Road America, Circa 1957
Jerome C. Earl from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in the Corvette SR2. Earl would later sell the SR2 to Jim Jeffords.
Words by Bob Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning
A return to two SCCA race weekends made up Road America’s calendar for 1957, the first in June followed by early September. June offered four events, three on Saturday and a 38-lap feature on Sunday. All told the weekend was best described as fun-to-watch club racing.
1957 June Sprints, June 23
1957 SCCA Nationals September 7 (Saturday)
1957 Road America 500, September 8 (Sunday) [Read more…] about Road America, Circa 1957
Sloane Street Concours, London
Just to prove the event was in London, the rear end of the R33 and a London Double Decker Bus, also known as the Boris bus, so named after Boris Johnson, the then Mayor of London.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
I was unable to make the London edition of Salon Prive, but as luck would have it the organizers decided to do a small preview under the title of ‘The Sloane Street Concours’ on April 11th. For those not familiar with London shopping streets, Sloane Street and the surrounding environs is home to some very upmarket shops, as you will see from looking at the background. Great if you like shopping (yuk) and have a Gold card. [Read more…] about Sloane Street Concours, London
Jim Jeffords Biography Reviewed
Click to order…only $45.
Review by Pete Vack
Photos by Glen Glendenning courtesy Dave Rex
For years, the name Jim Jeffords was just that, a name on a car, a program, a result. Like many of the low key but successful SCCA race drivers, and unlike the international racing stars, Jeffords did not get much publicity on a personal level. After his death in 2014, however, there appeared much more information about this hard driving, multitalented Milwaukee resident whose brief career, according to the SCCA bio, may not have been the longest but almost certainly unmatched. [Read more…] about Jim Jeffords Biography Reviewed
The Most Famous Citroën…Ever!
Traction Forward!
By Philippe H. Defechereux
From the VeloceToday Archives, June, 2017
The year 1934 was to be André Citroën’s finest yet, the highest summit in a vast range of accomplishments already marked by several impressive peaks in his two preceding decades. And the year 1934 did start well for great French industrialist. After turning 56 on February 5, in mid-April he witnessed his life’s two grandest industrial creations come to life together, for they were entwined from conception: His new and thoroughly revolutionary Traction-Avant sedan began to come out fully formed and by the hundreds daily. This from his just-completed car production plant in Paris by the Seine, then by far the biggest, most modern and integrated mass-production automobile facility in Europe. [Read more…] about The Most Famous Citroën…Ever!
Dominianni’s Hail Mary
Photo by Walter Marshall.
Story by Dave Nicholas*
Most VeloceToday readers would recognize the name Frank Dominianni. Renowned as a 1960’s Corvette driver and 1964 BP national champ, Frank started in much smaller cars. After working for George Patton and his 3rd Army, Frank returned to Long Island and opened Hi Speed Power equipment. Frank had a passion for racing and started in a TC MG in 1950. He wanted more speed and imported a Giaur Nardi in 1952.
Maranello Masterpieces at Road America, 1956
In the classic June Sprints that’s still run today some seventy years later, Carroll Shelby drove Luigi Chinetti’s 4412CC, 330HP in-line, six-cylinder 121 LM (0558LM) in this SCCA National event on the 4.0-mile road racing course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Shelby survived the challenges of a host of Ferraris and the three D-Type Jaguars of the Briggs Cunningham racing team. He led all 38 laps of the 152-mile race, setting the fastest race lap, and beating Lou Brero’s D-type across the line by six seconds. 0558LM was raced by the factory with Umberto Maglioli, Phil Hill, and Eugenio Castellotti in 1955 before going to Luigi Chinetti, who provided it to Hill and Shelby to race in 1956. (Caption by Jeff Allison)
Photos by Glen Glendenning
Captions by Jeff Allison and Pete Vack
Bob Birmingham and Glen Glendenning have previously featured the cars at the 1956 June Sprints at Road America, but we purposely left out the large contingent of Ferraris that entered the Sprints that year. We present them herein.
While gathering up the photos for this piece, three points of interest came to our attention:
The Cygnet and its Swansong
The luxury Microcar, the Aston Martin Cygnet. ( Photo Gauld)
Story by Graham Gauld
It was fifteen years ago, 2011, when for some strange reason, the Aston Martin board decided it would be a good idea for Aston Martin to change the habit of a lifetime by building a super-mini road car: the Aston Martin Cygnet.
One interpretation for this decision was that as Aston Martin were producing the Supercars of that period. As some of their customers might have large yachts on which they could perch a small car built to the luxury standards of the full-size Aston Martins, the marketing concept had a feasible interpretation.
Eager-Bearders Bugatti
By Bill Giltzow
From the VeloceToday Archives
Above and below are two wonderfully evocative photos from the archives of Bill Giltzow. But first, who is Bill Giltzow?
A long time VeloceToday reader, Bill has contributed a number of rare photos to illustrate a few of our articles, from
Mystery Car: Playing the Numbers
By the Editor
Here it is, two weeks after we published the above photo with a plea for help as in Who, What, Where and When? There were no fully correct answers, though some responded that it looked like a Ferrari. This has never happened before in the long 25 years of VeloceToday and many mystery contests!
Or, maybe, just maybe, we have actually found a photo of a Ferrari race car that no one can easily identify. In this day of Google and AI, Barchetta and Ferrarichat, that is hard to believe. Just when you thought we knew it all up pops this strangely painted Ferrari.
We Review “The Ferrari Under The Bed”
Buy This Book..trust us.
Review by Pete Vack
All photos courtesy Darrell Westfaul
Darrell Westfaul’s telling of his time with his 166 MM Ferrari (0046M) is truly special; mark our words…one of the best books we have ever read on any automotive topic. He describes a life with cars similar to our own experiences, and meets all of the characters along the way, guys that we knew as well, or at least hoped to know. Like many of us, he struggled to keep his treasure, realizing that the cost of admittance is just the tip of the iceberg. To keep it running, he learns to fix and paint and repair and be a mother of invention. Even more, he commits himself to finding out as much as possible about his rare car during his ownership and well beyond. His research goes far beyond the typical chassis histories and becomes as much about the owners as the car itself. It is a wonderful, fulfilling journey that so many of us can relate to. [Read more…] about We Review “The Ferrari Under The Bed”
A Visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum circa 1962
The Mercedes-Benz Museum as it was, 1962. Photo copyright Mercedes-Benz Classic and used with permission.
Text by Charley Seavey
Photos by Charley Seavey unless otherwise noted
This article would not have been written without the cooperation, and no small amount of work, on the part of Christian Biederstaedt, Archivist at Mercedes-Benz Classic. He provided all the technical information about the engines, and identified some of the cars that I could not.
Long ago, two young Army guys with three days off loaded up a car with cameras and set forth from Rothwesten, in what was then West Germany, and headed down the Autobahn to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.