The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Villa Erba, 2015
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
To our subscribers: Ignore the ‘comments are closed’ notice below as it is a software glitch; put your comments at the bottom of each article as before.
[Read more…] about Hugues Vanhoolandt: Twenty Four Models
This car is equipped with a radiator grill built by Emile Tonneline, a small coachbuilder from Courbevoie. After WWII, it was fashionable to give an American look to your car and Tonneline sold many of these radiator grills. But what kind of car has been given this treatment?
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
If the French city of Reims is known worldwide for hosting many of the largest champagne-producing houses, the City of Kings is also famous among the motorsport enthusiasts for being the setting for fourteen French Grand Prix.
The 12 hours of Reims was also an important event of the endurance calendar and being held usually one month after the Le Mans 24 hours, it was often considered as an antidote to the Le Mans classic.
Although the old pits buildings have been recently restored, this is a bygone era as the fast Reims circuit ceased its activities in 1969.
The old pits building and the grandstands along the finish straight which is a national road between the villages of Thillois and Gueux.
Nevertheless, Reims is still attracting automotive enthusiasts from France and the neighboring countries. Every March the “Salon Champenois du Véhicule de Collection” is held. It is a big gathering of brand clubs and sellers of everything relevant of the vintage car passion. With hundreds of stands and stalls, you can be sure to find the parts you need to start your restoration project, to complete your miniature car collection or to find the old book you have been searching for.
[Read more…] about 29th Reims Vintage Car Show
Frank Ramecker’s outstanding Alfa 1900 Super Bicolore adds to the show its owner helped organize. Super car, super event.
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt Click on images to enlarge
Italian Car Passion, Autoworld Museum, Brussels
This week we catch up on rest rest of the cars at the Brussels Autoworld Museum Italian Car Passion show. This show will open until January 31st, so if you are in Europe, it is an impressive display, a special exhibition to “la bella macchina italiana”, featuring some 60 cars ranging from the 50s to this day, representing the most emblematic machines produced by mass manufacturers, renowned coachbuilders or talented craftsmen.
The other day we received an email from one of the organizers, Frank Rameckers, who wrote, “It is always great that visitors appreciated the hard work. For some cars it took me two years to convince the collectors of the cars to lend their car(s) for two months to the museum.”
We told him that the variety and selection was superb, and that he should take the show to New York and LA.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Don’t hold your breath.
Taking a page from the Simeone Foundation, this year’s Autoworld Museum in Brussels created life-like dioramas to for a stunning Italian backdrop to 60 great Italian cars. Here we see an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA with its “assistenza” car.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt Click on images to enlarge
Italian Car Passion, Autoworld Museum, Brussels
The Autoworld Museum in Brussels devoted its last 2015 special exhibition to “la bella macchina italiana”, featuring some 60 cars ranging from the 50s to this day, representing the most emblematic machines produced by mass manufacturers, renowned coachbuilders or talented craftsmen.
In order to provide the visitor with the proper ambiance, a small “piazza” was been recreated as well as the typical narrow streets of an Italian city, with its traditional architecture.
In this exhibit, this Lamborghini Miura, a 1972 P400 SV version, is the link between the prolific 50’s and 60’s and the supercars of today.
1965 Ferrari 275 GTB.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Click on pics to ENLARGE
The Zoute, situated along the North Sea, not far from Bruges and a few kilometers away from the Dutch border, is one of the most popular resorts of the Belgian Coast and one of the more affluent of Northern Europe.
Since 2010, the Zoute welcomes all the classic cars enthusiasts and supercars lovers of the country to a three day event. [Read more…] about Zoute Grand Prix, 2015
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
Click to ENLARGE
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
The sole Ferrari entered was the 1976 312 T2 of Chris MacAllister, a bit alone in this mainly Ford-Cosworth-powered field.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
If most of the events taking place during the Monterey Car Week consist of Concours d’Elegance or Car Shows on renowned fairways or in the streets of localities of the Monterey Peninsula, one of the oldest and major landmarks of the week remains the historic races at Laguna Seca Raceway.
With more than 550 cars throughout 15 races, there is something for everyone. The event which lasts four days, practice sessions included, is even preceded by what is called the Pre-Reunion the weekend before the main event. The Pre-Reunion counts less entrants and then combine different classes in the same races. [Read more…] about Rolex Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion and Reunion
Lamborghini Aventador lineup at Concorso.
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt unless otherwise noted
Click to ENLARGE
Arriving at the Bayonet and Blackhorse golf course in Seaside-Monterey on a beautiful Saturday morning in August, I wondered:
– How did they get a thousand cars so perfectly in positon that early in the morning?
-How did a country the size of Arizona come to make so many desirable cars?
-Just why are Italian cars so desirable? [Read more…] about Concorso Italiano 2015
One of eight known to exist Cisitalia 303 DF berlinettas of 1953, still in original condition.
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Click photos to ENLARGE
Some of Hugues Vanhoolandt’s favorites from The Quail, 2015. [Read more…] about At the Quail with Hugues Vanhoolandt
Called the “Spanish Ferrari”, the Pegasos were only produced between 1951 and 1958. This model, the “Cupula”, was first shown in Madison Square Garden, New York, in 1953. It was then acquired by Dominican dictator Trujillo. Later it was shown in the Rosso Bianco Collection in Germany and is now part of the Louwman Museum in the Netherlands.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
The park of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este at the Lago di Como was again the backdrop of the most prestigious European Concours d’Elegance. Due to the lack of space at Villa d’Este , only 58 cars were on show, including some of the latest concept cars.
But each of these cars is of high profile and few other Concours can equal the level of excellence of this one.
While the access to Villa d’Este on Saturday is private, the general public can enjoy the show at the more spacious Villa Erba, on Sunday.
This 1946 Delahaye 135 M is clothed by Figoni & Falaschi and fitted with an electromagnetic Cotal gearbox. Since the completion of its restoration in 2010, it has been presented at the Concours d’Elegance in La Baule, Deauville and Angoulême (France).
Everybody has heard about the sale of the Baillon collection of nearly 60 cars in desperate state for most of them. Here on the same picture, the most well preserved cars, the Maserati A6 G 2000 Frua coupé in the background, and the Ferrari 250 GT SWB California once owned by French actor Alain Delon, sold for an incredible $18.5 million.
Story and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Click on pics to enlarge
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Retromobile show in Paris. Over the years it became a must-see event that starts the classic car season on the European continent and it continues to grow in size and quality. The sale of the well-publicized Baillon collection attracted even more spectators, who had to queue for some time to access the hall where the barn finds were exposed.
The Maserati, which went to an American buyer for $2.2 million, is one of only four A6G 2000 bodied by Frua. It was the 1956 Paris Motor Show car and in the Baillon family since 1959.
Apart from the usual manufacturers and dealers displays, many themes were developed with a retrospective of the production of Spanish manufacturer Pegaso, a selection of cars from the collection of Corrado Lopresto from Italy, a gathering of Bugatti Royales, the production cars of Matra, etc.
Yes, there were Pegasos, but you missed them. Fortunately Hugues did not, and we'l present Hugues' Pegaso pics in depth in another issue of VT.
But first take a look to the sale that made the headlines and to some French rarities.
The Baillon collection was presented in a very dark environment, giving an ambiance of mystery to these cars coming to light for the first time since decades. Another highlight was this Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport by Saoutchik, already featured here in VT ( Baillon barnfind part 3). It went for $1.9 million.
This Talbot-Lago T150C was also a car owned by Baillon until 1979 when a first batch of cars went on public sale due to his transport business bankruptcy. 1936 French ACF Grand Prix, 1937 Mille Miglia, 1938 Le Mans 24 hours are just some of the races in which this car took part with various bodies.
But remember, don’t drink and drive!
Story and photos by Hugues Vahnoolandt
Zoute Grand Prix, Belgium October 9-12 2014 Now in its 5th edition, the Zoute Grand Prix, held in Knokke-le-Zoute on the Belgian Coast, has become a key event of the classic car calendar and marks the last Concours d’Elégance of the year, at least in Europe.
Apart from the Zoute Concours, there is also the Zoute Rally for classic cars built between 1920 and 1965, and the Zoute GT Tour for recent supercars.
Together with an auction sale by Bonhams, all these events form the Zoute Grand Prix, attracting thousands of enthusiasts and simple spectators.
But let’s see now what was notable this year: [Read more…] about Zoute Grand Prix, October 9-12, Belgium