Wednesday 25 June 2014

SCOOTER MANIA BOOK LAUNCH & SIGNING

Steve Jackson signed copies of the new book SCOOTER MANIA! Recollections of the Isle of Man International Scooter Rally last weekend at the Tynwald Hill Inn on the Isle of Man. Two ex-competitors were present at the launch to sign copies, alongside the author.


Available now from Veloce!

A complete history of the event including competitor’s and organizer’s personal experiences, the controversies and difficulties experienced by the Rally Committee in what became a remarkable 20-year chapter in the history of Scootering Sport. Events included Endurance and Navigational trials, Hill Climbs, Scrambling, Gymkhana Competitions, Circuit and Closed Road Racing, Assembly Rallies and Sand Racing. More info.





Tuesday 24 June 2014

PORSCHE 914 PHOTOS WANTED!

Can you help?

Veloce Publishing is seeking assistance sourcing photographs for one of its forthcoming titles: Roy Smith’s Porsche – The Racing 914s.
The pictures required are any racing shots of Porsche 914s – in the paddock, practising, mid-race, or even stationary – taken between 1971 and 1980. Any kind of competitive event is suitable, from rallies to circuit races to hill climbs.
Images need to be as clear as possible and of high resolution, though due to the period in question it is appreciated that this may not always be achievable. Colour or black and white images are both acceptable.

If you or anyone you know can help with this, please contact Veloce Publishing via social media or email, and we will forward your correspondence to the author:

Email
Twitter
Facebook

All successful contributors will be personally thanked by Roy in the
finished book.


Published books by Roy Smith.


Thursday 19 June 2014

MASERATI CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION INAUGURATED IN MODENA

New exhibition retraces a century of Maserati at the spectacular Enzo Ferrari Museum (MEF).

Tipo 26

V4 Sport Zagato

250F

Tipo 60 “Birdcage”

A unique exhibition dedicated to the Centennial of Maserati was inaugurated in Modena this morning. MASERATI 100 - A Century of Pure Italian Luxury Sports Cars retraces the story of the Italian car manufacturer through an exhibition featuring some of the Trident marque’s most significant road and racing cars, plus a highly engaging show employing 19 projectors, enabling visitors to relive the most significant moments in the history of Maserati and to learn about the individuals who shaped its history. Staged in the futuristic Enzo Ferrari Museum, a stone's throw from the Maserati headquarters in Viale Ciro Menotti, the exhibition will run until January 2015. Considering the historic value of the models exhibited, this is the greatest exhibition of Maserati cars ever staged anywhere in the world.

The inauguration of the new exhibition was attended by the CEO of Maserati, Harald Wester, and the Chairman of Ferrari, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. They were joined by the cousins Carlo and Alfieri Maserati, sons, respectively, of Ettore and Ernesto Maserati, the two brothers who in 1914, together with Alfieri Maserati, founded the company that still bears their name today. The guest of honour at the inauguration was the legendary Sir Stirling Moss, the 1950s Maserati racing driver who scooped incredible victories for the Trident marque. The curator of the exhibition is Adolfo Orsi jr., grandson and son of Adolfo and Omer Orsi, owners of Maserati between 1937 and 1967. Coordinating the exhibition on the Maserati side is Luca Dal Monte, the company's director of public relations and press. The exhibition is organised under the supervision and direction of Antonio Ghini, director of MEF and of the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.

Twenty-one Maseratis will be on permanent display for the duration of the exhibition and a total of approximately 30 will be admired over the course of the six-month run. Ten or so cars will be exhibited on a rotation basis, allowing them to take part in the countless events being staged across the globe to mark the Maserati centenary in the coming months. In keeping with the exhibition venue, which is dedicated to Enzo Ferrari as it was the birthplace of the legendary Modena-born car manufacturer, visitors will also have the opportunity to see rare Ferrari models and the most important Alfa Romeo racing cars of the pre-war period which were driven by Ferrari or entered in international competitions by the racing stable that still bears his name today. This part of the exhibition is located in the large workshop, where Enzo's father worked from the end of the 19th Century until his death, which today houses the extension to the Museum's exhibition space.

At the exhibition inauguration, the CEO of Maserati Harald Wester observed that: “The Centennial of Maserati could not have come at a better moment in our history. I say this because today Maserati is a thriving company, with new models that have proven hugely popular with an ever-increasing audience and others, in the pipeline, which will propel the company towards the prestigious goals that we have set. This exhibition, which retraces our first century of history, is truly one of a kind: never before have all these models which have shaped our history been gathered together under one roof.”

The Chairman of Ferrari, Luca di Montezemolo, who played a critical role in the re-launch of Maserati 15 years ago, said: “Today has a two-fold significance for me: I can clearly recall the conditions of quasi-neglect in which Maserati was floundering in 1997 when, together with my team at Maranello, I took up the challenge of re-launching the company. We shut the production sheds for six months, renovating and re-industrialising them, we created the new executive building and the large, spectacular showroom and, above all, we began working on the design and production of new models, one of which in particular has come to embody the current success: the 2003 Quattroporte. After this success story, Ferrari is today managing this important Museum which helps demonstrate to the entire world the unique ability that Italian car manufacturers have always had to build cars that are truly the stuff of dreams.”

The choice of which cars to exhibit fell to the exhibition curator, Adolfo Orsi, who explained his selection criteria: “In the difficult choice between the countless models, both racing and road-going, that have shaped the long history of Maserati, I tried to imagine “the dream-garage” of every car enthusiast, selecting not only the best in terms of engineering and style, but also the most important and historically significant examples of each model. I was fortunate to find an amazing spirit of collaboration on the part of dedicated collectors, who very generously agreed to lend their vehicles, some of which have been flown here from the other side of the Atlantic as they are virtually impossible to find in Europe.” It is therefore safe to say that MASERATI 100 will be the most important selection of Maserati cars ever presented.

The common denominator of the cars on show is an inimitable style which is profoundly… Maserati. Lorenzo Ramaciotti, current head of the FCA Style Centre as well as Maserati, and the inspiration behind the latest Maserati projects, underlined the originality and creativity of the stylistic journey undertaken by the Trident marque, which is apparent in the models exhibited: “For exclusive cars like Maseratis, style, together with speed and power, has always been a key element of success. Maserati's use of Italian designers who enjoyed the utmost freedom means that now, through the models on display, we can read a veritable anthology of designers at the height of their creative prowess. From Pininfarina, Touring and Frua to Bertone, Ghia, Giugiaro, Vignale and Zagato, all have contributed to the aesthetic heritage of Maserati with memorable models. Today the Maserati Style Centre is proud to carry on the tradition of the finest Italian Style with great passion, well aware of the responsibility that comes with a century of glorious history."

The Maserati exhibition encapsulates the two spirits of the company: the initial “sports” vocation that characterised the period from the early 1920s until the end of the 1950s, followed by a shift in focus to road-going models, a period that testified to the company's coming-of-age as a car manufacturer.

Among the highlights of the exhibition are cars like the Tipo 26, the first car to sport the Maserati marque; and the V4 Sport Zagato, which set the world speed record in 1929 driven by Baconin Borzacchini. It was re-bodied in 1934 by Zagato and is a recent winner at the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este. The exhibition would not have been complete, of course, without the legendary Maserati 250 F - winner of the Formula 1 World Championship with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954 and in 1957, the year when the Argentine ace triumphed after a fantastic comeback in the epic German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring circuit. A phenomenal Formula One that helped build the legendary reputation Maserati enjoyed in the 1950s.

Stirling Moss, who attended the inauguration, drove this particular racing car to some of his greatest ever victories, for example in the Italian and Monaco Grand Prix races of 1956. And of course it would be unforgivable not to mention the Tipo 60 “Birdcage”, another of the cars driven by Moss. This famous two-seater sports racing car with front-mounted engine, an ingenious Italian response to ever-evolving chassis for racing cars, was produced by welding together dozens of slender metal tubes to guarantee a rigid yet lightweight chassis. Used on the track by a number of private racing teams, it brought fame and prestige to Maserati with numerous wins from 1959.

The road cars on show include one model which, although produced only in limited numbers and still in a rather artisan manner, constituted Maserati's first road car: the A6 1500 of 1947 bodied by Pinin Farina and built around a racing engine. This was a first attempt, a sort of general rehearsal, which hinted at the future of the Modena company. Taking a chronological leap forward, we find the 3500 GT of 1957: the first granturismo. This was the forerunner to other important Maserati coupé and spider models destined to earn a place in the automobile history books. And then there is the first series of the “world's fastest saloon,” the Quattroporte of 1965 once owned by Italian actor and Federico Fellini favourite Marcello Mastroianni.

Source: Maserati

Available now from Veloce! Maserati 250F In Focus
By Anthony Pritchard.
The Maserati 250F raced against Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Vanwall for Grand Prix supremacy during the 2500cc Grand Prix Formula years of ’54-’60. Period photographs, including contributions from Tom March, are presented, along with engine cutaways, drawings, technical descriptions, and the chassis and race numbers of every 250F to have competed during this period.
Stories from leading drivers who raced the 250F, including Sir Stirling Moss, Juan Fangio, and Mike Hawthorn, along with Anthony Pritchard’s lively text, helps bring the racing story of this iconic model back to life. More info.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

ADDICTED TO WINNING: MERCEDES-BENZ AT THE 2014 GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED


Mercedes-Benz is set to be leading marque at the 21st Goodwood Festival of Speed between June 26 and 29 – celebrating some of the greatest cars both on the road and track, the most skilled, passionate and dedicated drivers to have steered them to victory and a commitment to motorsport, spanning 120 years.

The Central Feature – a sculpture created by Goodwood’s artistic genius, Gerry Judah – the over-arching theme of which will be Mercedes-Benz, is guaranteed to be the most dramatic yet and will be officially launched on the evening of the Moving Motor Show, Thursday, June 26.

The on-track action will be led by Lewis Hamilton as he lights up the tyres of his MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One machine as he takes to the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill on Sunday. He’ll be joined by iconic cars spanning a century – from the Mercedes Grand Prix racing car that formed part of the trio that scored a one-two-three at the French Grand Prix in 1914 – to the beautiful and brutal W 125 and W 165 Silver Arrows.


Among the rarest of the cars to be taking on the Hill with be a 300 SLS from 1957, joined by the wide-arch eccentricity of a 500 SL rally car from 1981.

Some of the most focused and successful racing machines ever built will also be present, from the Sauber-Mercedes C 9 to the Penske-Mercedes PC 23 IndyCar from 1994 and the CLK-LM from 1998. Adding a modern twist will be an SLS AMG GT3 racer along with the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Class Coupé and roadgoing siblings in the most extreme AMG yet, the SLS AMG Black Series and the mightiest hot hatch of them all – the A 45 AMG.

On static display meanwhile will be the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept – first seen last year at the Los Angeles Motor Show and making its UK debut at Goodwood. Visitors to Goodwood will be able to drive the car virtually on the Goodwood Hill via the Sony PlayStation 3 and Gran Turismo 6.

The tech doesn’t end there – the Mercedes-Benz Exhibition will this year host a trio of Oculus Rift experiences. They will allow visitors to get closer than ever before to the feeling of going up the Goodwood Hill with special 360 degree footage being played through the virtual reality devices. Likewise, visitors will be able to lap Silverstone virtually in the current MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 W05 Hybrid or to indulge in some drifting with Lewis Hamilton in an E 63 AMG S Estate.

Driving Mercedes-Benz racers and road cars for real at Goodwood will be a line-up of legendary drivers – from Roland Asch to Anthony Davidson and Dario Franchitti, Johnny Herbert and Silver Arrows driver Hans Herrmann, Klaus Ludwig and Jochen Mass, Sir Stirling Moss, Paul and Sir Jackie Stewart, Bernd Schneider and Karl Wendlinger.

The event promises to be a fitting celebration with more surprises and announcements to come as the Festival draws nearer.


Monday 9 June 2014

REVIEW ROUND-UP

What people are saying about recently published Veloce books ...


British Custom Motorcycles by Uli Cloesen
Mason's Motoring Mayhem! by Tony Mason
Amédée Gordini by Roy Smith

Thursday 5 June 2014

THE HAPLESS BIKER IS BACK! KEVIN TURNER AUTHOR INTERVIEW VIDEO

The Hapless Biker is back! Check out this exclusive video interview with Kevin Turner, talking about his forthcoming book From Crystal Palace to Red Square – A Hapless Biker's Road to Russia (published later this month).



Kevin Turner is a freelance motorcycle journalist, and the author of the critically acclaimed Bonjour! Is this Italy – A Hapless Biker's Guide to Europe. Following the success of his first book, Turner decided to embark on another trip, this time heading into Northen Europe and Scandinavia. In typcially hapless fashion, planning and preparation were kept to a minimum, ensuring a journey of discovery, excitement, and occasional peril, in the grand tradition of foolhardy adventure. The resulting story blends Turner's eloquent and often hilarious writing with some truly inspirational locations, resulting in a unique adventure for bikers and non-bikers alike.

Coming soon!
From Crystal Palace to Red Square - A Hapless Biker's Road to Russia
By Kevin Turner.

Critically acclaimed author Kevin Turner (Bonjour! Is This Italy? A Hapless Biker's Guide to Europe) heads off on another ill-thought out adventure, aiming his heavily laden Kawasaki north towards the towering waterfalls of Norway, before heading east on a long and treacherous journey to Moscow. This fascinating adventure - part sprint, part marathon - charts the perils, pitfalls and thrills of a 6000 mile solo motorcycle journey across Europe, Scandinavia and into Asia. The author's observations and anecdotes transform this motorcycle guidebook into a laugh-a-minute page turner, which inspires and entertains in equal measure. More info.

AUTHOR PROFILE No.12: GRAHAM ROBSON

Graham Robson is a prolific motoring historian. He began his working life as a design engineer, got involved in rallying as a hobby, began writing about motorsport soon after that, and is now one of Veloce's most published authors, with no fewer than 16 titles to his name.




Born in Yorkshire to a father who was a great motorcycle enthusiast, Graham was a grammar school boy before entering Oxford, where he studied engineering. He joined Jaguar Cars in 1957, as the first of that company's Graduate Trainees. After the obligatory time in overalls, which involved everything from making prototype body parts for new models like the XK150, and wishing he could get his hands on an early E-yype, Graham moved up to the design offices, and worked on the Mk II, E-type and Mark X.

1959 RAC Rally.

1961 RAC Rally, works Rapier, plus Peter Procter and Paddy Hopkirk.

1964 Spitfire Le Mans testing, with David Hobbs and Peter Bolton.

1967 RAC Rally, with World F1 Champion Denis Hulme + Triumph 2.5PI.

This was the time when he joined the Godiva Car Club in Coventry, where he had some success as a co-driver, and was lucky enough to meet up with Norman and Lewis Garrad of the Sunbeam works rally team, which he joined in 1961. Early successes included Team Prizes on the RAC and Monte Carlo rallies
It was during this time that Graham joined Standard-Triumph,
in Coventry, as a Development Engineer, first on Vitesse, then on TR4 projects. He was soon asked to run the re-opened works motorsport department, which he did from 1962 to 1965, during which time he conceived and helped develop the careers of the Spitfire Le Mans cars, TR4s, Vitesses, Spitfires, and 2000 rally cars.

AUTOGLYM commentaries - which went on for ten years.
Own Jaguar X-Type.

I ran two Escort RS Cosworths in the mid-1990s.

In the study - a posed picture!

Home, with RS200 and wife's Escort XR3i outside, 1987.

In the meantime, Graham kept on rallying in the UK as a successful co-driver, often writing reports (for Autosport and Motoring News), which eventually led to him being invited to join Autocar magazine in its Coventry office, where he not only wrote new model analyses, but also carried out many road tests (MIRA was just up the road, near Nuneaton). It was at this time that he became fascinated by the history and heritage of the UK's famous car-makers.
Between 1965 and 1969, Graham reported on races and rallies all
around the world, including the East African Safari and the Indianapolis 500. Back then his only personal claim to fame was that he co-drove Britain's Roger Clark to victory in the Welsh International rally, but he had to stop competing in the late 1960s when he no longer seemed to have enough spare time.
Following this period, Graham was attracted back to industry,
joining the Rootes Group in Coventry (which became Chrysler UK) to run the Product Proving department. After a brief period in 1972 as Technical Director of a Carlisle-based safety belt company, he became an independent motoring writer. Since then, he has written for publications and publishers in most English-speaking countries.
In the last 40 years, Robson has lived by the pen and by the voice,
not only by writing literally thousands of features for magazines, and books for publishers in several continents, but increasingly by commentating, presenting, and organising events of all types. During this period, he rapidly became engrossed in the classic car scene, writing his first book (on the 1970 Daily Mirror World Cup Rally) as that event unfolded, as he was also acting as a travelling controller on the same event!
Over the years Graham (and some clients, it seems) discovered
that he was a fluent speaker and event organiser. He has not only completed many video commentaries, scripts, and video treatments, but has also advised radio and TV companies on their own productions, helped rescue projects abandoned by other authors, and has also carried out promotional tours for several British motor companies and their sponsors.
His first Veloce book was on the famous Ford Cortina, but many
more titles (including the renowned Rally Giants series) have followed. Although he has had to turn down many projects in the past (including the possibility of 'ghosting' more than one motorsport personality), he has published almost 160 books, with more pending. In recent years, Graham has participated as a keynote speaker and commentator for events as far flung as in North America and Australia, along with engagements at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the International Classic Motorsport Show (Race Retro), the Rally Show, the MSA Aviva Run, the Culzean Autoclassica in Scotland, the Wales Rally GB, and other major events in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Asked about his hobbies, Graham admits to a family passion for
owning British bulldogs. He loves fine wining and dining, but protests that he is still far too busy to take long holidays (they would turn into working trips, in any case). However, he also admits that he loves to travel to North America whenever possible.

Commentary at Beaulieu, in Sinclair C5. Hating it ...

Talking - Rosemary Smith and Peter Procter.

GRAHAM HULL ARTWORK COMPETITION PRIZE GOES TO A VERY GOOD HOME

Earlier this year we ran a competition to win a truly unique, signed drawing by Graham Hull. Author of the recently-published book Inside the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department 1971-2001, Graham joined Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors, Crewe, in 1971. He became chief stylist, responsible for both marques in the mid '80s, and was deeply involved in the spectacular rebirth of Bentley.

This completely original one-off A3 render of Graham Hull's 2014 personal concept artwork suggestion of how a modern, bespoke, luxury Coupé might look was won by Wolfgang, from Germany. He sent us a couple of photos of the framed artwork on his wall.


Here's what Wolfgang had to say:

"As you can see, the two drawings complement each other beautifully. The upper one is a signed print of a drawing John Samsen (who was on Virgil Exner's team) did of a 59 DeSoto. The rear was actually used for the 60 DeSoto, which would have profited also of the less bulky front Mr. Samsen gave it on the rendering. The killer whale look was a demand made by management ..."

Graham Hull's artwork ended up in the home of a real enthusiast who enjoyed his Rolls-Royce and Bentley story a lot, and I learned many things I had no idea about."
Wolfgang, Germany (Competition prize winner).

Available from Veloce!
Inside the Rolls-Royce & Bentley Styling Department 1971 to 2001
By Graham Hull.

Working for this uniquely British institution during a period of immense change described in detail.

More info.

CHARLIE LAMBERT TT TALKING INTERVIEW

Charlie Lambert has recorded a great interview with Manx.net about his new book TT Talking. Click the image below to view it!


Charlie has also been busy during the 2014 Isle of Man TT. Pictured below being interviewed by Manx Radio, BBC, and a book signing session at Lexicon Bookshop, in Douglas, Isle of Man.


Available now!
TT Talking - The TT’s most exciting era – As seen by Manx Radio TT’s lead commentator 2004-2012
By Charlie Lambert.
Foreword by John McGuninness.

The 2007 centenary of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy launched the TT into a new era of success. In TT Talking, Charlie Lambert tells the story of this sensational upturn, from his own role behind the microphone, to the pressures, controversies, laughs and sadness that go with being the man at the heart of the world’s most famous motorcycle road race. More info.