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Allen R. Kuhn photography

Panning for Gold Part 2

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Ken Miles. Riverside, Porsche RSK

Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

Read Part 1

As we begin Part 2 of Panning for Gold, the above shot defies explanation, from me anyway. I have four other similar shots that look like normal car pictures. Here, it looks like the car is in pan motion with those streaks. And, what about that wheel? I have never seen one like that before. We recently showed this picture to Pete Stout of Excellence magazine. His art director asked me if I did that in Photoshop. I said I hadn’t, but that I had a theory on why this happened.

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Panning for Gold

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No, Richie Ginther is not t-boning that massive pylon at Riverside in 1957. Note the nose of Richie’s Ferrari is visible through the pylon, another case for the beauty of panning.

Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

To pan or not to pan, aye, that is the question. Whether it is nobler to read the manufacturer’s name on the tire of a Ferrari going 247 kilometers per hour, or to sense the illusion of speed when your camera is set at 1/60 of a second. That is what a pan shot does best, to relish that vision of speed with focus and clarity.

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Allen R. Kuhn: A Little on the Side

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In a 2022 VeloceToday piece, Allen R. Kuhn described his life as a race photographer in Southern California and touched on his work taking PR shots of models for class assignments and later for sports car magazines. But we said, “Forget the girls, tell us how you became a race photographer,” we begged. But now, with all due respect for the models that grace this article, we allow Kuhn to focus on those memorable experiences. We apologize that in most cases the models’ full names are lost to the ages.

Photography and Captions by Allen R. Kuhn

Your Editor thought we should start this controversial article with at least one car being in the picture. I am happy to say that the little beauty belonged to me.  I speak of the Abarth, of course. The other beauty is Bridget, whose first words when she saw the Abarth were, “How the heck do you get into it?” The next was, “At least I can wash the top without getting a ladder.”

The late 1950s, Hollywood, California, aka La La Land

Welcome to a dream job in a dreamy capital of sun and stars. A budding race photographer drives about in an exotic Abarth 750 GT Zagato, attends a photography school and takes 8×10 shots of young models to be given to the studios. He’s the envy of all the boys, to paraphrase the Chiffons. [Read more…] about Allen R. Kuhn: A Little on the Side

Lex Dupont and F3s in America

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A Cooper at Waktins Glen. F3 cars were always rare in the US. Frank Shaffer photo.

Story by Pete Vack

Formula III (F3) was born in Britain right after World War II. It died there as well, with the advent of the 1100cc Formula Jr. in 1958. But in the intervening years, the formula was exported, particularly to the United States where the 500cc class found enthusiastic proponents-although motorcycle-engined racers could not be relied on to bolster the gate receipts in the land of cubic inches.

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When Allen Met Graham

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Carroll Shelby in John Edgar’s Ferrari 410S leads Dan Gurney in Frank Arciero’s Ferrari 375 Plus at Palm Springs on April 13, 1958. One of the many photos I shared with the Ferrari Archivist.

Story and Photos by Allen R. Kuhn
From the VeloceToday archives, March, 2022

I would like to start this series of short stories – they are not Galleries as before – by telling a true story about Graham Gauld, and how he saved our skin when we were in Italy/France in 2006 for our seven-week tour of the Continent. The story really began in Maranello, so bear with me….

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Sports Car Confidential

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A young Pedro Rodriguez sits nervously in the Kjell Qvale #166 Genie MK VIII wondering what the chica joven voluptuosa de pelo grande quiere.*?

Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

October 13, 1963, Riverside Races. When I first met Lori Campbell I thought, now here is someone I would like to photograph. With the upcoming Riverside races that would be a great place to showcase Lori, who was a budding actress and model with a small uncredited, role in the John Wayne classic, McClintock. I would have her pose as, “Miss California Sports Car Magazines,” with some of our American and a few European drivers. It made a great story then, as it does now. And there was a kicker which occurred when a few of these photos were shown at Goodwood some 43 years later. Do read on.

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And How! A Letter from Evi

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This is a perfect fit for an “And How.” Coming on the heels of my story on Dan Gurney, which was read by Dan’s widow Evi, you will see by her attached email that his story touched her very deeply, and the photos stirred many memories of Dan for her. I am so happy that she graciously allowed her feelings to be shared with us. Evi also included many new activities going on at All American Racers that will be of interest to all your readers. Thank you, Peter and Evi for letting me share her feelings with your readers.–Allen R. Kuhn

Dear Allen,

So good to hear from you and to know that you are well and active .

Just when I thought I had no more tears left your Dan tribute and your splendid photographs show up on my screen and well …. Here he is , my beloved Dan, young, handsome, talented and determined, so long ago when life was still ahead.

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Dan Gurney Tribute by Allen R. Kuhn

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Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

This photographer thinks Daniel Sexton Gurney to be one of the greatest of all drivers and constructors who ever turned a steering wheel or flew with the Eagles. There are so many fine books and articles about Dan I will leave his full background for others to chronicle. I will stick to my personal interaction with him and include photos of his career between 1956 and 1965.

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And How! Allen R. Kuhn at the Petersen

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Big car, big pic…

Story and photos courtesy Allen R. Kuhn

The yearlong tribute to the Corvette that was at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles came to an end in September, 2024. It was in 2023 that Jonathan Eisen, an Associate Curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum, contacted me to see what I had in the way of vintage Corvette photographs. Here is what he wrote:

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Those Lovely Italianate Aston Martins P2

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Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

In my duology of Aston Martin at venues other than Palm Springs, my viewfinder did not locate too many of them on my sojourns around Southern California back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I saw my first Aston Martin in 1956 and only a few more in 1957 and 1958. Since 99.9% of my shots will be of the DB3S model I’ll just call them Astons. This chapter will concentrate on the myriad of other racecourses located in our beautiful Southern California. True, most of our courses, eight out of the thirteen I attended, were on runways or large parking lots. That’s what you can expect from mostly desert locations.

My first sighting, shooting with my folks’ Kodak Pony 135 camera loaded with Kodachrome, was of Bob Drake, the winner of the main event at Pomona on October 21, 1956. It wouldn’t be until some time in 1957 that I would graduate to my beloved Canon IVS2 35mm camera.

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Those Lovely Italianate Aston Martins

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TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLEN R. KUHN

On our trip down memory lane this week we will be gazing upon some of the beautiful Aston Martin “Chariots of Power” that I was able to capture through my viewfinder. All of those in this part were taken at Palm Springs between 1956 to 1958. I did not even discover one of them until a year ago. It was a photo taken at Pomona in early 1956 and was the first DB3S I ever shot. It was the winner of the main with Bob Drake driving. It will be featured in my Aston Martin Part 2 story.

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Allen R. Kuhn: Maserati 150S, 200S, 450S

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Story and photos by Allen R. Kuhn

It’s time to dust off the old negs, with a camel hair brush, I might add. The ones that seem to want attention are from my Maserati archives. That’s good because they were some of my favorites. What drew me to them was their beautiful lines and stunning sounds. Another thing that drew them to me happened in 2007 at the Automobilia Monterey event during the August Car Week.

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