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OSCA

Formula Junior at Sebring, 1960

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Sebring, leading up to Friday. March 25th. Jim Hall poses next to his DKW-powered Elva FJ. His body man Foy Barrett is on the left, and the fuel man is Chester “Chet” Hines. Chet was Hap Sharp’s aircraft mechanic, often drafted to serve as part-time race mechanic.

By Willem Oosthoek All photos taken by Bob Jackson [Willem Oosthoek Collection]

The 1960 edition of the Sebring 12 Hours was scheduled to start at 10 AM Saturday, March 26. But competition actually began a day earlier. For the first time in its history, the 12-hour event featured two opening races, one for Formula Juniors on Friday morning and a 4-hour event for Under-1-liter GT entries in the afternoon. [Read more…] about Formula Junior at Sebring, 1960

And How! Ernie, Hugues and Jonathan

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Photo by Hugues Vanhoolandt.

This week And How gives us a glimpse of Ol’ Yeller II at Goodwood on parade while E.T. Nagamatsu, ever the ambassador, meets the women who did such a wonderful job singing the classic tunes of the war years. Then Hugues Vanhoolandt captures some of the ambiance that surrounds the Goodwood Revival, and Jonathan Sharp focuses on a special OSCA shown at the Hampton Concours.

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Retromobile by Jonathan Sharp

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Taking centre stage, and a crowd favourite, George Harrison’s McLaren F1 chassis 025.

Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp

Some may say that Retromobile 2022 was not a vintage year. Yes, it was a bit smaller, many of the big dealers were absent, there was less participation from the manufacturers, but it was still Retromobile ! You just had to dig a little bit deeper to find the gems.

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Fiat 1100 Part 6

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Meico Koudstaal owned this OSCA Formula Junior car several years and participated it in many races on European circuits. Photos courtesy Coys Classic Auto Auctions

Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

The Formula Junior was the brain child of Giovanni “Johnny’ Lurani, an Italian nobleman, engineer, racing driver, speed record holder, author, publisher and the Italian representative in the CSI (International Sporting Commission) of the FIA, the governing body for automobile sports. Like Piero Dusio before him, he saw the need for a new formula for affordable single-seater racing cars, allowing a new generation of drivers to gain experience. True or not, at the time some thought and even wrote that Lurani promoted his Formula Junior idea to compensate for the lack of success of Italian cars and drivers in the British dominated 500 cc. Formula 3. However, in October 1958 the FIA officially recognized the International Formula Junior.

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3D Printed OSCA Distributor Parts

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How to keep an OSCA MT1500 TN on the road…


Story and photos by Sean Smith

Steven Dibdin had been working flat out for a startup company in Brooklyn and was rather burned out; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to work for someone else, and anyway he had an idea for a new company. He went over to White Plains, NY, and asked Santo Spadaro of Dominick’s European car repair https://dominick-european-car-repair.business.site/ if he thought the idea was viable. Santo thought for a minute and came back with “Do you think you can make one of these?” It was a twin spark rotor arm for an OSCA. The honest reply was “I think so.” And behold, a 3D printed OSCA distributor rotor became the first project for Steven’s new company,

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Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance 2018

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Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt

Let me start by saying right out that the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was so utterly surprising and overwhelming that I suspect I cannot convey in mere words the totality of the experience. I doubt if so many fabulous automobiles have ever been assembled in one spot, anywhere, at one time, and with logical and consistent themes as well.

Now I realize that these are strong words, so let me provide a bit of perspective. I started attending the events at Monterey back in 1979, and I have never missed a year since, although the events have changed from year to year. I attended the Pebble Beach show for about 25 years, and I have some great memories, such as helping John Bond push his Railton to the field when it would not start. But eventually, I got tired of the traffic and the crowds and the impossibility of finding parking, and finally I just decided to go home Saturday night after the AFAS reception. [Read more…] about Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance 2018

A Touch of Dante’s Genius: The Junior Racers

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Meico Koudstaal owned this OSCA Formula Junior car several years and participated it in many races on European circuits. Photos courtesy Coys Classic Auto Auctions

Story by Gijsbert-Paul Berk

The Formula Junior was the brain child of Giovanni “Johnny’ Lurani, an Italian nobleman, engineer, racing driver, speed record holder, author, publisher and the Italian representative in the CSI (International Sporting Commission) of the FIA, the governing body for automobile sports. Like Piero Dusio before him, he saw the need for a new formula for affordable single-seater racing cars, allowing a new generation of drivers to gain experience. True or not, at the time some thought and even wrote that Lurani promoted his Formula Junior idea to compensate for the lack of success of Italian cars and drivers in the British dominated 500 cc. Formula 3. However, in October 1958 the FIA officially recognized the International Formula Junior.

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Driving the OSCA Formula Junior

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OSCA F JR.

McDonough wrings out the OSCA Formula Junior at Silverstone.

By Ed McDonough
Photos by Peter Collins

Formula Junior-A Training Ground

In my youth, during the period in which I first encountered motor racing, the 500cc Formula 3 had been the ‘entry’ route to serious single seat racing for some years in Europe but was by that time on its last legs. In the USA, there was less emphasis on single-seaters but by the early ‘60s, Formula Junior had caught on, and I have always seen it as an essential part of my history. I particularly was smitten by the front engine cars from Italy.

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The Best GT OSCA Ever Made

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Hugues Vanhoolandt focuses on the OSCA Vignale sn 1153.

By Pete Vack, Jack Thomas and Paul Schouwenburg

Of all the great cars owned by Paul Schouwenburg which found a place in his new book Ferrari Fever, (read review) this one is not as famous as the Alfas and Ferraris that dominated Schouwenburg’s collections, but it is perhaps one of the most interesting and beautiful cars ever built. The OSCA, the Vignale 1500 SN 1153 MT4 2AD Berlinetta is also arguably OSCA’s greatest Grand Touring car, and most certainly the most original.

OSCA MT4 1500 Vignale together with our Aurelia B24 during Milano-Sanremo. My wife Catherine drove her B24 spider America Nardi and I the Osca with son Olivier-Paul Schouwenburg-

One of only four road going OSCA MT4s built at the factory and designated to receive Berlinetta coachwork, OSCA 1153 was purchased from the factory by a Frenchman, Monsieur J.L. Abreu, at the Turin Show in 1955. In the late 1960s, the car was sold to the famous collector, Walter Grell of Switzerland, who kept the car for over 30 years and drove it sparingly. In 2000, it was purchased by Dr. Paul Schouwenburg who relates the following:

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O.S.C.A. FS372 Chassis 1189

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The little OSCA in everyday traffic in Buenos Aires.


A Ride in Buenos Aires with a FS OSCA

Story and photos by Cris Bertschi

This article from our archives is so old we even forgot about it. From April 2002, twelve years ago; how time does fly. However, it is still a good article even if the photos are low res and can’t be enlarged without getting out of focus. Squint and enjoy.

It was a normal, boring afternoon when I received an e-mail from my friend Manuel Eliçabe saying that work on his O.S.C.A. was finished, and asking if I wanted to go on a test drive before shipping it to Italy for the 2002 Mille Miglia Retro. I instantly replied, “Tell me the day and time and I’ll be there.” [Read more…] about O.S.C.A. FS372 Chassis 1189

Oldtimer Grand Prix, 2012

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Maserati 250F sculpture got our attention.

Photos and Captions by Alessandro Gerelli

Since we are celebrating our tenth anniversary this year, we thought it might be nice to list all the articles about the Nurburgring Oldtimer event filed by Alessandro Gerelli in the past decade. It’s an interesting walk through the famous paddock and one can get a sense of how much or how little vintage racing, European style, has changed over the years. Above and below, Gerelli’s photos from this year’s Oldtimer Grand Prix. [Read more…] about Oldtimer Grand Prix, 2012

Carroll Shelby and the OSCA

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carroll shelby portrait

A Shelby portrait taken in about 1956 by racing photographer Alix Lafontant. It is inscribed “The very best to my good friend Alix. – Carroll Shelby.”

By Carl Goodwin

Photos by Alix Lafontant copyright Carl Goodwin.

1956 was a great year for Carroll Shelby driving the Italian cars he loved. Up until a late-season off-course excursion in the sand at Thompson Raceway, he had notched 19 wins at road courses from coast to coast, driving a Ferrari 4.4, Ferrari Monza, Maserati 300S, and a Maserati 450S.

We were accustomed to seeing Shelby toss around the big Ferraris and Maseratis owned by John Edgar and Tony Parravano, but he was also a great driver in under two liter Italian cars such as the OSCA. One such race was at Road America.

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