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Forty Years of Monterey Car Week

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The Alfa 6C 1750 was produced in six series from 1929-33. In 1929 it won every major racing event, including the GP’s of Belgium, Spain, Tunis, Monza, as well as the Mille Miglia, the Brooklands Double Twelve, and the Ulster TT.

From our Archvies, September, 2020. Although this article is only a couple of years old, Brandes Elitch and the Editor thought that it reflects so much of what Monterey was about and what Elitch has seen and experienced over a forty year period of attending the fabled August car events in Monterey. Be sure to read the articles on Brandes and Cars Yeah, in this issue.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

I first time I attended what has become known as “The Monterey Historics” was back in 1979, when I moved to California from New York City. I have not missed a year since – 40 years is a long time for anything.

In the early years, my focus was primarily the Laguna Seca racetrack. These were the beginnings of historic racing, the genius of Steve Earle creating the blueprint for what was to come worldwide. I was amazed that I could walk anywhere in the pits, and go right up to the owner and talk about his car, exotic racecars I had never seen in person before, just read about in Road & Track. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. [Read more…] about Forty Years of Monterey Car Week

Velocity Invitational Inaugural at Laguna Seca

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Porsche 917/30-003, one of two Porsches that Mark Donohue used to dominate the Can-Am in 1973. 003 also set the closed course world speed record at Talladega.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Larry Chen / Velocity Invitational
Captions by John Sexton

From November 12-14, 2021, a new event debuted at Laguna Seca racetrack (now called WeatherTech Raceway). It was a success. About ten thousand people attended in person, and even more startling, I am told that over 600,000 viewers watched it on YouTube and other streaming platforms! More than 175 vintage racing cars participated daily on the track, with two days to practice and two days to race, and another 75 cars were on display in the paddock. The previous event by this organizer was the 2019 Sonoma Speed Festival, covered here at VeloceToday at the time. That event has essentially been moved from Sonoma to Monterey going forward.

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Brandes Elitch at Hershey, 2021

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Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

The last time VT published my column on Hershey, “The Eastern Division AACA National Fall Meet,” was in 2009. It’s time for an update. I was able to attend the event this year, held on October….and this is my report.

Background

In its 65- year existence, last year was the only year when the show did not occur. It’s indisputable that this is the largest automobile related event in the world. It started back in 1955. [Read more…] about Brandes Elitch at Hershey, 2021

Concorso Italiano, 2021

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Photo courtesy Jean Pierre Legras.

Story by Brandes Elitch

To state the obvious, if you own or plan on getting an Italian car (and why not?), the Concorso Italiano should be a mandatory destination before you buy. It is located on a 36-hole golf course with a spectacular view of Monterey Bay, about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco. There is certainly nothing like it anywhere outside of Italy. I was at the first Concorso, which was 35 years ago, and I wouldn’t miss it. If you want to learn about a particular Italian car, there will be one there, and the owner will be quite pleased to show it to you and fill you in on the details. Just imagine if somehow you could attend the annual meeting of all the Italian car clubs in the country, in one day, talking to marque experts who are anxious to tell you why their favorite car is just the thing for you!

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The 18th Annual Quail Motorsports Gathering

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Ah, yup, a new Delage for the Evolution of the Supercar class.

Story and photos by Brandes Elitch

See Photo Gallery

As most of our readers know, Steve Earle started the first annual Monterey Historic Car Races in 1974.

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Elitch on Model Car Collecting

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Story by Brandes Elitch

“There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them” – Louis Armstrong

Why would a person in their fifties, sixties, or seventies still collect model cars, spending perhaps hundreds of dollars on an individual model? Well, if I have to explain it to you, this quote from Louis Armstrong is right on the money.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Collecting is so widespread that there is even a “psychology of collecting,” which says that “this allows people to relive their childhood, and connect themselves to a period or time that they feel strongly about.” Collecting “helps people to relieve insecurity and anxiety about losing a part of themselves and to keep the past to continue to exist in the present.” Someone once said that collectors have “a genetic defect.” These comments are beyond psychobabble – they are nonsense, of course.

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Dennis Gray: A Master of Auto Racing Photography

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Charles Nearburg – 1954 Lancia D50A the 2019 HMSA Spring Club Event run at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Nikon 200mm f/11 at 160 second for speed motion blur.


Interview by Brandes Elitch

Dennis Gray grew up in Turlock, California, back then a tiny ranching community of perhaps 10,000 people. In 1959, when Dennis was in 10th grade, his father gave him a Nikon camera. From that auspicious beginning, today Dennis is recognized as one a handful of the most important auto race photographers in the United States, with a body of work stretching over sixty years, and he is still shooting. [Read more…] about Dennis Gray: A Master of Auto Racing Photography

Dennis Gray Photo Gallery

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Jonathan Feiber – 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 in Group 3A – 1955-1961 Sports Racing Cars over 2000cc at the 2017 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, Nikon 300mm f/13 at 1/250 second.

Intro by Brandes Elitch
All Photos copyright Dennis Gray

Read the Interview with Dennis Gray

In my last column, I interviewed noted photographer Dennis Gray in Modesto last month. Dennis discussed some of his techniques for race photography based on fifty plus years of work. Afterwards, we realized that we needed to show more of his output, hence this second column. The photos speak for themselves and do not require additional commentary. However, I thought I would say a few words about this subject in general to put things in perspective for our readers. [Read more…] about Dennis Gray Photo Gallery

Top Ten Prewar Sports Cars

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt unless otherwise noted

A few weeks ago, Brandes Elitch started a good deal of controversy with his list of Top Ten Sports Cars, which concentrated on post WWII makes. Sean Smith then countered with his own list and Elitch then came up with his idea of the Top Ten Pre War Sports Cars, below.

The Sports Car was born in France

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Top Ten Postwar Sportscars

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Opinion by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Recently a newsstand “car guy” publication published an article titled “Ten Best Sportscars.” Fully a third of their choices were certainly not sports cars in any sense: a four door BMW sedan, a Japanese mainstream family car (Acura), and a McLaren FI, which by its name confirms that it is first and foremost a race car. This article was so off the mark that I have been getting emails asking me to come up with my own Top Ten list, which follows. [Read more…] about Top Ten Postwar Sportscars

Martin Squires: Art and the Motorcycle

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From Martin Squires’s Banked Track Heroes project.

By Brandes Elitch
Art by Martin Squires

Assumptions are generally pretty tenuous as a rule, but it is perhaps a safe assumption that if you’re reading VeloceToday, you are interested in (and probably knowledgeable about) French and Italian cars. The total number of French and Italian vehicles that were sold in the U.S. for the last fifty years as percentage of total vehicle sales is miniscule, so this is a pretty arcane subject, but not as arcane as motorcycle collecting versus car collecting.

[Read more…] about Martin Squires: Art and the Motorcycle

Reflections: Forty Years of the Monterey Car Week

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The Alfa 6C 1750 was produced in six series from 1929-33. In 1929 it won every major racing event, including the GP’s of Belgium, Spain, Tunis, Monza, as well as the Mille Miglia, the Brooklands Double Twelve, and the Ulster TT.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

I first time I attended what has become known as “The Monterey Historics” was back in 1979, when I moved to California from New York City. I have not missed a year since – 40 years is a long time for anything.

In the early years, my focus was primarily the Laguna Seca racetrack. These were the beginnings of historic racing, the genius of Steve Earle creating the blueprint for what was to come worldwide. I was amazed that I could walk anywhere in the pits, and go right up to the owner and talk about his car, exotic racecars I had never seen in person before, just read about in Road & Track. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. [Read more…] about Reflections: Forty Years of the Monterey Car Week

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