The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Photostory by Alessandro Gerelli
In previous reports, Gerelli has usually made a split between the Ferraris and Maseratis at the Ring and does so this year as well. “If many of the old cars are the same, the photos are always different,” says Gerelli. The annual event was held on August 12-14. [Read more…] about Oldtimer Grand Prix 2016 Part 2
Louis Frey’s 1950 Ferrari 340 America departs for the 8.5 km climb to Vernasca.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Silver Flag Hillclimb is a relatively new classic racing venue, held in the small and charming town of Vernasca, in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. So for the second year straight, on the weekend of June 17-19 we flew from London to Milan for this unusual event.
Impressive display a the Milan Stock Exchange. However, neither the F15 nor the stocks have been winners.
Photos by Alessandro Gerelli
January 4th was a very important day for Ferrari; for the first time Ferrari stocks were debuted on the Milan Stock Exchange. Formerly Ferrari stocks have only been quoted on Wall Street. Appropriately the ticker is RACE.
Hearing that all the the Ferrari brass such as Marchionne, Felisa, Elkann and Piero Ferrari would be attending, our intrepid Milanese reporter Alessandro Gerelli decided to go downtown and take a look to see what is happening.
“The building is adorned with Ferrari colors and badges and a show of today’s production is in front of the entrance in the square called Piazza degli Affari (Business square),” wrote Gerelli. Most amazing. Like Corvettes holding court and being displayed on Wall Street. But then this is Italy, not New York.
Gallery: Ferrari Intake and Exhaust
Exhaust tubes (Maranello Ferrari museum, 2008).
Alessandro Gerelli as seen by Simone Rossetto in Murano glass.
By Pete Vack
Photography by Alessandro Gerelli
Alessandro Gerelli: 140 articles, 3000 photos and 14 years with VeloceToday
In the summer of 1967, September 8th, to be exact, a 19 year-old college student by the name of Alessandro Gerelli was lucky enough to have obtained a pit pass to the Italian Grand Prix. Like today, pit passes were extremely difficult to obtain. But Gerelli was determined. He would not listen to the sound of Amon’s Ferrari from far behind the fences; he wanted desperately to be where the action was. In what must have been a passionately good letter, he wrote to the organizers and asked them if a student could obtain a pit pass. He would do no damage, he wrote, wouldn’t create problems, and maybe if he could just get a pass for the official test day, he could then take some photos. “The process worked,” says Alessandro, “and a very kind lady from the Monza organization called me, and said she had been touched by my letter.” The young Gerelli went to the Monza practice on Friday with a pit pass. He had to access a certain gate and mention the name of the lady who responded to his letter. “The miracle had been done,” recalled Gerelli.
His patience and fortitude resulted in catching a rare photo of Enzo Ferrari in the pits. Ferrari rarely attended races, even at Monza. Gerelli knew that Ferrari would often show up during practice for the Grand Prix so it was not a surprise. “But of course he was Ferrari and in any case the opportunity to see him and to take a picture of him was something exceptional for a young Ferrari lover like me,” said Gerelli. [Read more…] about The Detailed World of Alessandro Gerelli
Gallery Room 1: Badges and Shields
Yellow horse on a green Ferrari (Misano, 2002).
Ferrari badge on a Ferrari bonnet (Cavallino Classic, 2012).
A special class was dedicated to the racing Bugattis and included this Type 50 that was entered at Le Mans in 1931, seen here during the rally on Saturday. This is the first Bugatti on which Jean Bugatti’s technical influence was very important.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
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The first edition of the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours held in 2014 was a great success and it promised not to be an easy task for Peter Auto, who organizes also the Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic, to do better. [Read more…] about Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours
Lovely Vernasca
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
The Silver Flag Hillclimb is a relatively new classic racing venue, held in the small and charming town of Vernasca, in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. The affair sounded like our kind of event, so on the weekend of June 19-21, we flew from London to Milan, rented a car from Malpensa, a Skoda Yeti which of course quickly got the nickname “Spaghetti Yeti.”
We drove about 120km south down the Autostrada Del Sole and we stayed at an Agriturismo place called Casa Dell Abbondanza (the house of abundance) which was about a mile and a half from the main road. The farm was about 6kms from the event but there was no sound of humanity, just deafening bird songs and dozens of fireflies at night. Organic breakfast was served with products made on the farm each day.
In town we ate at the local Trattoria Da Liugi which served good hearty local fair at very reasonable prices. Lunch of freshly sliced salami, Gnocchi for dinner, and Gutturnio Classico Superiore red wine to wash it down – ah, Vernasca.
Saturday morning we walked the paddocks. Abarths, GTs, GTAMs, TZ1s and 2s, 8Vs, Oscas, Morettis, Gianni, Giaur, Griffo, Oselli plus of course Alfa, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati and a smattering of Ferrari for good measure. We spent the afternoon up on the hill enjoying the feeling that this could be the Targa Florio or the Mille Miglia.
This was just a warmup for the main events which took place on Sunday. In the next two segments, we’ve arranged the cars as photographed in action at the hillclimb by alphabetical order.
For more on this event:
Abarth to Ferrari
Lancia to Serenissima
Abarth Monomille GT.
Rappi-designed Fiat 8V running the hill at the Vernasca Silver Flag Hillclimb.
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Sunday morning we went back to the hill to view a different corner. Sunday lunch was a Pannini stuffed with freshly sliced prosciutto and a birra alla spina in the village square of Vernasca, surrounded by the competitor’s cars. While we ate, we contemplated the near perfectly circle front wheel arches on the Pininfarina-penned P4/5 in front of us.
One off PF Ferrari P 4/5.
The current event at Vernasca is based on a series of 17 hillclimbs sponsored by the Automobile Club of Piancenza, held between 1953 and 1972. This means the event is open to cars built up to 1972, so the turnout is more varied than that of the Mille Miglia. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to accept or deny an application, but here are the qualifiers for entry: 1) Racing history of the car in its heyday 2) Rarity 3) Race results in historic cars events 4) Arrival date of entry form.
In this segment we present the cars in alphabetical order from Alfa to Ferrari. Note that not all the cars entered were photographed and owner’s names are not always supplied or known.
For more on this event:
Vernasca overview
Lancia to Serenissima
Philip Van Looy’s 1966 Abarth OT 1300 Periscopio.
F12 TRS and 250 TdF Scaglietti
By Alessandro Gerelli
A look at three newer Ferraris provide a break from the ancient cars at Hampton Court and Goodwood... [Read more…] about La Ferrari, F12 TRS, 458 by Evolution 2
Alfa intro at Concorso: The pundits are quick to dismiss Alfa’s return to the US, but they would be wise to observe what has happened at Maserati, which went from selling perhaps 2000 cars worldwide to now selling perhaps ten times that just in the US!
By Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Back in 1984, I got a call from a friend, Joe Duray, who had just found a Maserati 3500 for sale in the local paper. Back in those pre-Internet days, that was how you found things, along with going to swap meets and taking Hemmings Motor News. We went to look at it and he bought it. The car was unmolested and totally original. It ran, but had no brakes. [Read more…] about Brandes Elitch & Hugues Vanhoolandt at Concorso Italiano
The Pininfarina lines of a Fiat Dino Spyder contrast nicely with the starkness of the Brooklands memorial erected to commemorate the home of motor racing 1907 - 1939.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Judging by the three lines of cars, all of which were made in Italy, waiting to pass through the Campbell gate of the Brooklands Motor Circuit in Surrey, the Italian car community is alive and thriving. [Read more…] about Brooklands Italian Car Day