May 2018

In Praise of Dan

Dear Editor,

All the buff books ran tributes to the great Dan Gurney but your column (VR, March, 2018) was the most insightful. Really caught his warm personality.

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April 2018

Kanzler and the Ti22

Dear Editor,

Regarding the Ti22 (VR Jan. 2018), Ernie Kanzler’s mother is/was a daughter of Henry Ford, and his father was successful in his own right, and might even have been the sponsor of the car with his titanium company, (Ti22 being the designation of titanium in the periodic table and its atomic weight).

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March 2018

Of Sliding Skirts and Avantis

Dear Editor,

When the design of the Studebaker Avanti was done by the Raymond Loewy office, the studio was located in Palm Springs, California. One of—if not the—designer on the job was Tom Kellogg, a classmate of mine at the Art Center School. The reason I bring this up is that, Mr. Sherwood Egbert need not have worried about headroom in the Avanti, since Kellogg is about half a foot over six feet if not more.

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February 2018

Remembering Bob

Dear Editor,

Many thanks for bringing up the heartbreaking story on photographer Bob Tronolone in your December editorial.

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January 2018

Of Nomads and IBECS

Despite having been a Director of Ian Bracey’s IBEC Racing Developments company back in the 1970s and 1980s, I had never seen the photo of the IBEC Group 6 car that accompanied the recent interview you conducted with Bob Curl.

Mr. Curl’s reminiscences of Mark Konig’s Nomad project bring back memories of many cars inspired by individuals who believed that they could do at least as well, if not better in their “own” cars as they could in a car bought from an established manufacturer. Of course, we should not forget that these established manufacturers grew out of a belief by the likes of Derek Bennett, Eric Broadley, Colin Chapman and Arthur Mallock that at the outset, they too could do better than Cooper or Ferrari.

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December 2017

It’s Mac…With an “A”

Dear Editor,

I am in receipt of your issue of October 2017 and am truly enjoying it. The article “Route to 66-Ford’s Quest for Le Mans” is great and I do look forward to seeing the next installment of it.

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November 2017

Into the Shadows

Dear Editor,

I knew Don [Nichols] by way of vintage racing and purchased ’77/8 Formula One car DN8-2A from him, as it ran last in 1978 with Hans Stuck driving. I always enjoyed his stories and his insights into racing and his knowledge of some of the great drivers. Among them Pryce, Patrese, Jones, Oliver, Jarier, Revson, Stuck and surely one of the most underrated of all, George Follmer. Pryce, Patrese, Stuck and Revson drove my car, for example. His shop in Marina, California restored the car I bought in 90 days flat, to the highest standard, and it was easily the most reliable and best racecar I ever had over the 15 years I raced it! Don was a cagey man not given to talking all that much unless you got to know him well and kept his confidence. And so I was able to do all kinds of dealings with him trading pieces and parts and always having fun doing it! Peace Don it has been fun!

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October 2017

Age of Aquarius

Dear Editor

I can’t figure out those folks at Rick Dore Kustoms. They have built some of the most beautiful custom cars around, centerpieces at any car show at which they appear, and yet someone (presumably an employee) has either a warped sense of humor or knows nothing about classic, 1930s French coachbuilt cars. First there was the Black Pearl (AKA “inspired by the 1948 Jaguar”). Where they got that God only knows. My personal theory is that some car magazine hack wandered into Dore’s shop, spied the gorgeous black fastback coupe and asked the first person he saw, “What is that?”  Unfortunately, the first person he asked was leaning on a broom and (sensing his 15 seconds of recognition as a subject matter expert) replied, “Oh, that’s one of them, uh….1948 Jagwires.” And thus the myth was born. But worse was to come, courtesy of the August issue of your fine magazine. On page 43 (Keels & Wheels, Seabrooke, TX, May 6-7, 2017) you make reference to “1) Chairman’s Choice award went to the 1934 Packard Coach Built of Rick Dore.” Well, at least you got the builder’s name right. The car in question is known (on the show car circuit) as Aquarius and it (like the Black Pearl) is clearly inspired by a late ’30s, coachbuilt Delahaye.  Nothing wrong with that. Dore picked a classic brand of automobiles with a known history of being dressed by some of France’s foremost coachbuilders. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, he could not have done better, right down to crowning both of his creations with a dead on replica of the Delahaye grille. So why call them something they aren’t, thus depriving them of an association with a great heritage, which they only enhance? Copyright infringement? Fear of a pre-emptive strike by the French military?  Yeah, right. Time to give Dore’s creations (and their obvious inspiration) their due.

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September 2017

Departing Drivers

Dear Mr. Ganley:

Your article “Departing Drivers,” in the current issue of Vintage Racecar is quite good, although Sir Jackie Stewart won 27 Grands Prix, not 33. Moreover, Juan Manuel Fangio did not “depart” in 1952. He had every intention of defending his World Championship but, as you pointed out, the injury at Monza prevented him from doing so.

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August 2017

Datsun vs. Ferrari

Dear Editor,

Read with some amusement your comment on the similarities between the Daytona and the 240Z. Couldn’t help thinking about Rhod Gainer a character from the New Zealand comedy, Small Poppies. He spent five years turning his 240Z into a 275 GTB/4.

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July 2017

Les is More

Dear Editor,

Just a note on how much I liked the piece on the two-liter Abarth (Hidden Treasure, April 2017). The ten-year restoration. As I read into it I realized Les Burd was involved in it. He bought my Siata Gran Sport #0229 years ago. Your tale of bringing this great car back to life shows the determination necessary for a truly important reconstruction. Thanks for writing it.

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June 2017

What Ifs…

Dear Editor,

Just finished reading your column about “What ifs”….and when it came to you mentioning Jerry Titus.

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May 2017

Marvelous Mathis

Dear Editor,

Just wanted to tell you that Roadcar|Racecar has become one of my favorite modes of automotive entertainment. The March issue, with the Mathis VL333 on the cover, was really exceptional, as I have a special place in my design heart for small, aerodynamic production cars that never made it. Mathis was so far ahead of the curve in ’46 that ordinary mortals couldn’t understand what he was doing. It’s a shame because he and designer Jean Andreau had everything almost “right” and the VL333 could have been as famous and successful as the 2CV or VW had he had the right political connections. Kudos to Mike Hemsley for digging out a great story (or at least part of one)…someone in France probably knows the rest of the inside story and perhaps the exposure in Roadcar will cause someone to see it and fill in the blanks.

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April 2017

Hidden DKWs

Dear Editor,

I always enjoy Mark Brinker’s “Hidden Treasures” in VR. I wanted to add to your list of cars using the DKW engine. Jim Hall, Hap Sharp, Ronnie Hissom and others ran Elva/DKW Formula Juniors in 1960. I was Jim’s mechanic on his.

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March 2017

The Dammit Tool

Dear Editor,

I found a September 2007 issue of Vintage Racecar in a hidden area of my office and stopped sorting the debris to browse the issue, and lo and behold I came across your article “Tools of the Trade” on page 6. What a great read. My tool box and work bench contain the majority of the tools you reference. The last tool you mention, the “dammit tool,” has an additional feature. When you throw the dammit tool it will travel across your garage, hit and damage a part that has just been painfully restored, or will break the part that has NO replacement.

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February 2017

Scooter Passes

Dear Editor,

It was a sad surprise to hear of Scooter passing.

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January 2017

Renault Alpines at Sebring

Dear Editor,

You might find an interesting story for your readers in the factory Alpine effort that raced in the 12 Hours of of Sebring in 1964. My parents were part of the team that managed the Alpine effort and, as an 18-year-old kid, I had the opportunity to go with my father down to the docks in NYC and pick up the two racecars and bring them back to our house in Chappaqua, New York, prior to their going to Sebring. They were loaded into a stripped-out converted house trailer for transport to Sebring. My parents hauled the trailer to Sebring with the help of Bill Baldwin from Larchmont, New York. I believe that Bill may have been the crew chief/coordinator for the team. He was quite a figure in the NY Region of the SCCA, where my father was a Regional Executive. The trip to Sebring was not without its drama, as crosswinds and rains made for an interesting drive south hauling a gutted house trailer containing two prototype Alpine racers behind a pickup truck prior to the Interstates.

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December 2016

Jomar Legacy

Dear Editor,

My name is Alex Saidel and my father built the Jomar racecars that jump-started the TVR car company from 1955 to 1959. Over the past 25 years, I have been finding and restoring Jomar alloy-bodied racecars, as well as the fiberglass-bodied roadcars. There are still three alloy body cars that I can not find, but have traced to various owners and then to dead owners. There is talk of TVR making a comeback, and I thought your readers may be interested in knowing about these cars, their important role in the making of TVR and possibly bring their whereabouts to light. Thanks very much.

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November 2016

Long Shadows

Dear Mr. Annis,

Really enjoyed your article on Machiavelli’s Shadow in Vintage Racecar [June 2016]!

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October 2016

Remembering Amon

Dear Editor,

As a regular visitor to that wonderful time machine of a country, New Zealand, the name of Chris Amon had become familiar to me, but I wanted to know Amon the man.

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September 2016

XKSS Recreation

Dear Editor,

As the former owner of the real Steve McQueen XKSS for over 15 years before vending it to Robert Petersen, I think it is a weak attempt to capitalize on the past glory of the company to produce any “replica, new confutation, tribute or other such convenient adjective” of such a important part of Jaguar history and becomes sacrilege along with being simply market pimping. They will never be original as the production tooling was destroyed in the Browns Lane fire in the original days.

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Battle of Beltoise

Dear Editor,

Thanks to Mike Jiggle for his response on my letter (June 2016 issue).

The post Mail Box – August 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Of Bastards & Wenches

Dear Editor,

Well done. Loved your responses to the letters regarding the “Glorious Illegitimate Child” and the “Wench Included”!

The post Mail Box – July 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Beltoise

Dear Editor,

Interesting reading in your April issue about the P201 and Jean-Piere Beltoise’s involvement with BRM. I am, however, vastly surprised at reading comments attributed by the author to Tim Parnell and Tony Southgate about JPB’s “handicap.” Did Parnell and Southgate live in caves, or were they misquoted? I have to believe the second option and must question the author’s own lack of research in this matter.

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Glorious Illegitimate Child

Dear Editor

I feel I must write to you and express my strong disapproval of the title on the front of Vintage Racecar, March 2016. I feel the title “Glorious Bastard” is not the sort of language one would expect from a magazine of your quality. I feel it lets down all the hard work you and the team have done over the years to establish the magazine in Europe. It was especially insulting to those wives, partners, girlfriends and children attending the family show at Race Retro. I hope you will make my feelings known to whoever is responsible for such a vile heading.

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Der Safety Wagen

Dear Editor

Just a note to say I enjoyed the article on the Herbert Linge Safety Wagon. It’s a good solution for the big courses they have in Europe, especially the Nürburgring. John Fitch and I worked with Professor Sid Watkins, or at least tried to. He didn’t seem too enthused about ideas originating in America.

The post Mail Box – April 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Aston’s Spectre

Dear Editor,

What a ripper read your leading article was in the December edition of Vintage Roadcar!

The post Mail Box – March 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

James Bond and the Receivers

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on maintaining a great magazine. It never fails to please.

The post Mail Box – February 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Harsh Truth

Dear Editor,

It is a given that retired race drivers have a propensity for telling fish stories. The late Dick Guldstrand was not immune from this, as his tribute interview in the latest issue (November 2015) demonstrates. In it he makes the statement: “Did really well in the Trans-Am; won a number of Trans-Am races because Camaros weren’t running at the time.”

The post Mail Box – January 2016 appeared first on Sports Car Digest.

Dear Editor,

Your story about the recreated 1953 Austin-Healey 100S Record Car was interesting. The caption notes how “sleek and slippery” the 100’s lines are. The image of the 1954 “Streamliner” also demonstrates the beauty of the design of this Austin-Healey.

The story might have included credit for the timeless body design of the Healey Hundred, later renamed the Austin-Healey 100, and the ’54 Streamliner. That credit goes to Gerry Coker, who joined the Donald Healey Motor Company in 1950 as Healey’s body engineer. In 1957, Gerry and his wife Marion, left England for America. Now retired, yet still active at Austin-Healey events, the Cokers reside in Florida.

Sincerely,

Baird Foster

Austin-Healey Club of America

Dear Baird,

Many thanks for your email.

My story, “Record Recreation,” is about the extraordinary set of circumstances that took the man, Donald Healey, from an obscure fishing village in a remote part of England to the Midlands, several hundred miles away and at that time the epicenter of the motor industry. How through injury his fascination with aeroplanes transferred to automobiles. It explores the frustrations the war years had upon Donald’s ultimate dream but, due to war, fortuitously meeting Ben Bowden and A. C. “Sammy” Sampietro. Finally, the dream is realized with the formation of the Healey works. It also explores the fine line of success and failure, and how they ultimately won through with the Austin-Healey. The second part of the story is of a Healey enthusiast, Martin Corfield, and his exacting recreation of a record car that ultimately won records in its own right.  

I do take your point about Gerry Coker, incidentally born just a handful of miles from where I live. Indeed, Gerry has deservedly earned many accolades for his work, principally for Austin-Healey. You are correct, I should have made mention of him in my piece for which I can only apologize.

All best,

Mike Jiggle, European Editor

Dear Mr. Jiggle,

Thanks for your response.

I never knew DMH but have researched him and his contributions to the motor car and rally worlds. He was an amazing person as you are well aware.

Gerry Coker, at 93 years of age, is still active at Austin-Healey events here in the colonies. I believe that his body design/styling of the original Healey Hundred had much to do with the success of this sports car which, as you noted, led to Austin’s agreement with DMH for the manufacture and ultimate sales volume of the Austin-Healey marque. It is also this beauty that keeps this marque so popular today.

The recreation car’s records are a tribute to all those who contributed to the concept and design—mechanical and body—of the original Healey Hundred. Well done to them, and to you for chronicling their efforts.

Sincerely,

Baird Foster

Scarabs

Dear Editor,

As a follow-up to the squib on page 11 of the October issue regarding the auction of the Orosco Scarabs, this is what happened.

The F1 car, the first chassis, was sold to the LeMay Collection. This is a real car and it is nice to see it remain in the U.S.

The second F1 car sold is a replica, a fact recognized by the auction house. It went for a fraction of the price paid for the original. Despite claims having been made (not by Bonhams) that it was a real car, it was in fact a replica. It was sold to a buyer in the UK, who apparently intends to run it in events where total legitimacy is not a requirement.

The front-engine sports racer sold at auction also is a replica. It was sold to a fellow in Germany. Orosco did at one time have an original front-engine sports racer, the first, left-hand-drive example, but he sold that a good many years ago to Rob Walton. At that time, he had a replica made and that is the car that was just sold.

Regards,

Tom Schultz

High Praise

Dear Editor,

You weave a fine thread through the other journals reporting on the same game. However, the weaving in the latest issue was particularly fine. An exceptional issue.

Best Regards,

Bill Hollingsworth

Vintage Racers Group (VRG)

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