Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Hugues Vanhoolandt captures the cars at Rolex Reunion at the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. [Read more…] about Hugues Vanhoolandt at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca
The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By hugues
Photos and Captions by Hugues Vanhoolandt
Hugues Vanhoolandt captures the cars at Rolex Reunion at the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway. [Read more…] about Hugues Vanhoolandt at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca
By Wally
By Wallace Wyss
Photos by Author unless otherwise noted
Dear Editor,
Automobilia was the first event I rolled into, which starts Tuesday morning of “car week” and is held in the Embassy Suites hotel in Seaside. This event has at least 30 vendors and they all bring their specialties. Some bring out of print books (I was shocked when the vendor next to my booth told me he sold three books for over $1400 each!). Some bring older posters both pre-war and post-war; there was a vendor from England with original photographs that he was proud to say “weren’t digital.” A few sell car bits, like the fellow next to me selling Rolls Royce radiator ornaments.
And then some were selling clothes that were either copying old pre-war racing clothing or in the spirit of sports car clothing. I had my own booth vending the brand spanking new Incredible Barn Finds and was pleased when, on the second day of the event, I met people who’d bought one the first day and were enthusiastic to finish it.
By hugues
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
For the 63rd year running, the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance was a reunion of the crème de la crème of the classic automobile world.
This year’s edition celebrated among others the 50th anniversary of both Lamborghini and the Porsche 911, the Lincoln and Simplex brands, and the French coachbuilder Vanvooren.
[Read more…] about Hugues Vanhoolandt at Pebble Beach
By Brandy
Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by Petya Elitch
If you have never attended the Monterey Car Week then you need to know that there are two basic rules: you can’t see everything, so don’t try, and – as we used to say in the Army – “Move with a purpose.”
There are years when I have skipped the races at Laguna Seca, and I stopped going to Pebble Beach after twenty plus years of regular attendance. But one event I don’t miss is the Concorso Italiano – the largest Italian car show in the world.
Let me point out why this is not happening in Italy. [Read more…] about Brandes Elitch at Concorso Italiano
By pete
By Roberto Motta
Photo courtesy by Peugeot Sport and Red Bull Motorsport
Other articles on the subject:
Peugeot Heads for the Hill
History of Peugeot at Pikes Peak
On June 30th, Sébastien Loeb and the 208 T16 Peugeot “Pikes Peak” shattered the record for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, with a staggering time of 8 minutes 13.878 seconds. Loeb, known by his fans as the “Cannibal”, devoured opponents along the 20 miles and 156 curves of the hill climb with an average speed of 145 kph. [Read more…] about Pikes Peak to Peugeot! In English and Italian
By pete
The 31st Dana Point Concours d’Elegance, held on June 23rd, was a success. A good part of that success is due to the selection of the right cars.
What does “right” mean? Well, for instance, I was able to see Ken and Dayle Roath’s 1952 Ferrari Pinin Farina 212 Inter Cabriolet in person. The car is interesting to me because I figure it was one of the first “Gran Touring” Ferraris ever imported to the U.S. There’s a famous picture of it with the New York skyline in back of it. [Read more…] about Dana Point Concours d’Elegance
By pete
By Wallace Wyss
Photos by Richard Bartholomew
San Marino is a toney area of town near Pasadena but redolent of gentler times where there are no loud noises and no graffiti; a town that presents a kind of isolated feeling like nearby Santa Anita racetrack which makes you feel like you are back in the 1930s.
By pete
Last week, two tiny Lancia Ardeas (one owned by the late Martin Swig and driven by his sons) participated in the 2013 California Mille. (The kickoff a week prior was covered by Michael T. Lynch in VeloceToday.) The other Ardea was entered by Judy Stropus, a legendary figure in the car community, and her co-driver Chuck Schoendorf who has previously written about Le Mitiche Sport in Italy for VeloceToday. Below, a brief introduction of both drivers, a report from the perspective of each one, and a photo story. [Ed.]
Judy Stropus Reports
Probably best known as a professional timer/scorer in the early days of the sport, Judy Stropus has worked with top teams such as Penske Racing in Can-Am, Trans-Am and at the Indy 500; Bud Moore Racing, Porsche, BMW, and American Motors. At the same time she has operated her own PR firm, JVS Enterprises, representing major clients such as Chevrolet and BMW. She was awarded the 2008 Jim Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association and is a member of the Road Racing Drivers Club, the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society, and the Public Relations Society of America. She has raced a Chevy Monza, Porsche 914, Maserati Bi-Turbo and a VW in SCCA racing, as well as a Frazier-Nash and a 1954 OSCA Maserati in VSCCA competition.
When I purchased this quaint – call it funky – 1952 Lancia Ardea from Donald Osborne in Palm Springs last year, I really had no idea what I would do with it until it returned to my home in Ridgefield, Conn.
Actually, I’m not sure I even knew what I would do with it once it arrived there, but I couldn’t resist. Who wouldn’t want a right-hand- drive car that is kind of a cross between a PT Cruiser and a Citroen 2CV (Deux Chevaux) with a left-hand, non-synchro five-speed gearbox, a 903cc, V4 engine and a whopping 28.8 horsepower?
Initially I had it shipped up to Campbell, Calif., near San Jose, with the intention of using it as transportation at the Sonoma Historics in May, where I would be working with Steve and Debbie Earle at Sonoma Raceway. Instead, I learned the 2013 California Mille would be run in April-May and decided it might be fun to enter the event in my new acquisition. Since numerous Ardeas ran the original Italian Mille Miglia every year from 1947 until 1953, it was clearly eligible. So, I had my friend Jerry Woods of Jerry Woods Enterprises prep the car for what I expected to be a long but fun and challenging 1000-mile trek through the hills, wine country and ocean roads of Northern California. Jerry, a longtime Porsche expert, whose garage is full of dozens of Porsche race cars from all generations, was able to do a masterful job of prepping the Ardea, which of course he’d neither seen nor heard of before.
I enlisted as a co-driver my Connecticut friend Chuck Schoendorf, a Lancia owner himself. This was probably the best decision I ever made, as Chuck took to the car with a soft heart, as he clearly loves all things Lancia, owning both a 1938 and a 1942 Aprilia. In anticipation of the Mille, he and I traveled earlier in the year to Campbell to check out the car and log some miles to develop a to-do list with Jerry. From past experience on short tours in Chuck’s Aprilia, I was confident he knew how to deal with that notchy little gearbox and click it into all the gears, which he did with style, some force, a bit of crunching, and great aplomb as we struggled to scale steep and twisty uphills. One sign actually read “16% grade”! I, on the other hand, still need some time to master the gearbox without leaving minuscule metal shavings in the transmission fluid!
By pete
In January, VeloceToday correspondent Jonathan Sharp left the comforts of home in Great Britain to enjoy the warm temperatures and blue skies of Palm Beach. He reports about what he found at and on the way to Cavallino. His notebook begins with Wednesday through Friday below, and continues with Saturday and Sunday in a further article. Please note the lack of owner’s names in all three articles; this intentional and by their request.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
Wednesday 23rd January, Palm Beach
Hi Peter, well we made it – amazing, given the recent snow fall at home in England. We seem to have grabbed the only snow-free day to fly out. I am told that nothing is moving in my home town today and it is impossible to get to the end of my road due to the snow, but then England does not do snow very well. The weather here in Palm Beach is amazing, temperature in the mid-70s, sun and blue sky. My brain is struggling to cope with the fact that it’s January. The atmosphere is building in the town with plenty of Ferraris to be seen.
By pete
Englander Jonathan Sharp continues his notebook and letter to VeloceToday, ever more awed by quality, presentation and rarity of the Ferraris featured at Cavallino.
Story and Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Saturday, The Breakers
The WOW factor started on the walk from the Chesterfield hotel to the Breakers. A lovely, warm, bright-blue-skied morning was enlivened by the sound of two V12s running in convoy, a beautiful special-bodied 250TdF followed by the 375MM, both motoring towards the Breakers. I certainly hastened my step after seeing and hearing that!
[Read more…] about A Brit in the Court of Cavallino Part 2
By Gerelli
While Brit Jonathan Sharp covered the event from the beaches of the Breakers, from Milan came our correspondent Alessandro Gerelli to capture some of the action at the adjacent races at Palm Beach International Raceway. Just as at the Cavallino Classic, this year’s event at Palm Beach International Raceway was a spectacle of cars but not owners. We have not associated the cars with their owners per their request for a bit of privacy. Ed.
Photo story by Alessandro Gerelli
[Read more…] about Palm Beach International Raceway Photo Gallery
By Wally
By Wallace Wyss
Images by Booker-All Rights Reserved.
A world class Concours in Utah? There’s potential here!
First of all, there’s the cars. While this writer is not familiar with the classic cars in Utah, and rarely hears of Utah entries at events, he saw an incredible wealth of cars come out of the woodwork at the 2012 Intermountain Concours, representing a strong car culture.
Among them were several million dollar and multi-million dollar cars if you want to take value as one criterion (and the marketplace acknowledges this with big auctions adjoining these events, often on the actual grounds of famous Concours like Pebble Beach). [Read more…] about Intermountain Concours d’Elegance-Lehi, Utah 2012