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a car life by larry crane

Larry Crane, R.I.P

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We were recently informed of the death of Larry Crane, who passed away in August. Our condolences to his wife and family. Larry helped establish VeloceToday’s reputation in 2009, writing 22 fantastic columns entitled “A Car Life” for us. He was a pleasure to work with, a true enthusiast, and a great writer. Below is his last column, (though he would continue to write more feature articles for us over the years). Too read more of his work, use the ‘search this site’ function on the homepage and type in ‘Larry Crane.’

A Zagato in the closet
by Larry Crane

Bill Henry called me at Automech. We met a couple of weeks earlier during a Riverside SCCA weekend. He had stopped by the shop and admired my bright turquoise Mini, with the ivory stripe to match its wheels. Now he was proposing a trade. An even trade for pinks. [Read more…] about Larry Crane, R.I.P

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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Tracy (the only blonde in the picture) finds a bleacher seat to share with the locals to watch the Mille Miglia.

Entry not required.

Bob Tullius and I were pushing the D-type slowly toward the starting ramp. Light, misty rain had been continuous since nightfall. The umbrella covered the driver’s seat but Mark Miller’s navigator perch was slowly becoming a leather-lined puddle. The C-type half of the Jaguar team was already off on its soggy adventure with the early cars.
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A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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Chasing the bikes, we had no idea our direction from Salisbury and did not note the names of the tiny villages en route. This was simply a picturesque shot with an audience of one.

Italophiles in the Emerald Isles Too.

“Like old bikes?” Spoken in a thick brogue by an old gentleman in a well-worn tweed jacket fitted snugly over a much-loved cardigan sweater, checked shirt and necktie. He was standing next to an ancient, equally well-seasoned, open trailer containing a Clyno motorcycle.
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A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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Rounding Creg-ny-Baa en route to famous Kate’s Cottage (in reverse direction from the TT) with the roar of 16 tiny Bugatti cylinders. During the Manx TT super bikes round the Cottage corner with knee-down and descend this hill at 160 mph+.

Italophiles in the Emerald Isles

This is the Cranes we’re talking about here. When we did a tour if England and Tracy’s ancestral home on the Isle of Man, we borrowed an Alfa Romeo 164 for the trip. We started with a run up to Liverpool and took the Steam Packet (four-hour, deep water ferry) to the Island.
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A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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DRIVING BUGS


The Veyron, above is a modern interpretation of a pur sang Bugatti. The EB 110 below, while a brilliant engineering exercise, is not; all that went into Artioli’s factory.

EB 110

An Italian Interpretation

It’s clean and comfortable in here. The engine idles so smoothly it’s hard to know if you need the clutch to get into first. The seats are more Bentley than Bugatti, in fact, the dash is burl walnut not razor-edged, retro racer. In an effort to make the world’s fastest and most expensive commuter the “exotic” element has simply been eliminated.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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