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The Online Magazine for Italian and French Classic Car Enthusiasts

Graham Gauld

Graham Gauld: Jean Guichet

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Photo by Graham Gauld

Story by Graham Gauld

The facts are there in plain sight. The French, who were responsible for developing all automobile racing from the very beginning, have never truly been credited for their successes in the past thirty years.

Perhaps this is because the youthful motor sporting enthusiast these days is totally wedded to Formula 1, and since 1950 only four French drivers have become World Drivers’ Champions – all of them named Alain Prost!

If, however, you turn to sports cars the picture is different with French drivers being in the winning car at Le Mans 27 times since 1950. I admit this comparison may appear ludicrous bearing in mind that at Le Mans you can have up to three drivers to one winning car, but the point is the French have tended to be more successful in sports cars than in Formula 1. This story is about one of them, Jean Guichet, who will be 98 years of age in August this year.

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Graham Gauld Chronicles Henri Julien

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Henri Julien in the garage behind his house in Gonfaron contemplates a rebuild of one of his first racing cars, the AGS Racer 500 ( Photo Gauld)

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

The village of Gonfaron in the Var section of Provence in the South of France is famous for two things: its Village des Tortues and the late owner of Automobiles Gonfaronnaises, Henri Julien. They are strange bedfellows because the Village des Tortues is a form of hospice and centre concerned with the care and breeding of tortoises.

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When Allen Met Graham

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Carroll Shelby in John Edgar’s Ferrari 410S leads Dan Gurney in Frank Arciero’s Ferrari 375 Plus at Palm Springs on April 13, 1958. One of the many photos I shared with the Ferrari Archivist.

Story and Photos by Allen R. Kuhn
From the VeloceToday archives, March, 2022

I would like to start this series of short stories – they are not Galleries as before – by telling a true story about Graham Gauld, and how he saved our skin when we were in Italy/France in 2006 for our seven-week tour of the Continent. The story really began in Maranello, so bear with me….

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Eugenio Castellotti by Graham Gauld

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Story and photos by Graham Gauld

From the VeloceToday archives, 2019. Lead image: A close-up of Castellotti at Dundrod in 1955, concentrating hard while accelerating away from the hairpin in the Ferrari 850 Monza.

There are times when we can all be rather pretentious. I fell into that trap thirty years ago when I had the idea of writing a subjective book on the psychology of the racing driver. I have always had an interest in the variety of people who come into motor sport and what makes them tick. I had read a lot about psychology in general, then dropped the idea when I realized what a fool I might have made of myself. However, if Central Casting in Hollywood were ever asked for a “racing driver type” back in the 1950s, they would have to have chosen Eugenio Castellotti.

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Gauld Meets the Nardi-Monaco Chichibio

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Enrico Nardi at the wheel of the Nardi-Monaco at the Parma hill climb in 1937. Note the tires! ( Photo Veloce Today archives)

By Graham Gauld

Not many racing cars are named after dogs, but in 1932 Augusto Monaco designed what was a remarkably forward-thinking racing car with Enrico Nardi.

It was called the Chichibio which just happened to be the name of Monaco’s dachshund!

I say forward-thinking because the racing car not only had an air-cooled engine, but also front wheel drive and was a true featherweight.

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And How! VeloceToday’s Most Valuable Assets

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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

Graham Gauld: Grand Prix Itala

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George Daniels at the wheel of his monstrous 12 liter Itala Grand Prix car at Douglas in the Isle of Man.(Photo Grand Prix Library/Gauld)

Story by Graham Gauld

As many regular readers know, I have a particular passion for Italian racing cars, even the very old ones, and when I recently was given a copy of a superb history of the Itala marque I immediately delved into it.

The fact that the book, published by AISA (Associazione Italiana Per La Storia Dell’Automobile) was in Italian called for a lot of hard work but I had a specific car in mind: the 1908 grand prix car.

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Gauld Visits the Malaga Museum

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The Museo del Automovil y La Moda in Malaga, southern Spain.

Story by Graham Gauld
Photos by Graham Gauld unless otherwise noted

For me a visit to any motor museum not only exposes to you cars and models you have heard about but never seen in the metal, so to speak, but demonstrates the sheer variety of marques the world has produced in the 130 year history of the automobile.

Recently I took a short trip to Malaga in the south of Spain.

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Classic Memories: Gauld at Silverstone

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Peter Fenichel with his interesting Stanguellini.

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

As regular readers know, I always look forward to the Silverstone Classic in late August, but for me this year was a rush as I had to get back fast before going on a brief visit to Malaga in Spain (coming up), so only now can I sit back and reflect on an event which always churns up interesting cars and people.

Take Peter Fenichel, for example, who was racing a Stanguellini Formula Junior that interested me, as anything to do with Stanguellini does since I have known the family for over sixty years. Peter is an American retired financial man with a passion for racing and a cheerful demeanor.

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Alec Issigonis and the Lightweight Special

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54 year old Alec Issigonis brought out his old cloth helmet and demonstrated the Lightweight in a historic display at the 1960 British Grand Prix at Silverstone ( Photo Gauld)

Story and photos by Graham Gauld and Jonathan Sharp

‘Wunderkind’ Adrian Newey and his first production hypercar, the Aston Martin-RB001, are making headlines. But Newey is following in the footsteps of another great designer, Gordon Murray, who set the modern pattern, so to speak, with the original McLaren road car.

But long before them was another wunderkind. Before he became famous as the designer of the ubiquitous BMC Minis, their equally ground breaking designer Alec Issigonis built his own advanced race car, the Lightweight Special.

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Gauld on Klemantaski

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Louis Klemantaski with Peter Collins in the 335S Ferrari on the 1957 Mille Miglia, two Leicas round his neck. Gauld photo

Story by Graham Gauld

Those of you who regularly visit VeloceToday will have noticed that motor sport photography has been my interest throughout my life as a motoring journalist.

It has been an adjunct that has helped boost the income from articles and books I have written and though it has been a great passion I have always appreciated and admired certain photographers who have become outstanding in the field of motor racing.

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Gauld, Fiat Fish and an Abarth Goccia

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The Vignale “Goccia”. Gauld took this photo in 1957, only to find the same car at a motor show in 1999, plus the Fish and the Pinin. Read on!

From the VeloceToday Archives, March, 2017

Story and photos by Graham Gauld

As most of you probably know there was a motor show in Geneva last week, where all the attention appeared to be on supercars with weird and wonderful aerodynamics; it all looked terribly serious. Editor Pete asked me if I was going to attend the show, but had to admit that it has been about twenty years since I attended the big salons of Geneva and Paris..

I knew that Pete will have plenty of photos of the Geneva event from other correspondents so wasn’t too worried. However, Pete’s comments reminded me of an interesting show I attended in 1999. It was organized by the well-known Italian collector Franco Lombardi in his home town of Genoa and I knew I had to be there. I was not disappointed! So to get you into the Motor Show mood let me tell you about three of the cars there.

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