’s 6C 2500 Dream Gets Real

Dick Merritt, Remembered

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The Man, the Book

Dick Merritt passed away last week at the age of 90. We extend our condolences to his wife Elisabeth, his son Kendall and daughter-in-law Ruth and granddaughter Riley. While there are many sides to Dick Merritt and even more stories, it seemed fitting to republish the below article at this time.

By Pete Vack

By the mid 1960s, many used Ferraris were falling apart, found in cheap suburban tract housing behind chainlink fences, the Vignale or Ghia bodywork hidden by tarps, dogwatched by a mutt on a rope. Most were in America; Illinois, California, New York, Long Island, Boston, and military ports like Long Beach, Norfolk, Jacksonville, San Diego, although old Ferraris could and would be found in Europe, South America, and Australia.

They were usually in the hands of well-meaning, somewhat knowledgeable foreign car enthusiasts who knew what they had but did not have the time, energy or money to properly restore their treasure. Many were young, but saddled with family responsibilities that precluded investing any grand sum into fixing a car whose value was at the very best purely speculative.

Once such young man was Richard F. Merritt, who had worked at Ford, GM and selling Volkswagens part time, and who realized that the Ferrari would be the next Bugatti. Over the years, Merritt would buy and sell 48 of the most desirable Ferraris ever built, but his main claim to fame would come as the co-author (with Warren Fitzgerald) of the landmark Ferrari, the Sports and Grand Turismo Cars. If any one book made the marque, it was this one, hereafter to be referred to as “F&M” for Fitzgerald and Merritt.

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