VeloceToday.com

The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Jonathan Sharp

Royal Cars for the Queen’s Jubilee

By

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The UK has just celebrated another Jubilee for the Queen. But ten years ago, Jonathan Sharp was also on hand to celebrate a very special event at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed – a motoring tribute to compliment Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee held in 2012. It seemed like an appropriate time to republish the account, Jonathan’s first for VeloceToday.com. Congratulations to both the Queen and Mr. Sharp! [Ed.]

This being Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, the theme chosen for this year’s Cartier “Style et Luxe” display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed was “Transport fit for a Queen”. The display featured cars that were either owned by or used by the Queen or other members of the Royal Family. The display also featured a Royal Train Carriage, children’s electric ride in toy cars and even an aeroplane. The displays, in five classes, were arranged on the grass in front of the stable yard of Goodwood House.
[Read more…] about Royal Cars for the Queen’s Jubilee

Celebrating a Land Speed Record, 100 Years On

By

The 350HP Sunbeam at speed.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

“It felt like being hurled into space in a good armchair…” wrote SCH (Sammy) Davis, Bentley Boy and sports editor of The Autocar in his article on driving the 350HP Sunbeam in the 22nd February 1929 edition of the magazine.

On the 17th May 1922, at around 5pm as the weather during the day had been bad, Kenelm Lee Guinness (of KLG spark plug fame), in the V-12, 18 litre 350 HP Sunbeam, descended off the Brooklands banking and onto the Railway Straight to enter the measured mile for the second time. Just over 27 seconds later he had broken the Land Speed Record. His average speed for the measured kilometre was 133.75 mph, for the mile 129.17 mph, and 136.05 for the half mile This was to be the last time that the Land Speed Record was to be broken on a motor racing circuit; the cars had become much too fast, so record breaking switched to beaches and salt lakes.
100 years to the day, we gathered at Brooklands, to celebrate his achievement. [Read more…] about Celebrating a Land Speed Record, 100 Years On

Brooklands Italian Car Day: Fiats

By

Welcome to Brooklands.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

When visiting the annual Italian Car day at Brooklands (April 30) you really do need to keep circulating the site, as cars come and go throughout the day. Some stay all day, some for just a few hours, owner’s club groups meet up and picnics get laid out. During lunchtime a group of vehicles selected by the event sponsor Auto Italia Magazine, ranging from Abarth Grand Prix to a Ferrari SF90, took to the adjacent Mercedes Benz World Test track for some demo laps in front of a large crowd that had crossed the river Wey to join them.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Brooklands Italian Car Day 2022

By

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

The following articles contain no production numbers, with one or two exceptions, no chassis numbers, no race histories and no illustrious drivers, bar one. Just photographs of the sort of Italian cars you rarely see this days. Where might one see such an event? Brooklands, for the Italian Car day held on Saturday the 30th April. The right crowd, well they like Italian cars, but there was some crowding.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Sharp at the Salon Prive, London

By

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

The kindly gentleman looked resplendent in his scarlet coat, the uniform of the Chelsea Pensioners. We were all staring at the new Ferrari. He turned to us and began to speak. “Do you know, I was at the Nurburgring in 1960, when Moss and Dan Gurney were driving the Camoradi Maserati Birdcage?” No, we didn’t know that as it was from out of the blue. But he continued. “Gurney had just handed over to Moss whilst at the same time the whole of the Ferrari team were in the pits refueling. The Ferrari team manager, I forget his name, got into a panic and ordered the cars to resume racing ASAP, one car leaving before refueling from the large fuel urn had been completed. In the next second, whoosh flames everywhere!” We asked him “Did you take any photos at the event”?

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

79th Goodwood Member’s Meeting, 2022

By

1956 Renault 4CV entered by Frederic Fatien, driven by Pierre-Brice Mena, Sopwith Cup for saloon cars of a type that raced up until 1956.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

Did you know, the rear lights of a Porsche 956 are the same as those fitted to a late 1970s Eriba Puck Caravan? No, neither did I, Thanks Gary Axon and Goodwood Radio for that wonderful piece of trivia.

Why am I mentioning Porsche 956s? Well the recent 79th Goodwood Members Meeting included a track demonstration of 956/962s, twenty of them. Also demonstrated/displayed were approximately 20 F1 cars from the V10 era, lead on the track by Bruno Senna in his uncle’s 1990 McLaren Honda MP4/5B, a wonderful sight and an amazing sound. In addition to the demos the program also included 13 races covering a period from prior to WW2 right up until Group 1 saloons from the 1980s.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Twenty Shots From the Schlumpf Collection

By

Photos by Jonathan Sharp

From the VeloceToday Archives, May 2018

In 2016, Jonathan Sharp made an intensive visit to the Schlumpf Museum, and returned with thousands of photos. This week we’ve selected just a few of our favorites taken from the several articles showing the treasures of the Schlumpf. [Read more…] about Twenty Shots From the Schlumpf Collection

Spitfire: Symbol of the Defense of a Nation

By

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

It is by chance that I am composing this on Saturday the 5th March 2022, 86 years to the day of the first flight of the Supermarine Spitfire. More importantly it is also incredibly sad that I am writing about the Symbol of a Nation that in 1940 was standing alone and fighting an evil regime whilst at this very moment, Ukraine also fights for its freedom.

The Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, a place I used to know well, announced late in 2021 that it was opening an exhibition, on the 27th December, titled the “evolution of an icon”, and in Britain, other than our beloved Queen, there is no greater icon than a Spitfire.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Warbirds at Goodwood

By

Powered by Rolls-Royce

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

The pandemic must have made the curation of the 2021 Freddy March Spirit of Aviation Trophy (held as part of the Goodwood Revival Meeting September 17–19, 2021) much harder, but as usual, the mix of aircraft on display was as eclectic as usual, from bi-planes to bombers, trainers to fighters, from wood and canvas to polished alloy fuselages. [Read more…] about Warbirds at Goodwood

Cartier Style et Luxe 2021

By

We seem to be riding a wave of wooden bodied skiff classics at VT. Annie Scaldwell’s 1924 Hispano Suiza H6B wears a skiff body by the esteemed Parisian coach builder Ansart & Teisseirie.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

We’ve had a lot of events to cover as the Pandemic subsides, then spikes again. Events are suddenly back on the calendar and one right after another. We covered the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 8-11) this year but left out the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours, held as part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe

Goodwood Members Meeting, 2021

By

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

It had been postponed twice, but one month after the superb Goodwood Revival meeting it was time to go again to the Goodwood Motor Circuit for the 78th Members Meeting. So how does the Members Meeting compare with the Revival? You could call it ‘Revival Light’; the racing is as great as at the Revival and the entry list is equally first class, but a bit more varied, as entry requirements do not restrict cars to the circuit’s original race period of 1948 to 1966. As the event is only open to members of the Goodwood clubs, crowds are not a problem and the politeness found at the Revival still prevailed. [Read more…] about Goodwood Members Meeting, 2021

Brooklands Italian Car Day

By

Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

A huge thank you to our friends at Auto Italia magazine for making the Brooklands Italian Car Day happen, and for the loan of a hi viz tabard (high level photo pass) to allow me to take shots during the lunch time demo sessions on the Mercedes Benz World test track.

As the Editor pointed out last week, there are three or events that attract rare Italian cars; Concorso Italiano in the US, Milano AutoClassica in Italy, the even larger Auto Moto d Epoca in Padua, and the Brooklands Italian Car Day in the UK. I have covered the UK event now for many years, and it is always a joy.

This content is for Premium Subscriber members only.
LoginSubscribe
MENU