The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Change indeed. Bernard Asset’s art. McLaren at Eau Rouge on the Spa circuit. F1 photography would never be the same again. Copyright Bernard Asset. All rights reserved.
By Graham Gauld
From the VeloceToday archives June 2013
At a recent race meeting I met up with an old friend of over 25 years, the famed French Formula 1 photographer Bernard Asset. You may not have heard of him, but he completely changed the style of motor racing photography back in the 1970s.
The prettiest Maserati, the 1936 4CM as driven by Goffredo Zehender in period.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
As is my wont I embarked on a five-hour drive from my new home in isolated Cornwall to Silverstone for the Classic. Last year I could leave the house in the south of France, drive an hour to Nice airport, wait an hour, fly to Luton airport, rent a car and drive to Silverstone in less time than my drive from Cornwall!
As usual my idea was to prowl the paddock, chat to people and come up with one or two interesting snippets for VeloceToday.
The original 2.1 liter Ferrari Dino on its debut at the Modena Autodrome a few weeks after Andrea Fraschetti’s death. Graham Gauld photo
By Graham Gauld
When it comes to words and books, no marque in motoring history has been over-written and over-published than Ferrari. Through the years it has led to some weird publications, such as the book that featured only the different ways in which Ferrari race cars were numbered. Not the actual numbers, you understand, but the graphic style of numbering on the side of the cars. Esoteric, you bet!
And yet there are still many stories to be told, and one of them concerns a young engineer and designer who was with Ferrari for less than two years before he was killed testing a Ferrari Dino prototype at the Modena Autodrome in 1957. What made this poignant for me was that he died just three weeks before I arrived in Modena for the first time and from that day little or nothing has been written about him. His name was Andrea Fraschetti.
The Larry Shinoda sculpted Weismann-Maserati heading of for qualifying before the engine destroyed itself. (Unser Archives, Indy 500 Museum)
Story by Graham Gauld
In my last column I talked about the first Maseratis to visit Indianapolis; but how about the last one?
Yes, it puzzled me too so I started to go through the records. I will not bore you with the various Grand Prix Maseratis from the pre-WWII era that came, saw, but did not quite conquer the Indianapolis 500 but I can tell you many of those cars stayed in action long into the 1950s with different owners and sponsors. [Read more…] about Maserati’s Last Stand
Baconin Borzacchini with the V4 Maserati: note the exhaust system for one of the two 8 cylinder engines. (Courtesy Donald Davidson Indianapolis Speedway)
Story by Graham Gauld
Everyone knows about the Ferraris or Ferrari-engined cars that have raced at Indianapolis but the history of Maserati at Indianapolis goes back far longer.
It all started in 1930, just four years after Maserati had produced their first racing car when not one, but two Maseratis raced at that year’s Indianapolis 500. One of them was a normal 26B Grand Prix car, but the second car was a new model known as the V4, of which only two were built and only one, chassis 4001, as a racing car.
Some of the Tour cars outside Ardross Castle where the TV Series “The Traitors” was filmed.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
Scotland has been famous for producing some great racing drivers but one must not forget the most successful Scottish racing team, Ecurie Ecosse.
This small private team surprised everyone back in 1956 when they were allowed to enter one Jaguar D-type for the famous Le Mans 24 Hour Race and won it outright ahead of the much more fancied factory teams of Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Porsche and even the Jaguar team. Then they went back the following year and finished first and second at Le Mans to add to their glory.
The Alfa Montreal bought by Gerard Gombert for junk and now steadily sinking into the undergrowth fetched $13,000 at the Osenat Auction on November 9-11.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
From the VeloceToday Archives, November, 2016
Nothing much happens around this part of the South of France. The hot spots of Nice, Cannes and Monaco lie on the sunny Coast of the French Riviera but here, inland about twenty miles away, village life is about the same as it has always been. But on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week all that changed with one of the oddest auction sales I have ever attended. Here is the story.
Antoine Prunet, seen facing the camera in this picture with former Renault Formula 1 Team Manager Jean Sage, was the author of many books on the history of Ferrari.
Text and photo by Graham Gauld
I was very sad to hear that the much-respected Ferrari historian Antoine Prunet died last week of cancer. He had been ill for some time and only a few weeks ago his wife passed away, so the end of his life was very tragic.
I knew Antoine for about fifty years as we often met at one event or another and emailed frequently. Those of us who knew him will testify that he was always approachable, and appreciative of any assistance and information one could bring to his massive archives. [Read more…] about Antoine Prunet, Susan Dixon
The plaque outside the workshop.
Story and photos by Graham Gauld
The village of Carpentras lies in northern Provence ten miles from Avignon and close to the river Gard that flows below that city’s famous bridge. It is like many French Provencal villages, with a history going back centuries. As a market town it was even visited by the Greeks and the Phoenicians and is famous for its sheep and honey. But there is one citizen there who is well known to Bugatti enthusiasts: Laurent Rondoni.
Peter Collins on his winning way in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 1958. Photo: Grand Prix Library/Graham Gauld
Peter Collins Celebration begins June 10 in Worcester, UK
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the death of British racing driver Peter Collins in an accident during the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.
Collins was at the peak of his racing career and was a member of the Scuderia Ferrari team alongside his great friend Mike Hawthorn who was to go on to become Britain’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix World Champion. He was killed just two weeks after his famous victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone that year. [Read more…] about And How!
The little winglet on the rear of the coachwork and the superb finish to the car.
By Graham Gauld
To me the Fiat Balilla 508 has always been one of the most stylish small sports cars of the 1930s and it was certainly a very successful model for Fiat.
The model I want to talk about, however, is a particular “Coppa D’Oro” model owned by the Hong Kong-based businessman Sir Michael Kadoorie, owner of the Peninsula Hotel Group and, incidentally, the Quail Lodge Golf Club at Laguna Seca, California.
The revolutionary Sigma Grand Prix car by Pininfarina and powered by Ferrari. Note the Ferrari mag wheels
Graham Gauld wrote this article a year ago, but in the meantime Roberto Motto came up with image of the Sigma from Pininfarina, while new information about Sigma came from Paolo Martin’s new book, Visions in Design, also reviewed this week. We put it all in a blender an came up with the story below. Ed.
Photos courtesy Pininfarina, Paolo Martin and Graham Gauld
“Some might feel inclined to remark, perhaps in a chiding tone, that this work has seduced us away from what has been our traditional path. We would certainly rebut such a charge.” Those words were uttered by Sergio Pininfarina when his company surprised everyone at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show by showing a startling one-off Grand Prix car, the Sigma.