The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
A Velocette MAC 350 cc similar to the one the author restored.
Story by Brandes Elitch
National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, West Midlands. To get right to the point, this museum is recognized as finest and largest motorcycle museum in the world. There are about 600 show-quality bikes on display in five exhibition halls. The bikes are from the early 1900s to the 1980s. It is overwhelming.
It is a tribute to the British motorcycle industry, which achieved world domination for sixty years.
Fellow traveler Brandes Elitch next to a stationary Citroen prop food truck – Warwick Castle (they are all over the place: malls, public spaces).
Kenyon and Margaret Wills add some local color to their recent trip to the NEC Classic with the intrepid Brandes Elitch-Ed.
Story and photos by Kenyon and Margaret Wills
The annual early-November Classic Motor Show that we’re discussing is next to the Birmingham airport in the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), which is a modern convention center that is to UK conventions what Las Vegas or Orlando is to the USA.
The show is very centrally located and the entire country is essentially “next door” via a robust national rail network or the adjacent airport, making for a several-hour train ride or a cheap easyJet flight into Birmingham Airport. Hanging with Brandes Elitch, we also enjoyed the National Motorcycle Museum, just down the roundabout from the NEC. [Read more…] about A Short Trip to the UK
Need we say more?
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Brandes Elitch, Kenyon and Margaret Wills
Although I have attended Retromobile, Essen TechnoClassic, the Mille Miglia Historique, the Monaco Historics, and other shows for many years, until this year I had not visited the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre Classic Motor Show (November 7-9).
It is the largest motor show for historic vehicles in the world, spread out in 5 halls, in a large exhibition center, just a short monorail ride from the Birmingham airport.
Ed Godshalk in his Cisitalia D46 Monoposto “barn find” condition. Ex-factory team car, 5th place in 1946 Coppa Brezzi race, 1st place 1947 Mt. Ventoux Hill Climb, Ex-Harry Schell. Renowned Cisitalia restorer, Geert Kistermaker is at right.
Story and photos by Brandes Elitch
Looking back, I have to say that some of the best memories are of the original Concours Italiano (later changed to Concorso Italiano).
At the time I was interviewing for a job with a bank in San Francisco, and my interviewers were my friend Joe and his associate, Willem Oosthoek, now perhaps the pre-eminent Maserati expert in the world.
Joe had just bought a very clean and original Maserati 3500 coupe (Willem has one too, of course) and wanted to get started on the restoration. At that time there was an organization called the Maserati Information Exchange (MIE) outside of Seattle, run by Francis Mandarano. Back then, forty years ago, (the event is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year) there were only two events, the races at Laguna Seca, and the Pebble Beach Concours. [Read more…] about Concorso Italiano and The Paddock
1959 Cooper T51 F1. This car changed the layout of the racing car and set the template for the modern GP class.
Story and photos by Brandes Elitch
Someone once asked Audrey Hepburn if they should go to Paris. Her response was “It is always a good idea.”
Like going to Paris, going to Laguna Seca racetrack for the Rolex Motorsports Reunion is always a good idea. If you are interested in historic racecars, it is mandatory. It is certainly one of most important tracks in the world, along with Monza, Monaco, Nurburgring, and Silverstone, and has been in operation for sixty years.
Tom Matano’s Miata Front Design sketch, 1984. Early idea sketch of the front end. “Finned Oilpan” was one of his favorite details, yet to be recognized on Miata, FD RX-7.
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos courtesy Tom Matano
About a dozen years ago, I commuted to downtown San Francisco from Sonoma County, an arduous drive which entailed crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and coming down Van Ness Street to get to the financial district. Every morning, I would try to catch a glimpse of the showroom at the Academy of Art, which housed one of the most spectacular car collections anywhere in the world. But I never got the chance to pay a proper visit.
That changed when I was given an introduction to Tom Matano. It was a great honor as Tom Matano is a very special person. In addition to being the Chief Designer at Mazda and responsible for notable designs such as the Mazda RX-7, Mazda MX-5, the Miata “M-Coupe” concept car, Tom was the Executive Director of the Academy of Art University’s School of Industrial Design since 2002. After many years, he stepped down in January 2025 and is now Director Emeritus.
1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.
Story by Brandes Elitch, photos by Hal Schuette unless otherwise noted
Hillsborough is a small town just 17 miles south of San Francisco. In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income there was more than $250,000. A previous Bloomberg analysis ranked Hillsborough as the fifth richest town in the US. The Hillsborough Concours is held at the Crystal Springs Golf Club, this year on June 22.
Story and photos by Brandes Elitch
There is one event that might be called “The Pebble Beach of Motorcycles.” That is The Quail MotoFest, now in its fifteenth year. The original idea came from Brooke Roner and Jared Zaugg in 2006: to create a high class, premier judged event for motorcycles, and they said that they based it on the Pebble Beach show. They chose the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay, certainly a high-class venue.
Elitch pays tribute to Peter de Lorenzo
Column by Brandes Elitch
As an automobile enthusiast, even if you are living outside of the US, you are likely very concerned about the viability of the auto business today. Not just because you are interested in automobile design, but because this business is such a big part of our Gross Domestic Product, and that of our two neighbors, Canada and Mexico. It is likely that what is going on now in Washington will affect you personally at some point.
Fortunately, there is a clear voice in the wilderness of our news coverage, a writer named Peter de Lorenzo, aka PMD. He has had a 22-year career in automotive marketing and advertising, and he grew up in Detroit during what he calls the “glory days” of the American auto industry (the sixties). He says that the greatest days for Detroit were in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies. That is when, at least in my view, the most desirable and collectible American cars were made.
In addition to our comments section below each article, VeloceToday often gets very nice compliments, sent via email or included in a note with a subscription check. These comments rarely get published, but are meant as recognition of the work done by our contributors, who create the content that makes VeloceToday what it is. Magazines are nothing without good content, and therefore contributors are our greatest and most valuable assets.
They are historians, authors, editors, photographers, columnists, journalists, judges, drivers, restorers, artisans, collectors and constructors. They hail from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy. Here are the names of thirty-three whose contributions made the year 2024 one to remember.
Jeff Allison, Gary Axon, Giles Chapman, Bob Cullinan, Rodney Diggens, Joseph Duray, Brandes Elitch, Graham Gauld, Greg Glassner, Bob Harrington, Joe Hurwich, Stefan Ivanov, Vince Johnson, Jackie Jouret, Allen R. Kuhn, Dale LaFollette, James Lanoway, Frederic Levaux, Bernard Linck, Roberto Motta, Herb Miska, Chris Nugent, Willem Oosthoek, Paul Sable, Charley Seavey, Jonathan Sharp, Jim Sitz, Roy Smith, Sean Smith, Pete Vack, Hugues Vanhoolandt, Paul Wilson, Robert Young
Photos by Brandes Elitch
Following up on the latest book on the Saoutchik Talbot-Lago 110101 as reviewed last week, here is a story from the archives on the Grand Sports at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours, The information about the Grand Sport Talbot-Lagos below was obtained from the standard work on the subject, “Talbot Lago Grand Sport Volumes I and II”, by Peter M. Larsen and Ben Erickson, published by Dalton Watson. The captions are composed by the Editor.
110114 1948 Saoutchik fastback coupe, Cussler family, Arvada, CO. Clive Cussler bought this car from Jackson Brooks for $32,500 in 1978 after a total restoration.
1960 Imperial
Story and photos by Brandes Elitch
In this brief column, I would like to introduce you to two organizations that are worth getting to know: the Antique Automobile Club of America, and the Society of Automotive Historians.
The AACA is the largest car club in the world, and the Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey is the largest car event in the world. The club was founded in 1935. In 1955 a new group petitioned the club to become a region. This became the Hershey Region, and the first Fall Meet was held then. Things started slowly, but by 1965 there were 1100 cars registered for the show and 35,000 visitors. They were just getting started, and by 1979 over 5000 spaces in the swap meet were filled.