The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
1934 Lancia Astura.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
For the world’s best regularity run drivers, the Mille Miglia is THE race of the year, not to be missed. This year saw the third victory in a row of Andrea Vesco, with co-driver Fabio Salvinelli, aboard a 1928 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Super Sport. This is the first time since 2000 that a driver managed to triumph in three consecutive editions. Below, we continue our presentation of the 2022 Mille Miglia, from Lancia to the French entries.
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 Peugeot 401 D is famous for its first owner, famous music hall singer “Mistinguett” who ordered this roadster body to a small coachbuilder called Crozier.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
2016 Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, September 3-4
For its 3rd edition, the Arts & Elegance Concours held in the beautiful gardens of the Chantilly Castle, north of Paris, attracted some 13,500 visitors, who were not discouraged by the cloudy sky, the strong wind or the morning showers.
The Concours was divided in two parts, with the Concours d’Elegance for concept cars presented in association with renowned fashion houses, and the Concours d’Etat for more than one hundred classic cars divided into 21 classes.
We will take a closer look of the five classes of the Concours d’Etat, classes named: A great Italian coachbuilder : Zagato (Post-War) Zagato Special Alfa Romeos, The Tour de France Automobiles, Tribute to the Pozzi Racing Team and Tribute to Jean Todt – Fifty years of an outstanding career.
While Graham Gauld brought us insights and personal stories from the pits at this year’s Historics, Hugues Vanhoolandt delivered his usual outstanding imagery from around the circuit. Below, twenty top shots for our readers.
Two early Gordinis. Number 16 is the very first Gordini single-seater,
The Lancia Marino, built by Marino Brandoli who drove it at the 1957 GP of Naples, Italy, here driven by ex-F1 driver Beppe Gabbiani. See Graham’s article for more information.
Tec Mec 250F was the ultimate evolution of the Maserati 250F. But it was immediately outpaced by the rear engined cars, its only outing being the 1959 US Grand Prix.
The Maserati A6 GCM (M for monoposto) was not accepted that year at the Monaco Grand Prix as it was reserved for Sports Cars. But they took part in the F1 World Drivers Championship, and did very well.
Julia De Baldanza battling at the ‘Swimming Pool’ corner with a Cooper T41.
Grid C commemorates the 1952 Monaco Grand Prix in which Ferraris took the five first places. Three 166 MM Touring barchettas like this one were at the start.
By Pete Vack
Photos Copyright Alessandro Gerelli
Alessandro Gerelli has accumulated hundreds of photos from the many Mille Miglia events over the past few years. We thought we might use a few to help illustrate OSCA’s meeting with Porsche in the 1954 race. In addition to Alessandro’s photos, we are fortunate to have obtained permission from LMG Auto and the widow of Carlo Demand, to publish the image of the Hans Hermann Porsche Spyder as the occupants ducked under a rail crossing. The drawing was first published in “The Big Race”, in 1956. More of Carlo’s work can be seen, and ordered, from www.lmgauto.com.
Carlo Demand's work depicts some of the greatest moments in racing history, such as Hans Hermann's remarkable 1954 Mille Miglia.
October 31st, 2007
Story by Pete Vack
Oh, what you will be missing. This is just one of hundreds of articles from our archives, which are available only if you subscribe to our premium service. This week, it’s updated and free. For a while.
Jim Kimberly at Watkins Glen in 1114. He placed second in class. Photo by Alix Lafontant.
From 1948 to 1955, OSCAs won hundreds of class victories in Europe and the United States. But one OSCA in particular was responsible for more than its share of wins. Built as a an early spider, OSCA number 1114 was completed just in time for the 1951 Mille Miglia. It was designated a factory team car, and was one of the first OSCA MT4s with the dual overhead cam head, but the displacement was still just under 1100 cc. In the 1000 mile race, 1114 placed second in class driven by Franco Bordoni.
Otto Linton's trophies--4 places out of 5 races, Harewood Acres, Canada. Otto Linton photo.
In June a young man from Verona by the name of Giulio Cabianca bought the car and registered it on tags VR 28745, and had it painted red over blue. Cabianca immediately embarked upon a six month campaign with his new race car. Almost every weekend Cabianca entered an event, and small as they were, the competition was fierce in the extremely popular 1100cc class, but the OSCA won almost every time out. From June to the end of October, Cabianca and 1114 achieved a remarkable 14 class victories along with nine 1st overalls.
For the 1952 season Cabianca had the old body modified by Coriasco to equip it with outboard headlights and additional lights in the oval grille. It’s looks were unique and the car can be instantly recognized as being the Cabianca OSCA. Otto Linton, who later owned 1114, told John Wright…”The work on my MT4 was done for Cabianca, the OSCA factory driver. Because it had run the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio and had been set up for LeMans, it had big headlights in the grille.”
OSCA, La Rivincita Dei Maserati, by Luigi Orsini and Franco Zagari was produced as the definitive OSCA book and remains so to this day. For a very good reason, OSCA 1114 was pictured on the cover.
By June, Cabianca had also purchased a 1350 cc OSCA engine, and during the ‘52 season swapped the engines to race in either the 1100 cc class or under 1500cc classes with the new 1350. Again, he was successful, totaling up another 8 wins. Before he sold it to a Philadelphia tire company executive by the name of Al Garthwaite in August of 1952, Cabianca had driven 1114 to a total of twenty two wins in less than two years.
Garthwaite lost no time in getting the OSCA back on the track. He entered it in the Watkins Glen Grand Prix to be held on September 21. Literally fresh off the dock and driven by Jim Kimberly, the OSCA placed second in class, beaten only by Bill Spear in the very latest OSCA 1350 MT4 (the build date on the Spear car was August 19th 1952). In October, Garthwaite, a good driver in anyone’s book, took the car to second place at Albany NY. The next summer, before selling 1114 to Otto Linton, Garthwaite, who would also head Algar (AL GARthwaite) Motors in Philadelphia, drove the aging OSCA to a first in class at the tough Bryfan Tyddyn course.
Linton at the unique Bryn Fan Tyddyn track garnering another first in class. Linton Collection.
Linton told VeloceToday correspondent John Wright that “.. In Pennsylvania, we had a good track called Bryn Fan Tyddyn. Now that course was just wonderful; it ran around a senator’s estate. It was a perfect track for my OSCA, and (if I remember correctly) I won there three years in a row until the last year it was in operation. That was when John Edgar came out from California with his great big trailer with Jack McAfee’s 550 Porsche and a Ferrari. So, the 2 liter Ferrari and the Porsche were slightly faster than my 1342cc OSCA.”
Linton also trailered 1114 to Sebring in 1954, where he took a third in class behind Stirling Moss, who won the event overall in another OSCA. For the next three years, Linton campaigned his OSCA up and down the east coast, entering the old warrior in ten more events. The last competitive appearance of 1114 was on July 25th 1956, when Linton took a second in class at Brynfan Tyddyn.
Cabianca’s Record
1951 1100 cc class
June 2 1951 Coppa Della Toscana Cabina Zanelli, 1c
June 26 1951 Coppa Del Pasubio 1c 1o
June 29 1951 Corsa Sulle Torricelle Cabianca 1c 1o
July 1 1951 Lecco-Ballabio Cabianca 1c 1o
July 8 1951 Bozano-Mendola Cabianca 1c 1o
July 15 1951 Coppa D oro Delle Domiti Cabianca 1c 1o
August 12th 1951 Circuito De Senegallia Cabianca 1c
September 2 1951 Vittorio-Veneto Cansiglio Cabianca 1c
September 9 1951 Bologna-Raticosa Cabianca 1c 1o
September 16 1951 G. P. Vetturette, Monza Cabianca 1o
September 23 1951 Tieste-Opicina Cabianca 1c 2o
September 29 1951 Coppa Gallenga Cabianca 1c
October 10 1951 Treponti-Castelnuovo Cabianca 1c 1o
October 28 1951 Messina-Colle Sand Rizzo Cabianca 1c
1952 1100 cc class
March 23 1952 Corsa Sulle Torricelle Cabianca 1c 1o
May 4 1952 Mille Miglia Cabianca-Roghi 1c
June 12 1952 Giro Dell’Umbria Cabianca-Roghi 1c 1o
June 22 1952 Circuito de Caserta Cabianca 1o
July 13 1952 Coppa D oro Delle Dolomiti Cabianco, 1c
August 10 1952 Circuito di Senegallia Cabianca 1c
1952 1350 class
June 29 1952 Targa Florio Cabianca retired
July 6 1952 Bolzano-Mendola Cabianca, 1c
August 3 1952 Giro Delle Calabrie Cabianco-Roghi 1c
OSCA 1114 in America
September 21 1952 Watkins Glen, John Kimberly, 2c #57
October 12 1952 Albany, NY, Garthwaite, 2c
July 24-25 1953 Brynfan Tyddyn Garthwaite, 1c
March 8 1954 Sebring, Linton/Beck 3c, #61
May 2 1954 Andrews AFB, Linton, 3c, #61
July 24 1954 Wilkes Barre, Linton, 1c, 1o, #23
August 8 1954 Lockbourne AFB, Linton, 2c, #23
September 18 1954 Watkins Glen Linton, 4c, #23
March 13 1955 Sebring Linton/Stetson, R #73
September 9 1955 Thompson, Linton R #13
June 24 1956, Road America Linton, 5c #196
July 7 1956 Beverly Linton R #196
July 25 1956 Brynfan Tyddyn Linton, 2c
Next from the Archives, a Talk with Otto Linton.