The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
E Types on parade, starting with 77RW, the first production two seater, as famously driven by Norman Dewis overnight to Geneva to serve as one of the press demonstrators.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Due largely to download time, we’ve split the report of the London Concours into two posts. Part 2 begins with the celebration of the E Type Jaguar.
These are the winners of this year’s event: [Read more…] about Can’t Get Enough of the London Concours
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
The British Motor Museum, located in the rolling Warwickshire countryside (not to be confused with the National Motor Museum in Hampshire), opened in 1993 and tells the story of the British Motor Industry. The museum was established by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust to house its collection of almost 300 vehicles and its vast motoring archive, which had outgrown the two original locations in Studley in Warwickshire, and Syon Park in London. The Trust’s mission is to keep the memory of the British Motor Industry alive, and to tell its story to all. [Read more…] about Race Cars at the British Motor Museum
Actor, wit, car nut and raconteur Peter Ustinov once owned this 1928 Supercharged Mercedes 36/220 S Type. One of only 146 examples built of this very successful Ferdinand Porsche-designed vehicle which has recently been restored by the Museum. This model was one of the first to appear after the amalgamation of Daimler and Benz in 1926.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the VeloceToday Archives, 2017
This is the third part of Jonathan Sharp’s visit to the National Museum at Beaulieu. There is just so much at the Museum to see; we have just scratched the surface and there is much more waiting for the museum visitor.
Come on in, we are going to show you the neatest Museum in all of the British Isles.
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
It’s funny; I have driven, and flown hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to visit various car museums, shows and race meetings around the world, and yet I had not visited the National Motor Museum (also known as the Beaulieu) less than two hours west of my home on England South Coast, for nearly 20 years.
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This 1903 single cylinder De Dion Bouton is still a regular entrant in the annual London to Brighton Veteran car run. The car was purchased by the Montagu family from a tenant on their estate in 1913 and was one of the five original cars that launched the Montagu Motor Museum in 1952 when the cars were displayed in the entrance hall of the family home.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
From the Archive, January 2017
In Part 1 we mentioned that we would discuss the founder of the National Motor Museum, Lord Montagu. Here then, Jonathan Sharp does so as a prefix to Part 2 of the National Museum articles which will cover cars from A-L. Part 3 will show cars from M-Z and motorcycles. Part 4 will deal with the Land Speed Record Cars at the Museum. Ed.
Let’s get the elephant in the corner out of the room. In 1953 Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, together with two other gentlemen, was convicted of the then crime of a homosexual act with two other consenting adults, who turned Queen’s evidence. Lord Montagu served 8 months in prison. Such was the public’s disquiet as what was perceived to be the unfair victimization of a public figure and the criminality of sexual acts between consenting adults, that a public inquiry was finally set up which ultimately led to the law on homosexuality being reformed. Ok that’s out of the way.
36 photos by Jonathan Sharp
Stop: Forget rivet counts and restoration details.
Stop: Enlarge each photo by clicking on it to double the size. Slow it down.
Stop: Enjoy the ambiance for there is nothing else quite like it in the world.
Stop: Look at the faces, feel the tension, imagine the noise, thrill with the excitement.
For this is Goodwood at its most glorious, and how great it would be there to see and hear and feel what Jonathan Sharp did on that wonderful September day in 2019.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I kept expecting to receive an email stating that the Hampton Concours had to be cancelled due to current circumstances, but it never came. So the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court was on, hot on the heels of the London Concours, and I was very happy. I was truly amazed that, with all the travel restrictions and quarantine regulations around the world, that the event’s steering committee was able to come up with such an interesting entry. [Read more…] about Hampton Court Concours, 2020
Mercedes-Benz W165
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
As we reported last week, Jonathan Sharp, as usual, attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held on July 6-7. He took photos of everything else that moved, or was stationary in the paddock, and while we generally just publish images of Italian or French cars, Jonathan’s enthusiastic eye includes cars from Germany and Great Britain. And so a year late, we present Jonathan’s unpublished, more comprehensive look at the cars that attended last year’s FOS, so many that we had to break it up into two parts,
Nice to see on the track: The Ferrari 166MM 212 Uovo
By Jonathan Sharp
Last year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, held on July 6-7, Jonathan Sharp decided to concentrate on photographing the drivers, and created an unprecedented look at the champions who attended the event. This incredible gallery can be seen here. Ironically, the last photo was of Arturo Merzario walking away, and we said, ‘Til next year, Arturo…” We didn’t know at the time there would be no next year. [Read more…] about New Photos of Goodwood’s Festival of Speed
His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, Grand Cross of the Victorian Order, Patron of the Concours inspects the 1948 Delahaye 175 S Grand Luxe ‘Le Dandy.’
Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Caption information from Event Catalogue
We must explain the reason for all of the recent yet old Hampton Court coverage. Hampton Court Concours took place September 6-8, 2019 and must have been one whopper of an event. Jonathan Sharp was on hand to cover it, the weather was perfect, the cars stunning and the background at Hampton Court easily tops Pebble Beach. Yet at the time, we only ran a select few photos of the special featured Ferraris.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Having sent the Editor the photographs for this piece, he asked me to tell our audience why a Brit who drives an Alfa appreciates Bentleys. An interesting question, and one to which I had never given much thought. The stock answer might be that I am English, and that we are hard-wired to appreciate Bentleys as much as we appreciate the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Battle of Britain; it is in our DNA.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
A visit to the Lukas Hüni AG stand at Retromobile is one of the top highlights in a show full of many highlights. In 2017 the stand featured treasures from the Bentley and Bugatti. In 2018 it was the Ferrari 250 series, Last year it was Lancia, with an amazing multi colored line up of Stratos. As 2020 is the 110th birthday of Alfa Romeo it was not surprising that they were the chosen marque, and boy what a line up it was, as you can see from the following shots. [Read more…] about Jonathan Sharp: Alfas at Retromobile