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Vernasca: Lancia through Serenissima

June 30, 2015 By pete

Kai Desinger’s 1960 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

A little about the history of this fascinating event: The Vernasca Hillclimb was originally sanctioned by the Automobile Club Piacenza between 1953 and 1972. The 1953 event attracted 40 entries, and was won by Alfa factory driver Consalvo Sanesi with a 3000CM. The race continued to grow, with 90 cars entered by 1955, when Massimo Leto de Priolo took first overall.

A Stanguellini Formula Junior achieved the fastest time in 1960, and by 1961 Odoarado Govoni took a Birdcage Maserati to win. The cars were getting bigger and faster as Govoni’s competition was Nando Pagliarini with a Ferrari SWB. Pagliarini returned in 1962 with the Ferrari to win. Abarth 1000s, Porsche 904s and Alfa TZs were popular entries in the 1960s, followed by the bigger, faster Abarth 2000s. In the early 1970s Lualdi brought the Ferrari 212 E hillclimb car to compete with the Porsche 908s. The last edition of Castell’Arquato-Vernasca was held May 14, 1972.

This segment reflects the cars at the event from Giannini to the one-off Serenissima. All in all, the 20th Vernasca Silver Flag Hill Climb was my sort of weekend. If you go next year, and as we understand, the event is already approved, you won’t be disappointed.

Vernasca overview
Abarth to Ferrari

John Skibiki’s original Group 2 650 Giannini.

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Etceterini Guy Cliff Reuter

May 5, 2015 By pete

Jack and Cliff Reuter in Bandini #358 at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours

By Pete Vack and Cliff Reuter
Photos courtesy Cliff Reuter

VeloceToday has been publishing articles weekly since 2001, but Cliff Reuter’s excellent site, Etceterini.com, is almost as old. “I started my first web site cliffreuter.com in 2002 as a way to connect with friends around the world (before Facebook) and then in 2005 launched Etceterini.com”, said Cliff.

In 2006, Cliff and VeloceToday shared a unique experience we found the ex-Clair “Sonny” Reuter Bandini. VeloceToday did the story and Cliff and his father Jack (no relation to Clair Reuter) rescued the car and it is now being restored. A few years later in 2010, Cliff helped organize an Etceterini show at Amelia Island Concours, and with Sportscardigest.com, we ran a series of articles and a contest for the favorite Etceterini entry at Amelia.

Etceterini.com has turned out to be the ‘go to’ site for anyone interested in SCCA racing in the 1950s and 60s. “I started my SCCA results pages in 2006 after we purchased the ex-Sandy MacArthur 1951 Bandini Siluro Motto Crosley Mercury Devin. We knew some of the history of the car but wanted to know more. I searched the Internet for 1950s SCCA results and was VERY disappointed with what I found – almost nothing. I then began going through my Father’s boxes of 1950s-60s race photos, car magazines, racing memorabilia, SCCA race programs and these yielded some very enlightening information!”

While Cliff’s site focuses on Etceterinis, all cars are included, particularly Ferraris. “I’m constantly buying and adding to this collection of American sports car racing history so keep checking back (and refreshing)! Also, PLEASE help me grow these pages by sending YOUR scans of SCCA race results, programs and articles,” said Cliff.

Jack Reuter, left, with his 330 GTO Ferrari and at right, Dick Merritt.

Cliff’s background is as interesting as his site. He is originally from St. Louis Missouri, and his mother is from Liverpool, UK. Father Jack is from St. Louis and was a passionate car enthusiast from early on. Growing up, Cliff says he “played a lot of tennis and shared my dad’s love of European cars.”

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Etceterini Wins Hearts and Minds at Villa d’Este

May 6, 2010 By pete

Etceterinis have truly arrived. Alex Vazeo’s Giaur pulls up next to the Alfa 6C2500SS of Oliver Collins and a Maserati Spyder entered by Mr. Ferretti, owner of the famous Ferretti yachts. Below, Alex tells VeloceToday about his experience in Cernobbio.

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Etceterini Books

February 23, 2010 By pete

Books
What is surprising is that there are so many books about Etceterinis. While most books on the subject are in Italian, but today, with Google Translator, just type in the text you wish to read and it will translate, instantly and accurately enough for general purposes. Increasingly, more are being printed in both English and Italian, or one can find English text copies about.

We list here only the books we-being Cliff Reuter, Stu Schaller and myself– have on our shelves. There are many others to be found and we hope you will let us know what they are and a bit about them. We have limited the choices to those books which directly address the subject; books on coachbuilders or special bodied Fiats will be covered at another time.

“La Sport e I suoi artigiani 1937-1965” is the one absolutely essential book for anyone who is interested in Etceterinis. Published in 2002, it is the bible, an encyclopedia of virtually every single small displacement Italian car built for the Italian national classes in the post war era. It is complete, fascinating, full of photos, in alphabetical order, well indexed, but all in Italian. You can read a review of the book from 2002, here.
[Read more…] about Etceterini Books

The Essential Etceterini

January 26, 2010 By pete

Why are we so fascinated by Ecterinis?
Because we don’t know much about them. Because they are so rare. Because they are so tiny. Because they are so cute. Because they raced the great races. Because they were built by artisans. Because they are like miniature Ferraris. Because they sound great. Because they represent an era we will never see again. Because they are Italian.

So, exactly what is an “Etceterini” anyway?
Broadly speaking, Etceterinis are tiny, jewel-like race cars from Italy with names that usually ended in a vowel. But today, with vastly increasing prices, limited availability, and international recognition, it might be time to definitively define the word, the class, the car. So we asked two who should know, Italian car historian John de Boer, and Stu Schaller, who reportedly coined the term back in the 1970s. [Read more…] about The Essential Etceterini