Photos by Roberto Motta unless otherwise noted
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Archives for June 2011
Coppa Intereuropa: Sedans and GTs
All photos by Roberto Motta
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Coppa Intereuropa: Formula Cars and Sports Racers
All Photos by Roberto Motta
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Canadian Grand Prix
By Erik Nielsen
Photos courtesy and copyright Ferrari Media
Weekends in the late spring are usually spent on one of two main activities. There is the productive side, endless honey-do lists, grass that needs cutting, brakes that need changing, and any other activity that can only be done on the weekend as work precludes either the time or the energy to needed to tackle the list. And then there is the non-productive side, loafing on the couch, having an adult beverage (or seven) with friends and turning on the selective hearing when it is suggested to move one’s “fat ass” off the couch.
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This Week, of Interest
Below, some articles you may enjoy reading.
Doing Villa d’Este
Some guys just dream, other guys dream and do. Oliver Collins is one of the latter. But better yet, he not only lives his dream but comes back and is glad to tell the world (via VeloceToday) what and how he became a contestant in the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este.
Click here
Etceterini Books
What is surprising is that there are so many books about Etceterinis. While most books on the subject are in Italian, increasingly, more are being printed in both English and Italian. This article lists many of the books available on or about small displacement Italian cars.
Click here
This week we have a real gem: the Paul Farago story as written by Eric Davison. Plus we catch up on some of the events of May via the striking photography of Hugues Vanhoolandt.
The Paul Farago Story
By Eric Davison
The entry list of racing cars for the 1948-1950 events at Watkins Glen was a mixed lot and most were cars produced before WW2. One of the few new cars and arguably one of the most attractive was the Farago Fiat.
Paul Farago was an Italian from Calabria, Italy who immigrated to Detroit with his family in 1930. Paul’s father operated a bus line and Paul was a skilled mechanic by the time the family arrived in Detroit. He quickly established himself as an expert on foreign car repairs as well as a race car driver on local Michigan dirt tracks.
When WW2 broke out Farago served in the Army Air Corps. When the war ended he established Farago Auto Service at 18725 John R. Street between Detroit’s Six and Seven Mile Roads. His business flourished as the private garages of Detroit and its suburbs spilled out all the wonderful cars that had been put on blocks for ‘the duration.’
Farago was also a charter member of the Detroit Region of the Sports Car Club of America. The Region had been formed when Bill Woods and his brother Jack placed a classified ad in a Detroit newspaper. The Woods brothers were sports car enthusiasts and were the owners of Woods’ Motors on Detroit’s east side. They sold MGs, Hillmans and other miscellaneous imports. [Read more…] about The Paul Farago Story
French at the Mille Miglia 2011 by Vanhoolandt
Captions and photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
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Italians at the Mille Miglia 2011 by Vanhoolandt
Captions and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
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Spa Classic 2011
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
The first Spa Classic was held at the end of May on a circuit called by some ‘the most beautiful circuit in the world’, Francorchamps in the Ardennes region in southern Belgium.
It is certainly one of the most challenging racetracks with fast corners, climbs and descents.
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This Week, of Interest
Ferraris on the Big Screen?
It could happen, but they may have to share track space with Fords…
By Wallace Wyss
According to a story disseminated by Reuters last week, director Michael Mann is in talks with 20th Century Fox to develop and potentially direct “Go Like Hell,” the real-life story of the famous competition between the Ford Motor Co. and Ferrari that led to Ford winning the Le Mans in 1967. (Ironically the Reuters reporter must have forgotten that Ford first won in 1966.)
The Reuters story says that Ford ” was the first American car maker to win the world’s oldest car race, held annually in France. For years, Ferrari had dominated the contest.”
20th Century Fox plans to base their film on A.J. Baime’s (a Playboy editor) book of the same name, which they describe as the story of when “a young Henry Ford II — determined to infuse new life into his family’s company — decided to get into the European racing scene. With the help of racer Carroll Shelby and Lee Iacocca, Ford built and designed a car that could take on Ferrari cars, known for their speed and style. They ultimately won the Le Mans.”
In actuality, Ford pretty much designed the GT40 without Shelby’s help and ran their first season in endurance racing–1964–without his help but in the winter of ’64 sent the Ford GTs to Shelby to sort out since they had failed so miserably in ’64.
The Reuters story says “Insiders say the initial idea was for Mann to develop the script.” Various stories in the last few days say a script already exists, penned by Jason Keller. He has sold several scripts and is also developing “The Devil’s Throat” with Josh Brolin attached to star, as well as being in pre-production on “Snow White.” Coincidentally Brolin has been reported in being interested in the film, as well as Brad Pitt, though no stars are attached as yet.
Mann is a great friend of Ferrari. He, of course, is famous for featuring the Daytona Spyder in the pilot of the TV show Miami Vice though in the TV series itself it was a replica, later replaced by a Ferrari Testarossa replica. In the later feature film of Miami Vice, he features a Ferrari 430 Spyder. In 2009, Mann produced and directed a 3-minute promotional film on the new Ferrari California Spyder which was played at the American preview in Santa Monica to a Ferrari-owning crowd of invitees. Mann also once displayed his own modern Ferrari 599 GTO at a concours at the Art Center College of Design.
Wallace Wyss, a prolific non-fiction book author, has just signed with an agent to promote his unpublished suspense thriller set in the world of Ferraris.”
[Ed.]
A Tribute to Ingegner Mauro Forghieri May 6th -June 12th In English and Italian
Photos and story by Alessandro Gerelli
Scroll down for Italian text
At the beginning of 1960s, I was a boy attending high school who didn’t know anything about cars; my family didn’t even own one.
But automobiles suddenly got my attention and quickly expanded to include the car-racing world, where I quickly discovered the existence of a brand called Ferrari, competing in many different classes.
Vanhoolandt at Villa d’Este, 2011
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Italians at Villa d’Este
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