The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
Garage Steutel, photos from the website.
A Movable Feast…After a delightful time at Retromobile in Paris, Paul Wilson and Mark Bennett traveled to Belgium with Alfa doyen Frank Rameckers, then to the Netherlands, where Paul had been invited to give a presentation about the design and construction of his three amazing Alfas. Here is Paul’s story….
Paul Wilson explains the Regal.
Paul Wilson on Video
In the pages of VeloceToday, Paul Wilson has written and photographed the design and construction of his two Alfa 6C 2500 Alfas and a B.A.T. recreation as a step-by-step process that works well with text and photos. But there is no better medium than a good video when presenting a single collector car on and off the road. [Read more…] about And How! Paul Wilson, Team Roosevelt
In addition to our comments section below each article, VeloceToday often gets very nice compliments, sent via email or included in a note with a subscription check. These comments rarely get published, but are meant as recognition of the work done by our contributors, who create the content that makes VeloceToday what it is. Magazines are nothing without good content, and therefore contributors are our greatest and most valuable assets.
They are historians, authors, editors, photographers, columnists, journalists, judges, drivers, restorers, artisans, collectors and constructors. They hail from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy. Here are the names of thirty-three whose contributions made the year 2024 one to remember.
Jeff Allison, Gary Axon, Giles Chapman, Bob Cullinan, Rodney Diggens, Joseph Duray, Brandes Elitch, Graham Gauld, Greg Glassner, Bob Harrington, Joe Hurwich, Stefan Ivanov, Vince Johnson, Jackie Jouret, Allen R. Kuhn, Dale LaFollette, James Lanoway, Frederic Levaux, Bernard Linck, Roberto Motta, Herb Miska, Chris Nugent, Willem Oosthoek, Paul Sable, Charley Seavey, Jonathan Sharp, Jim Sitz, Roy Smith, Sean Smith, Pete Vack, Hugues Vanhoolandt, Paul Wilson, Robert Young
By Paul Wilson
The doors and body sides of my BAT were the last major areas to be built, and not an appealing job–lots of mechanical puzzles and fitting, no real design decisions. So all work and no play.
Well, almost. I did have some fun considering the addition of 300SL-like louvered vents behind the front wheels. They look great on the Mercedes, and would nicely fit that panel behind my car’s front wheels. Both BAT 7 and the 300SL appeared in 1954, so they’re just right for the period.
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
Lest we forget, over the past few years, Paul Wilson has designed and created three distinct cars on Alfa Romeo chassis; a beautiful coupe and sister roadster on 6C 2500 chassis, and a B.A.T. recreation on a 1900 chassis. He has chronicled each in the pages of VeloceToday. Below is an update on the status of his 6C2500 coupe, which is now roadworthy. Click here to read a previous story about the adventures of building the coupe.
When Pete first suggested that I write about my projects, I told him I couldn’t because they weren’t finished. What kind of story has no ending? Just write, he said. So I did, and it’s been fun.
But the problem didn’t go away, and now I’ve reached the mess that I foresaw. Supplier delays and unexpected problems have continually postponed the happy endings I was so eager to write. The 6C2500 coupe, nearly done seven years ago, is now truly done. But the final stages were agony. The roadster still awaits its engine, though there was still some work I could do on it. Only the BAT, seemingly the most farfetched of them all, has made steady progress.
Story by Paul Wilson
From the Archives, April, 2023
I’ve decided to build an Alfa BAT. Yes, I know it’s a crazy idea. The Men in White Coats, always worried about my sanity, will come for me if they find out. I hope they don’t read VeloceToday.
We’re all familiar with BAT 5, BAT 7, and BAT 9, experimental cars built on Alfa 1900 chassis in the ‘50s. Of course they were presented as studies in aerodynamics; the air flow theme dominates the designs. But this was just an excuse for making the wildest, most extravagant sculpture ever put on four wheels. It’s their function as expressive forms, not their drag reduction features, that gives them their status today.
Everybody agrees that they’re exciting, original, and eye-catching. But are they beautiful?
6C 2500 coupe photo by Mark Bennett
As you probably know (or at least we hope you do) Paul Wilson will be formally introducing his Alfa 6C 2500 coupe at the Larz Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts on November 30 – only 9 days away! He will not only present the car itself but provide a very interesting show about how the design developed and the techniques of construction. Click here for more information on Paul’s presentation at Larz Museum. This week we asked Paul tell us about the latest status on both the coupe and roadster. In addition, we have some photos taken by Paul’s friend, Mark Bennett. So take it away, Paul….
Story by Paul Wilson [Read more…] about 6C 2500 Alfa Coupe and Roadster updates
Paul Wilson will be formally introducing his Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline Massachusetts on November 30.
Larz and Isabelle Anderson
Diplomat and ambassador Larz Anderson and his wife, Isabelle Weld Perkins, were fascinating people. Both were wealthy, but Isabelle was by far the richer.* [Read more…] about Paul Wilson and the Larz Anderson Museum
Paul Wilson at the Larz Anderson Museum
For all of you who have followed the adventures of Paul Wilson as he designs and constructs his own coachwork on the Alfa 6C 2500 chassis, we’ve got some great news for you! On November 30, 7 p.m.- 8:30 p.m., Wilson will formally present his coupe at the prestigious Larz Anderson Automobile Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The Larz Automobile Museum in Brookline. Photo by Biruitorul – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4488803
As we all know and can readily see via the VeloceToday articles, Wilson is a master craftsman, who learned his art as he went along, thinking about each process while limiting his tools and materials to those available to coachbuilders of the 1930s. How he worked through the problems of doors, interiors, trunks, hood and fenders is a fascinating process and reveals his unique genius. Why he used steel instead of aluminum is also interesting as it altered the final form, as he was able to literally design the car as he created it. [Read more…] about Paul Wilson, Karl Ludvigsen, Dalton Watson
By Pete Vack
From the Archives, November 2016
The way to gain entrance into the realm of the Dallara/Gandini masterpiece that is the Miura is to gently push the door latch button from the Fiat 850 and pull a bit on the chrome fin at the bottom of the row of black fins to the rear of the door window.
“Be careful getting in. Here’s how you have to do it. Get your butt over the seat and gently lower it straight down. Don’t wiggle. Don’t squirm. The reason is because the seats are original cloth inserts and any heavy lateral movement stresses out the material,” said Paul Wilson.
Story and photos by Paul Wilson
Those breaking-wave fins are the feature that I love best about BAT 7, and with just minor changes, I wanted similar ones on my BAT. For better side vision, mine would rise from slightly further back. I don’t think that large slot in the tall areas has enough thematic connection with the overall design. And on the sides, did I want the crease extending back from the top fender line to fully disappear, as it does on BAT 7, or continue all the way to the rear? Yet again, I had the rare advantage of being both the designer and fabricator. I could make up something, see if I liked it, and change it if I thought it could be improved. [Read more…] about Building BAT Better Part 5
