VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Online Car Auctions in the Age of Covid-19

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This Ferrari 288 GTO s/n 55223 is the answer to a crucial online auction question: Can $1 million cars sell online? Not only is the answer “yes” with a final price of $2.3 million, but it is one of two seven-figure cars sold in RM Sotheby’s second Online Only auction, Driving into Summer. The other was a Ferrari Enzo that brought $2.6 million a few lots later. Photo courtesy RM Sotheby’s.

By Rick Carey

Other than home repairs, yard work, baking and Netflix binging, much of life has gone remote and online.

That’s true for collector car auctions, too

We’ve now seen enough online only auctions to reach some conclusions, the most important of them being: online only collector car auctions are a commercial success, if lacking in the excitement generated by their live counterparts.

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New Photos of Goodwood’s Festival of Speed

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Nice to see on the track: The Ferrari 166MM 212 Uovo

By Jonathan Sharp

Last year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held on July 6-7, Jonathan Sharp decided to concentrate on photographing the drivers, and created an unprecedented look at the champions who attended the event. This incredible gallery can be seen here. Ironically, the last photo was of Arturo Merzario walking away, and we said, ‘Til next year, Arturo…” We didn’t know at the time there would be no next year. [Read more…] about New Photos of Goodwood’s Festival of Speed

Itala over the Alps: A 115 Year-old Mystery

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Chivasso-Turin 9-9-05 September 9, 1905

By Pete Vack with Dale LaFollette, Aldo Zana and Graham Gauld
Sidebar by Greg Vack

We really enjoy trying to solve automotive mysteries, but this is a real cold case… 115 years old, making it a daunting task.

The twelve photos below, all from 1905, came from the collection of Dale LaFollette, who tells the story of how they were discovered. “Dean Newton was one my partners in Vintage Motorbooks, the collectable book business that we formed in the late 1970s. (Logan Gray owns it today.) Newton found them in a desk drawer and surmised that they had been in a book…we would find all sorts of odds and ends in books we bought.” [Read more…] about Itala over the Alps: A 115 Year-old Mystery

The Short and Heroic Life of Donald Campbell

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Before his second run for the LSR in 1964, Donald Campbell thought he had had it. But then, “I suddenly looked up and there was my father reflected in the windscreen as clearly as you are sitting there now…”

Why a story about the LSR Bluebirds in VeloceToday, one that has no Italian or French connections? Jonathan Sharp is our writer and our connection, as he not only has several Alfas but has a superb story to tell about the short and heroic life of Donald Campbell, including an exclusive story about the Campbell’s wallet, retrieved from his XKE right after the fatal accident in 1967 and never been on public display. A great story is a great story, whatever the country. Ed.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the Archives, February 2017

On Friday the 17th July 1964, after four years of struggle, Donald Campbell, CBE, finally broke John Cobb’s 1947 Land Speed record speed of 394.20 mph, driving his Bristol Proteus Gas Turbine powered Bluebird CN7. His friend Craig Breedlove had gone faster but his J47 Jet powered Spirit of America was considered by the governing body to be a tricycle, and more importantly, was not wheel driven so did not at the time meet the rules laid down. [Read more…] about The Short and Heroic Life of Donald Campbell

The Revenge of the Trident

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(Photo by Andre van Bever)

By Willem Oosthoek

Ferrari arrived loaded for bear at the Nürburgring in May 1956. The Scuderia was leading the five-race World Sports Car Championship at that point, with overwhelming victories to its name in the 12 Hours of Sebring [Juan Manuel Fangio/Eugenio Castellotti in a 3.5-liter, 4-cylinder 860 Monza] and the Mille Miglia [Castellotti again, in a 3.5-liter V12 290MM]. Only the season opener, the 1000 KM of Buenos Aires, had been captured by archrival Maserati, with their 3-liter, 6-cylinder 300S. The Trident’s 300S model was underpowered compared to the big Ferraris but it handled better, and the superb driving skills of Stirling Moss, ably assisted by local driver Carlos Menditeguy, had made all the difference in Argentina.

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Etceterini Corner Number Four

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Patriarca Fiat 750 S Siluro, Mille Miglia 2016

By Hugues Vanhoolandt and Dino Brunori

In this installment of Etceterini Corner, Hugues Vanhoolandt shows us another set of six cars, and thanks to Dino Brunori, we focus on the Patriarca family, whose mission was the Mille Miglia.

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Flajole was a Jag

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So that’s a Jaguar?

Story by Graham Gauld

I have often mentioned in the past the power of coincidence, and the other day I happened to be going through my Jaguar notes for a possible book, and was amazed to find that I seem to have bumped into all sorts of Jaguars fitted with special bodies in a variety of places.

What makes this slightly different from normal is that Jaguar were not well known as cars attractive to specialist coachbuilders, yet it is surprising just how many well-known companies have built special bodies on Jaguars in period. Amongst them are Pinin Farina, Ghia, Michelotti and Zagato.

Two Jaguars I wanted to talk about were one clothed in the style of Ghia in Turin and the other in the style of Bill Flajole of Detroit.

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Fred Simeone: The Founder

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Jay Leno, left, discusses the virtues of the Squire with Fred Simeone.

By Pete Vack
All photos courtesy Simeone Foundation

In the 1970s, when such things were in vogue, a neurosurgeon from Philadelphia made up magnetized labels with names of classic cars. “Mercedes Benz SSK”, one read; “BMW 328” read another. He placed them all on his refrigerator door. [Read more…] about Fred Simeone: The Founder

The Renault 4CV Part 5: Offspring

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Late R10 (R1192) in Australia (note rectangular headlamps). This car is one of 1200 ‘R10S’ models, unique to Australia and marking the end of rear-engined car assembly there.

Story and photos by John Waterhouse*

After the new Renault 4CV was exhibited at the October, 1947 Paris Motor show, the car went into series production. The new model’s success matched the economic recovery of Europe after World War II, half a million examples being built by 1955. A successor offering better performance and comfort and larger boot (trunk) space was the obvious next step for Renault and design work began in the early 1950s.

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Rally Across America Helps Local Communities

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The ever-smiling Charles Spiegel and his Alfa line up for the first Rally Across America event.

Story and Photos by Sean Smith

Jim Petty and his wife Wendy had been watching the news for two weeks straight. They saw what the pandemic was doing to some of the more challenged communities as the lock-down and quarantine occurred. He knew there was a stimulus package, but it would dry up pretty quickly. It was going to get tougher before it got better.

He wanted to help. [Read more…] about Rally Across America Helps Local Communities

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