The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Exuberance personified, Moss three wheels the Vanwall at Melling Crossing, Aintree, 1957 (Gauld Photo)
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
1952. It is remarkably 68 years since I first wrote about and photographed Stirling Moss when I was a trainee journalist with an Edinburgh newspaper. In a remarkable bit of chutzpah, I had talked the Sports Editor into letting me take over the motoring and motor racing correspondents role at the age of 17!
1957, Moss at the Swedish Grand Prix. Photo by Jim Sitz.
Story by Clyde Berryman
The following is a QPRS review of Sir Stirling Moss’ F1 Grand Prix career. Allow me to explain.
As a boardgame enthusiast in my teen years, I conceived the first of several math formula systems to try and rate the performances of real racing drivers and their cars in order to re-create actual historical Grand Prix seasons using the game mechanics of a popular Avalon Hill game called ‘Speed Circuit’ By the mid-1990’s this formula had evolved into the final version which I called the Quality Point Rating System (QPRS) because I sought to distinguish the ‘quality’ of driver performances since they all drove different cars of varying levels of competitiveness. So how does Stirling Moss rate via our QPRS system?
Susie and Stirling Moss, Goodwood 2010.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
“Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?” was an oft-used phrase by British Bobbies when pulling over speeding motorists in the mid-twentieth century. So well-known in fact, that Renault used the line during the 1970s for a Renault 20 television advertisement. If I recall correctly, the scene starts with the Renault stopped on a country road with a Bobby on a bicycle next to the car. The driver’s front window then comes down electrically, and the Bobby looks at the driver in the car whilst saying the immortal line. As the camera pulls away, we see Stirling Moss at the wheel. [Read more…] about Sir Stirling Moss, Mr Goodwood
When the Alfa Museum was open and hoods were up.
Story and photos by Roberto Motta
From the Archives, January 2017
Wander through the many automobile museums of the world (or just follow VeloceToday!) and you will quickly note that they all have one thing in common; the hoods are usually closed and if not, one can’t get close enough to study the mechanicals. This is unfortunate, for unlike today’s plastic-covered engines, many powerplants of the 20th century were hi tech engineering, awesome to look at, art in and of themselves, and designed to be easy to work on. Yet they are so often hidden under the hoods of museum pieces. Not so in Milan however!
That’s right, the fabled Arutunoff Appia is for sale. Photo by Jon Kempf.
Well this is something different. No, VeloceToday is not becoming a market place for old cars. But the Toly Arutunoff Lancia Appia is a special case. [Read more…] about Toly’s Iconic Appia Zagato, For Sale!
Ernest Nagamatsu in his Porsche. Photo by Peter Knight.
2020 Australia F1 Grand Prix Historic Support Races
March 12-15, 2020
By Ernest Nagamatsu
One of the most coveted ‘invitations’ in Historic Motorsports Racing in Australia is to participate in the Australia F1 Grand Prix Historic Support Race. There are only 60 historic race cars selected to race on the Albert Park F1 race circuit.
The Historic Support Race is on the weekend of the huge F1 season opener race in Melbourne. Shannon’s Insurance provided the sponsor support and there were tents for the historic race cars. It was the 25th Anniversary for the Australia F1 GP and the excitement was rising. This race followed the great Phillip Island Classic Historic race with over 500 cars racing and five races for the weekend. [Read more…] about A Reader’s Story: Stand Down in Albert Park
Story by Alan Boe
Photos by Alan Boe unless otherwise noted
This is the first part of a story about two magnificent Ferraris, both owned and maintained for many years by a man we consider to be one of the greatest Ferrari enthusiasts of all time. His name was Tom Caulfield of Janesville, Wisconsin, and for many years owned both a Ferrari barchetta and berlinetta.
The berlinetta is a Touring bodied 212 Export and the spyder is the only Touring barchetta ever built with a 2.7 liter Ferrari V12, and the last barchetta built on the short 88 inch wheelbase chassis.
In this article we will focus on the berlinetta.
Story and photos by Alan Boe
This is the second part of a story about two magnificent Ferraris, both owned and maintained for many years by a man we consider to be one of the greatest Ferrari enthusiasts of all time. His name was Tom Caulfield of Janesville, Wisconsin, and for many years owned both a Ferrari barchetta and berlinetta.
This is the only Touring barchetta ever built with a 2.7 liter Ferrari V12, and the last barchetta built on the short 88 inch wheelbase chassis.
In this article we will focus on the barchetta.
By Peter Darnall
The Cavallino Rampante, or “prancing pony,” is the iconic logo of Ferrari automobiles. Dedicated fans of the marque—ferraristi—are easy to spot at any Grand Prix event; look for a boisterous crowd waving huge banners. That jaunty horse figure on the gold shield has been associated with Ferrari race cars for a long time, but it didn’t start out that way. The Cavallino Rampante first appeared on the hood of an Alfa Romeo race car in 1932. The letters “SF” on the lower part of the insignia stood for “Scuderia Ferrari.”
But why had Ferrari waited nine years to place the Cavallino Rampante figure on a Scuderia Alfa Romeo?
Bill Pollack stands next to Mr. Parravano’s Ferrari 340 America, (S/N 0150A).
We’ve asked various writers, historians and journalists what might be a good book to read during these times indoors. Books that you can’t put down, are easy to digest, (pardon the pun), and known to be page-turners (no, not the car!). Last week’s “Archie and the Listers” was discussed, and several people mentioned Bill Pollack’s book, “Red Wheels and Whitesidewalls.” The excerpt below is taken from Bill’s autobiography.
Pictures and text copyright Bill Pollack
From the Archives, July 7th, 2004
Excerpts from Red Wheels and White Sidewalls with a note from Jim Sitz
There were so many people that played a part in the 50’s evolution of the sport. There were admirals and generals and actors and kids. All got involved because it was exciting and fun. We were amateurs in the strictest sense of the word, and that was a big part of the charm.
In the fifties when the sport of motor racing was beginning to catch on and it was still amateur, most of the entrants were owner-drivers. A few lucky ones like myself had the rare privilege of driving someone else’s car. Without trying to go down a roster of drivers and workers of the fifties, there were a number that stick in my memory as friends.
By Pete Vack
Photos by Graham Gauld
The story of Archie Scott Brown is incredible, unbelievable, astonishing, inspiring, heart rendering and finally, tragic; and in today’s world, such accomplishments would be totally impossible.
He was born on Friday the 13th of May, 1927 in Glasgow, Scotland, with no proper right forearm, “merely and elementary thumb and palm, which started below the elbow.” His tiny legs lacked a shinbone, and the legs were “radically twisted and bowed, and the club-feet were tiny, with no discernible toes.” The right foot was twisted outwards about 90 degrees, the left foot almost 180 degrees. Of the limbs, only the left arm and hand were normal. His mother had the German measles (rubella) during her pregnancy.*
By Jean-Marc Creuset
Photos by Jean-Marc Creuset unless otherwise noted
Thank you for your highly interesting contributions, and for maintaining our spirits on a high level in these uncertain times.
Last September, “Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux” organized a meeting featuring, among others, both of Jason Stuart Wright’s Ferrari 156 F1 replicas – actually re-creations of the lost originals – and the ex-Jim Clark Lotus 21 which, according to its mechanics, was involved in the tragic Italian GP of 1961.