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giles chapman

Elsie ‘Bill’ Wisdom

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Elsie ‘Bill’ Wisdom

Story by Giles Chapman

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories.” These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the sixth in a series of excerpts from the book.

Embroidery, of the written kind, is an essential skill for every good hack. But the story of how correspondent and racing driver Tommy Wisdom met his wife Elsie takes some beating. Tommy was sailing off the south coast one day with his brother and a friend when their dinghy overturned. The pal drowned but the brothers were rescued and taken ashore, and Tommy recovered on the nearest sofa that could be found. It was in the home of Elsie Swain and, as he dried out, love blossomed.

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Paule Marrot: The Color of Renault

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Paule Marrot checking out different fabric for the Renault Floride.

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories.” These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the fifth in a series.

Paintwork colour, at least for those not commissioning a bespoke car, seemed of little consequence to the car industry in the 1930s. Which was surprising, because General Motors established its Art & Color Section as long ago as 1928, with the forceful Harley Earl as its overlord. Engineer colleagues often derided its work – some called the staff there the ‘pretty picture boys’ working in ‘the beauty parlor’ – and in 1937 the name was changed to the Styling Section.

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Les Leston, Wheeler, Dealer

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Les Leston

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the fourth in a series.

Sergeant Les Leston flew 30 Second World War raids over Germany, usually as a mid-turret gunner in Lancaster bombers. For one raid he was too poorly to go; the plane was shot down, its whole crew lost. On another he wrote “With love from Archer Street” on a 4000lb “cookie” bomb before it plummeted thousands of feet towards a Nazi target; Archer Street was the Soho home to the Musicians’ Union, and the London hangout of Les and his fellow jazzmen.

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And How! VeloceToday’s Most Valuable Assets

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In addition to our comments section below each article, VeloceToday often gets very nice compliments, sent via email or included in a note with a subscription check. These comments rarely get published, but are meant as recognition of the work done by our contributors, who create the content that makes VeloceToday what it is. Magazines are nothing without good content, and therefore contributors are our greatest and most valuable assets.

They are historians, authors, editors, photographers, columnists, journalists, judges, drivers, restorers, artisans, collectors and constructors. They hail from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy. Here are the names of thirty-three whose contributions made the year 2024 one to remember.

Jeff Allison, Gary Axon, Giles Chapman, Bob Cullinan, Rodney Diggens, Joseph Duray, Brandes Elitch, Graham Gauld, Greg Glassner, Bob Harrington, Joe Hurwich, Stefan Ivanov, Vince Johnson, Jackie Jouret, Allen R. Kuhn, Dale LaFollette, James Lanoway, Frederic Levaux, Bernard Linck, Roberto Motta, Herb Miska, Chris Nugent, Willem Oosthoek, Paul Sable, Charley Seavey, Jonathan Sharp, Jim Sitz, Roy Smith, Sean Smith, Pete Vack, Hugues Vanhoolandt, Paul Wilson, Robert Young

Mario Tozzi-Condivi

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Mario Tozzi-Condivi

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the third in a series.

For over 50 years, the line of communication between Maserati and Britain crackled through the razor-sharp mind of ex-pat wheeler-dealer Mario Tozzi-Condivi. [Read more…] about Mario Tozzi-Condivi

Peter Monteverdi

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Monteverdi with the 750 Ferrari Monza.

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories”. These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, and here is the second in a series.

Peter Monteverdi remains the most prolific Swiss car manufacturer of all time. However, the older he got the more bitter he became that he received little recognition in his home country.

Born in Binningen, a suburb of Basel on the Franco-Swiss border, on 17 June 1934, he was the only son of Rosolino Monteverdi, who ran a garage specialising in truck repairs at 14 Oberwilerstrasse. Peter was obsessed with vehicles and as a teenager earned pocket money at a local tractor factory. After school he worked a four-year apprenticeship at the Saurer truck works in Arbon. But rather than design some utilitarian farm implement, Peter built his own car, aged just 17.

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And How! Giles Chapman

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Giles Chapman and his latest book. Click to go to his website.

When we received Giles Chapman’s latest book we thoroughly enjoyed the short bios and interesting stories that comprised Three Million Miles in a Volvo and other Curious Car Stories These are just perfect for the VeloceToday format, we thought, jealousy. I wonder if Giles might let us use a few of his stories in VT? [Read more…] about And How! Giles Chapman

Walter Lines and the British Toy Industry

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“Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories” arrived here recently and I immediately found Giles Chapman to be a wonderful writer, expertly crafting little known automotive intrigues into literary gems. I couldn’t wait to ask him if we could republish a few chapters in VeloceToday, in exchange for the hopes that our audience would enjoy his work as much as I did. (And therefore buy his books!) Our first selection is typical of his style; take a little known figure and with brevity, knowledge and great skill, tell the reader why the subject is important to us, even if we may not have heard of them. For example, who is Walter Lines and what has he to do with slot cars?-Ed.

By Giles Chapman, from his book, “Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories“

Walter Lines’ first job was cleaning up cows’ tails before they could be cured and nailed to the painted wooden rumps of rocking horses. Born in north London in 1882, he wasn’t quite the unlucky urchin of Victorian, up-the-chimney folklore. But he was obliged to start work in the Tottenham family toy firm G&J Lines, started by his father Joseph and his uncle George, just like his brothers William and Arthur. Each was 14 when he tossed aside his schoolbooks and got stuck in. [Read more…] about Walter Lines and the British Toy Industry

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