ferrari books

And How! Observations on Ferrari now in Softcover

May 5, 2025 By pete

By Staff

The Acclaimed publisher of custom limited edition automotive books Velocity Group is releasing Observations on Ferrari 1946 – 1966 The King’s Eyes in soft cover.

This fantastic fully illustrated history takes the reader from the rubble of post-World War Two Italy to the height of the Mid-Century Era, addressing every F1 race and the newly established World Sportscar Championship as Ferrari defines high performance in these arenas. [Read more…] about And How! Observations on Ferrari now in Softcover

Dick Merritt, Remembered

March 16, 2021 By pete

The Man, the Book

Dick Merritt passed away last week at the age of 90. We extend our condolences to his wife Elisabeth, his son Kendall and daughter-in-law Ruth and granddaughter Riley. While there are many sides to Dick Merritt and even more stories, it seemed fitting to republish the below article at this time.

By Pete Vack

By the mid 1960s, many used Ferraris were falling apart, found in cheap suburban tract housing behind chainlink fences, the Vignale or Ghia bodywork hidden by tarps, dogwatched by a mutt on a rope. Most were in America; Illinois, California, New York, Long Island, Boston, and military ports like Long Beach, Norfolk, Jacksonville, San Diego, although old Ferraris could and would be found in Europe, South America, and Australia.

They were usually in the hands of well-meaning, somewhat knowledgeable foreign car enthusiasts who knew what they had but did not have the time, energy or money to properly restore their treasure. Many were young, but saddled with family responsibilities that precluded investing any grand sum into fixing a car whose value was at the very best purely speculative.

Once such young man was Richard F. Merritt, who had worked at Ford, GM and selling Volkswagens part time, and who realized that the Ferrari would be the next Bugatti. Over the years, Merritt would buy and sell 48 of the most desirable Ferraris ever built, but his main claim to fame would come as the co-author (with Warren Fitzgerald) of the landmark Ferrari, the Sports and Grand Turismo Cars. If any one book made the marque, it was this one, hereafter to be referred to as “F&M” for Fitzgerald and Merritt.

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Ferraris in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s

September 25, 2018 By pete

In this article author Barry Farr describes the background to his book “Ferraris in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s” which is a comprehensive written and pictorial history of all the Ferraris that entered the land down under during the 1950s and 1960s. [Ed.]

By Barry Farr

Whilst the likes of Jose Froilan Gonzales and Luigi Chinetti helped establish the Ferrari marque internationally, Ferrari’s presence in Australia was fostered by Englishman Peter Whitehead, Melbournian Bill Lowe and Sydney-sider David McKay. The common factor among these three gentlemen was that each was an esteemed racer in his own field – Whitehead in F1, Lowe in hill climbs and McKay in touring and sports cars. As well, McKay was a respected motoring journalist and thus spread the word about his Ferrari exploits. [Read more…] about Ferraris in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s

Gianni Rogliatti 1929-2012

March 7, 2012 By pete

Another Legend Passes

One of the problems when you get to a certain age is that you begin to lose your friends and with the death of Gianni Rogliatti on March 3, I certainly lost a good friend. I cannot remember how we first met, but it was over fifty years ago. He was a highly respected Italian motoring journalist who was born in Turin in 1929. He had studied engineering in Argentina but he had joined the Italian newspaper La Stampa as their motoring correspondent when first I met him.

I think the opening conversation was about Leica cameras because I was an avid Leica user and we started to compare notes on our Leica IIIGs. In fact, in 1979 with Dennis Laney he wrote the definitive book Leica the First 60 Years which proved to be a best seller and was revised in 1991.

The great thing about Gianni was that impish smile of his when he came out with the latest bit of Italian motor racing gossip.

However, his main claim to fame was his close friendship with Enzo Ferrari. Unlike the late Franco Lini, another well known Italian journalist who later became Ferrari Team Manager, Gianni would listen to what Ferrari would say at press conferences and then ask sensible, in-depth questions whereas Franco usually tried to turn the whole affair into a pantomime.

I was last with him about two years ago at a party in at Mario Righini’s castle just outside Modena. Despite the fact that he had been ill for some time he was still in great form. Two years before he had asked me for copies of photos I had taken at Scaglietti’s factory to help illustrate a book Franco Gozzi was writing about Scaglietti. So Gianni asked me if I had received a copy of the book. When I said no, he immediately took out his notebook and said “ I’ll phone Franco and get him to send you a copy right away”. A few minutes later Gianni came bounding back to say that Gozzi was actually at the party and as I approached him it was obvious Gianni had told him about the book. Looking a bit flustered Gozzi said he would send me a book immediately. However, the man with him was Mr Giacobazzi the owner of the famous Giacobazzi vineyard which makes some of the finest Lambrusco.

It turned out that Giacobazzi had paid for the book and he remarked that he had one in the car and brought it in to me. It was typical of Gianni Rogliatti that he was concerned I got a copy after he had asked for the photos. He cared for his friends and was a great help in sorting out Ferrari mysteries. Right up to his death of a heart attack, he was still writing and editing La Manovella, the magazine if the Italian Historical Car and Motorcycle Club. Now he is gone and Italian motoring history has lost one of its greatest exponents.

-Graham Gauld–