The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts
By Peter Darnall
From the Archives, February 2021
Déjà vu: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before . . .
I came across an old friend at Thunderhill recently. I had not seen her in more than fifty years—and she had not changed a bit. She was drawing quite a bit of attention in the paddock, which was just the way I remembered our last meeting in the Del Monte Forest in the spring of 1956.
Story by Peter Darnall
The first five Mondials built were set aside by the factory to compete as “works” entries in the 1954 Mille Miglia. The third of these First Series Mondials to be built was Chassis Number 0408 MD. Owner Jeff Abramson treated me to several laps at speed around the Sonoma Raceway in this car and that run was my introduction to these extraordinary machines.
By Peter Darnall
The Italian word “mondiale” translates as “world” in the English language but in the Ferrari factory at Maranello, the name has special significance. Mondial (without the final “e”) is a Maranello trademark name which commemorates factory Grand Prix cars which won two successive World Championships in 1952 and 1953. The original Mondials were a group of 2 liter Ferrari 4-cylinder sports racing machines which challenged the motor racing world in the mid-1950s. They were known as “500 Mondials” (the cubic centimeter displacement of a single cylinder) to differentiate them from larger displacement versions of same engine which would follow.
Story by Peter Darnall
We have seen how the V12 Lagondas performed at Le Mans before the war. Now Peter Darnall follows up on the story of old Number 5 and old Number 6 as they raced in America. Ed.
Chairman Alan Good’s bold gamble paid off handsomely when his two Lagondas raced into British motorsports history with a first and second place class win at the 1939 running of the Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance event. These factory Specials were essentially production Lagondas which had been extensively lightened and powered by a promising new V-12 engine. They were beaten to the finish only by a Bugatti Type 57 C “Tank” and a Delage D6-3L, both highly specialized endurance racing hybrids.
These two Lagondas, chassis numbers 14089 and 14090, are valuable collector cars today. Lagonda enthusiasts affectionately refer to them by their Le Mans Numbers “Old Number 5” and “Old Number 6.” Their story was presented in the September 18, 2018, edition of VeloceToday which ended with the outbreak of the Second World War.
The story continues . . .
By Pete Vack
From the VeloceToday Archives, August, 2016
The last automotive star of the movie The Racers has been found and is now under restoration and being readied for Pebble Beach 2017. The Vignale-bodied 1400 Fiat had a very brief role in the movie. It was difficult for even the hard core among us to determine exactly what make and model it was.
By Peter Darnall
Déjà vu: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before . . .
I came across an old friend at Thunderhill recently. I had not seen her in more than fifty years—and she had not changed a bit. She was drawing quite a bit of attention in the paddock, which was just the way I remembered our last meeting in the Del Monte Forest in the spring of 1956. [Read more…] about Déjà vu, Italian Style
From the Archives, January 2018
Text by Peter Darnall and Museum Curator Lorenzo Montagner
Museum photos by Gian Maria Pontiroli
Museum Curator Lorenzo Montagner has previously written a short biography of Tazio Nuvolari which appears after the below article, in which Mr. Montagner and Peter Darnall take us inside the fascinating museum that houses Nuvolari’s treasures.
Museo Tazio Nuvolari is located in Mantua, Italy, a few miles from Castel d’Ario, where Nuvolari was born on November 16, 1892. The Nuvolari Museum is housed in an historic fifteenth century building, which served originally as the Church of the Carmelino. One visitor to the museum commented that the unique setting seemed to enhance the sense of intimacy; in his words, the museum was “much more than a collection of trophies.” [Read more…] about Nuvolari Speciale
By Peter Darnall
Any of the racing Alfa Romeos from the decade of the 1930s will fetch a king’s ransom in today’s collector market. Put a Tipo C on the block and the opening bids would normally be associated with high-end real estate properties. When the rarest of them all, a 1935 8C-35 with matching engine and chassis number 50013, was offered by Bonhams in 2013, the winning bid was the highest price ever paid for a single seat racer! [Read more…] about Flying With Pegasus: The continuing story of Alfa Romeo #50013
By Pete Vack
Montage above by Peter Darnall
From the VeloceToday Archives, January 2017
One might wonder why we are so interested in the Alfa 8C35 cars. An old saying goes that history is written by the survivors; and indeed, this is the case for the 8C35. But in addition to being survivors, the various and sundry 8C35s running today are examples of the only Grand Prix car to give the combined Silver Arrows a real run for the money. [Read more…] about Alfa Romeo 8C35 Grand Prix Cars: For the Record
Peter Darnall: Remembering Peter Giddings
I first met Peter Giddings in the paddock of a California track then known as Sears Point. My directions to Peter’s spot in the paddock were unique: “look for a Great Dane with a vintage Alfa Romeo.” That track has been renamed several times; it’s Sonoma Raceway today. The Giddings entourage, however, always featured a Great Dane and rare vintage racing machinery.
Recently, in the paddock of Thunderhill Raceway, an elegant Great Dane named Havoc was competing with an extremely rare Lancia D24 for the spectators’ attention. Peter’s enthusiastic wife Judy, always a blur of activity, alternated between attending to the Lancia and treating Havoc to his morning constitutional. Peter stood nearby patiently answering questions about the Lancia and posing for pictures.
Story by Peter Darnall
“Please don’t call this car a replica. It’s a Lagonda!”
‘Lagonda Joe’ Harding was describing his 1939 red Lagonda Le Mans sports racing machine recently. Joe earned the nickname ‘Lagonda Joe’ years ago for his involvement with both the creation and the racing of these unique Lagonda machines in England. He makes an interesting point: The word “replica” conjures up mental images of shoddy fiberglass contraptions or of clandestine attempts to convert an automotive sow’s ear into a silk purse. These Le Mans Specials are, as Joe stressed, Lagondas to the core. They were built on a production chassis and used period-correct Lagonda components—which is exactly what the Lagonda factory did when they made the original Le Mans specials in 1939.
Story by Peter Darnall
We all know that Nuvolari won the 1935 German Grand Prix. What most of us didn’t know is that Tazio did it with a two speeed gearbox! Peter Darnall explains…
The Grosser Preis von Deutschland of 1935 was more than a motor race. The Nürburgring would be the setting for the German Grand Prix, the richest and most prestigious event of 1935 on the European racing calendar. Nationalistic fervor ran high as the Nazi government subsidized Silver Arrows faced off against a mixed field; the stage was set for a German victory on their home ground. [Read more…] about Against All Odds