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Concorso Italiano 2017

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

The 32nd annual Concorso Italiano was held at the Blackhorse/Bayonet golf course at Fort Ord, California, on August 19, 2017. Originally conceived by Francis Mandarano of the Maserati Information Exchange, this event has been managed since 2009 by Tom McDowell.

Concorso Italiano is probably the largest gathering of Italian special interest and collector cars anywhere in the world. Special features this year were “Seventy Years of Ferrari,” the 50th anniversary of the Maserati Ghibli, and the first part of a three-year celebration of Alfa Romeo, this year featuring the GTV, Giulia, and 4C. I particularly appreciated the interview on the stage with event originator Mandarano, who gave a history of the event and a tribute to Tom Tjaarda, who passed away recently, but was in attendance at previous shows. There was also an interview with Pete Brock, and one of the highlights of the day for me was getting to talk to Pete in person. [Read more…] about Concorso Italiano 2017

Solvang’s Motorcycle Museum

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos courtesy Solvang Motorcycle Museum

Solvang is a small town of about 5000 people, located in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, about 140 miles north of Los Angeles. The name means “Sunny Fields” in Danish. It was founded in 1911 by Danish-American educators to preserve their Danish cultural heritage, and had a dedicated Lutheran church and Danish “folk school.” During the period 1850-1930 the Danish economy contracted, so about one in ten Danes emigrated, mostly to the U.S. In 1912, Solvang’s pastor traveled to Iowa to recruit more Danes, and was successful in getting enough of them to move so that the town’s future was assured. Today, it is a tourist destination that attracts a million visitors a year, on the strength of its uniquely Danish architecture, food, attractions, and museums.

1965 MV Agusta 3 cylinder. At the Quail gathering in May of 2016, this bike won the ‘Spirit of the Show’ award – top honors from a prestigious event.

[Read more…] about Solvang’s Motorcycle Museum

Crossroads: Italy – USA at the National Automobile Museum of Turin

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As part of our ongoing series of articles about Italian coachbuilders, Brandes Elitch provides some thoughts about the recent Crossroads Exhibit in Turin. One of the cars in the exhibit is this superb blend of cultures as penned by Giovanni Michelotti on a Lancia B24 chassis. Hugues Vanhoolandt photo.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt and the Nuvolari Museum

Currently, and until June 25th, the National Automobile Museum of Turin (MAUTO) features an exhibit called “Crossroads: Italy – USA Intersections from after the war to the postwar economic boom.” It explores the cross-pollination and cultural themes of American and Italian designers and their work from 1945-1975. It is an important exhibition, and if you are able, do not miss the opportunity to see this remarkable combination of American and Italian styles. [Read more…] about Crossroads: Italy – USA at the National Automobile Museum of Turin

Getting Interested in Motorcycles

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At the Quail, plenty of Italian – and French Motorcycles to excite.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by David Fetherston unless otherwise noted
Read Part 1

Question: Are you optimistic about the future of the motorcycle?
Answer: “There’s a real romance to motorcycling, and this is always recognized by a certain type of individual who values adventure above security and comfort. Luckily, every generation seems to produce a surprising number of these people.” – Peter Egan
“The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.” – Lucinda Williams [Read more…] about Getting Interested in Motorcycles

Brandes Elitch: True Believers and Monterey

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(Randy Wilder / Talbott Motorcycle Museum)

Brandes Elitch gets a sneak preview tour of the new Moto Talbott Motorcycle Museum, a home for True Believers. (Randy Wilder / Talbott Motorcycle Museum)

Story by Brandes Elich
Photos by Bill Green unless otherwise noted

The “Historics” is a catch-all phrase given to the multiple events occurring during “Car Week” on the Monterey Peninsula, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Historic Car Racing at Laguna Seca, the Quail Lodge extravaganza, and the Concorso Italiano, among others. [Read more…] about Brandes Elitch: True Believers and Monterey

Dave Wolin: The Kindness of Strangers

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Dave Wolin goes back a long way; he got a bank loan to buy a used Porsche 550 Spyder for $2000 (that was a long time ago!) Today he is recording and preserving racing history and helping retired race drivers.

By Brandes Elitch
All photos courtesy Dave Wolin

You will not be surprised to learn that there is no pension plan for retired race car drivers like there is in the movie industry; they often depend on the kindness of strangers During the Monterey Historics this year, there will be a new and very special event, called “Tribute to the CanAm – 50th Anniversary.” Proceeds benefit the Racing History Project, (www.racinghistoryproject.com) and specifically two drivers: Charlie Hayes and Tony Adamowicz. [Read more…] about Dave Wolin: The Kindness of Strangers

Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2016

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1964 MV Agusta Triple, Virgil Elings

1964 MV Agusta Triple, Virgil Elings

By Brandes Elitch
Photos by Dave Fetherston unless otherwise noted

In my previous article, I interviewed Gordon McCall, the organizer of the motorcycle show held every May since 2009 at the Quail Lodge Resort in Carmel Valley, California. It is generally regarded as the premier motorcycle concours in the country.

One of the emcees at the show is Paul d’Orleans, a well-known motorcycle writer (www.the vintagent@blogspot.com). Paul describes the ambiance of the show better than anyone. “The world of motorcycles has all the ingredients of a good, enriching drama: heroic deeds, political intrigue, design brilliance, cut-throat business practices, quirky characters, national tensions, cultural biases, Eros and Thanatos. When diving into the muck of motorcycle history, we find unexpected riches.” [Read more…] about Quail Motorcycle Gathering 2016

Gordon McCall: Authenticity and Continuity

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Paul d'Orleans with my BSA Rickman Matisse road racer in the background

Photographer Paul d’Orleans took this image of Gordon McCall with his BSA Rickman Matisse road racer in the background.

Story by Brandes Elitch

If you have attended the Monterey Car Week in August, you are likely familiar with Gordon McCall. For 25 years, he and his wife Molly have he has hosted the first “really big show” that kicks off the week: the McCall Motorworks Revival held at the Monterey Jet Center. The event, which hosts 3000 guests, is really a party, but a very carefully planned one. Gordon says he got this from his mother, who was an epic entertainer from the East Coast. He adds, “Nobody knows how to entertain like an East Coaster, not social climbing but socializing.” The Revival combines very special new and old planes, cars, and motorcycles in an extraordinarily elegant way. Every single detail is choreographed.

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Concorso Italiano 2015

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Lamborghini Aventador

Lamborghini Aventador lineup at Concorso.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt unless otherwise noted
Click to ENLARGE

Arriving at the Bayonet and Blackhorse golf course in Seaside-Monterey on a beautiful Saturday morning in August, I wondered:
– How did they get a thousand cars so perfectly in positon that early in the morning?
-How did a country the size of Arizona come to make so many desirable cars?
-Just why are Italian cars so desirable? [Read more…] about Concorso Italiano 2015

The Quail at Monterey, Courtesy Brandes Elitch

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2 Million USD for a Lancia Aurelia at Quail’s Bonhams…a record?

The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, 2015 edition

By Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt CLick to ENLARGE

Because many VeloceToday readers don’t live in California, let’s start with a brief overview of why the Carmel-Monterey area attracts so many people – about 7 million leisure visitors annually. Recently, Travel&Leisure magazine rated Carmel as the number three city in the world for romance, just behind Paris and Venice. [Read more…] about The Quail at Monterey, Courtesy Brandes Elitch

Cisitalia Ford

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The unusual Cisi Ford..no match for the classic 202. Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

By Brandes Elitch

A few years ago, the organizers of the Pebble Beach concours, in an effort to dispel the image of the entrants as so called trailer queens, initiated a drive for the entrants around the Monterey Peninsula.

In the event of a tie in class, the car that has completed the drive gets the nod in the judging. As part of this procession, the cars are parked in downtown Carmel for a few hours in the middle of the day, and in the middle of the street, for everyone to see. As I was threading my way through them, I saw something I had never seen before. It was obviously an early fifties car, obviously Italian, and the script said “Cisitalia.” I approached the owner, Urs Jakob, and said, “I’ve never seen a Cisitalia this big before,” he replied. “This isn’t a Cisitalia; it’s a Ford!” Boy, was that a shock.

Interior is similar to the early Corvettes. Photo by Brandes Elitch.

Interior is similar to the early Corvettes. Photo by Brandes Elitch.

He went on to explain that in the early 1950’s, Ford was considering the idea of what we now call a personal luxury car, which later became, of course, the two-seater Thunderbird. Keep in mind that, unlike GM and Chrysler, up until then, Ford did not really have any dream cars except the three cars made for Edsel Ford for his own personal use, which were never displayed for the public to see. In the early 1950s, Ford commissioned the building of six prototypes: two were bodied by Ghia, and four by Vignale, including Mr. Jakob’s car. Ford shipped 6 stock Ford chassis to Vignale; this particular car had a straight six, some of the others had the V-8. The current owner told me that he owns two of the cars, and he is hot on the trail of a third.

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Brandes Elitch and Vanhoolandt at The Quail

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Tom Price with his Best of Show-winning 1938 Talbot 150C SS.

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Some Californians think that they live at the center of the universe. You probably knew that. I even know some car collectors in this category. But most VeloceToday readers live outside of California, and indeed many live outside of the US. Of course, there are car related events everywhere. Vintage racing originated in England and is still very strong there. Italy has the Mille Miglia; France has Retromobile. But for one glorious week in August, about an hour south of San Francisco, the Monterey Peninsula really does become the epicenter of the motoring universe. [Read more…] about Brandes Elitch and Vanhoolandt at The Quail

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