The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Gouache of Alberto Ascari Ferrari 500 British GP 1953.
Maybe we’ve done this backwards. Not the first time and we try to avoid it. But in the past months, Rodney and the editor have revealed to the readers a life of excitement, danger and art. We said he was an artist who worked for Classic and Thoroughbred Cars magazine, and we told of how the magazine was founded by Lionel Burrell and edited by Michael Bowler. [Read more…] about Rodney Diggens’ Art Gallery
From the ‘Faster: the arms race on the road’ class. Brian Ross’s 1957 Ferrari 335S, ex- Pierre Bardinon’s Mas du Clos collection.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The classes for this year encompassed the years 1914 (Rolls Royce) to 2024 (Concepts and prototypes). In addition to the various classes, visitors to the public day at Villa Erba on the Sunday could enjoy a separate display of motorsport milestones and several BMW Art cars in the main convention centre, and a fine display of Gandini designed cars as a tribute to the late great Master on the green outside.
So what was my favorite car? probably the Fiat Dino Aerodynamica, or maybe the Serenissima Agena, or maybe the Alfa 8C. There wasn’t a duff car in the place, and if you do visit, and your really should, remember take the ferry!
For a list of the classes, click on the website at the end of this article.
On Saturday, the drivers’ parade in the center of Indianapolis is unmissable, a show like only Americans can produce!
A Talk with Hugues Vanhoolandt
May 26th, 2024
Got up super early to catch the glamorous but boring (we expected that though) Monaco Grand Prix, envisioning ourselves to be in one of those exclusive apartments overlooking the track. With that wrapped up successfully for Ferrari, we turned the free tv channel to catch the Indy 500. We knew Hugues Vanhoolandt would be there, or at least we thought he made it, the flights being affected by a variety of problems. When he returned, he told us about his U.S. adventures.
Marquis Catalogue
By Roy Smith
Shattered Dreams
Unknown to all parties, Reed was being poorly advised by the men he had recruited to put the “Marquis”, the name they had given to the proposed fiber glass car, into production. A former Chief Design Engineer at Ford who had joined PlastiCar was not up to the mark, and he and his colleagues got off to a bad start. They found it difficult to full appreciate the concept of the rear-engine design which they would have on the Marquis, planned to be a direct copy of the Rédélé “Renault Special” which would be made after the Rogue.
Le Mans, 1957. That is a mean twinkle in Behra’s eyes as he gloats over getting to drive the 450S spider chassis 4503 instead of the legendary but oven-like 450S Costin Zagato Coupe assigned to Moss. He DNF’d anyway.
Review by Pete Vack
No matter how we tried not to stare and compare, The Maserati 450S: A Bazooka from Modena by Walter Bäumer and Jean-François Blachette begs comparisons to the only other important work on the car, The Maserati 450S, The fastest sports racing car of the 1950s, by Michel Bollée and Willem Oosthoek (published by Michel Bollée). They are both good books that cover the same topic in different manners.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Fuori Concorso founded 5 years ago by Guglielmo Miani and curated by Andrea Luzardi is not really a concorso along the lines of Hampton Court or Pebble Beach. There are no judges, no points are lost because your hose clips are wrong and your emergency window winder was upside down in the glove box, nobody wins and nobody loses. Rather the event is a celebration of car culture held in the green and pleasant surrounds of Villa Grumello and Villa Sucato on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy.
At Brands Hatch with the Formula Two Cooper Climax.
By Rodney Diggens
Photos from the Diggens Collection
As we put together a bit about the life of Rodney Diggens, he sent over a few photos from his racing days, which in turn begged the questions the editor asks below.
How and when did you become interested in cars and racing?
My brief involvement in motorsport is probably best described, on reflection, as foolhardy, even reckless! The whole venture was, from the outset, hopelessly penurious. But having spent an exciting day at Brands Hatch in a Formula Two Cooper Climax the bug had well and truly bitten! [Read more…] about The Artist Goes Racing
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
We continue with the Fuori Concorso coverage. Above, the free ice cream courtesy of Porsche was especially welcome, and the mint flavor complete with real mint leaves was divine. Now back to the cars. As before, no guarantees on identifications, but let us know if we have gone astray for the record.
April 20, 2005
Maserati 450S: The fastest sports racing car of the fifties
By Michel Bollée and Willem Oosthoek. ISBN 2-951 3642-5-3
No longer available but check online!
Review by Pete Vack
In the days before the wicked rear engined revolution, when tiny companies completed for world glory if not worldly riches, Maserati was a name to be reckoned with, particularly by Enzo Ferrari, who never once said a kind word about his neighbor in nearby Modena. ( How he hated it when the Orsis moved the factory from Bologna to Modena!) For the Orsis were making cars faster, bigger, better handling, and had a longer tradition (so important to Italian race car constructors) than the mogul of Maranello. [Read more…] about Maserati 450S Book Review from 2005
The third Ferrari 499P entered finished 8th overall and 3rd among the private teams.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Traditionally, the 6 Hours of Spa constitutes the last WEC event before the most important race of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place a month later. This year is no exception, the Belgian race being already the third round of the 2024 World Endurance Championship.
Run in almost summer weather, it had a rather improbable outcome. Indeed, the race had to be interrupted after around 4 hours following a major accident involving a Hypercar, the Cadillac of Earl Bamber, and an LMGT3, the BMW of Sean Gelael.
Rodney Diggens, with camera at the British Grand Prix, 1953, inspecting Fangio’s A6GCM.
By Rodney Diggens
Back in London, the war was over and my education had just begun in earnest. I started my art training at The Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts in South London aged just 13 in 1950. And it was all about drawing and yet more drawing. But then as now, it’s hard to earn a living as an artist. We looked at other possibilities. [Read more…] about Motoring Artist Rodney Diggens Part 2
Victory in the LMGT3 category ultimately went to the Manthey Porsche, the #91. This is its first good result of the year, as the first two races went poorly.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
We continue with the Spa 6 Hour enduro, focusing on the LMGT3 class.