CLASSICS TODAY: May 2010

Monday

ENGLAND ON JUNE 2ND

HISTORICS AT BROOKLANDS - +44 (0)800 988 3838

I am still not fond of oval racing, but the Indy 500 is always exciting. Franchitti led at different times, but still was out there for 155 laps out of 200 for a record. At the Indy they say that only the winner counts but in second was Dan Weldon and third ended up going to Marco Andreitti. I say "ended up" because it was decided by the race stewarts. The real thrill of the show was Tony Kanaan. Starting in last place, number 33, he had the crowd on their feet as he worked his way up the field. Picking them off, one by one. All the way to second place and looking like he was going to tackle 1st for the win. It wasn't meant to be, short of fuel he had to go in for a splash. Then there was a major accident that prevented him from changing positions and he ended up in 11th. It was a great run.

By far the luckist man was Mike Conway who had this terrible accident near the end of the race. I thought he was a goner, but he apparently only suffered a broken leg....a very lucky man.

FORMULA ONE IN TURKEY

TOP PHOTO: BUTTON, 2ND AND HAMILTON, 1ST

NEXT PHOTO: WEBBER, 3RD

Mark Webber, well on his way to a third win in a row, got sidetracked by his teammate. Or should I say sideswiped. Somewhere around lap 40 they were running one and two with the McLarens of Hamilton and Button in close persuit. Vettel decided that his car was faster and tried to take over Webber, who was having none of it. Bang! Vettel out of the race and Webber dropped to third as the McLarens shot past. Then the McLarens diced it out to see which one of them was the fastest. In fear of them ending up the same way as Vettel and Webber the powers that be must have asked them to settle down. Up until that point the race was "ho, hummmm."

Tuesday

CANADA ON THE 29TH

1968 CAMERO

1989 CORVETTE

OKOTOKS COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION

by Okotoks Car Auction

Okotoks Recreation Center

99 Okotoks Drive

Calgary, Alberta

Canada

http://www.okotokscarauction.com/

1-403-938-4139

1929 MODEL 'A' CUSTOM

1957 AC ACE

Wednesday

WISCONSIN ON THE 22ND

BOB LINDER ESTATE
by Wilkinson Auction
405 Airport Road
Boscobel, Wisconsin

http://www.lonepinemodelt.com/

1-608-739-4404

GEORGIA ON THE 22ND

1962 JAGUAR

1953 CHEVY

COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION

by Red Top Auctions

444 Joe Frank Harris Parkway

Cartersville, Georgia

http://www.redtopaa.com/

1-770-382-1010

1955 CHEVY

1937 PACKARD

photo credit: ABC/Atlanta, LLC and Red Top Auto Auction

MICHIGAN ON THE 22ND

THE JAMES TUTTLE COLLECTION
by van der Brink Auctions
1667 Speer Drive
Ludington, Michigan

http://www.vanderbrinkauctions.com/ / http://www.probid.com/

1-507-673-2517

MINNESOTA ON THE 22ND

1980 MG B

1962 CORVETTE

TWIN CITIES AUTO AUCTION

by MidAmerica Auctions

Minnesota State Fairgrounds

1265 North Snelling Avenue

St. Paul, Minnesota

http://www.midamericaauctions.com/

1-651-633-9655

1988 CADILLAC ALLANTE

1969 DODGE SUPER BEE SIX PACK

ENGLAND ON THE 22ND

1988 VANTAGE VOLANTE

1950 DB2

ASTON MARTIN

by Bonhams

Aston Motor Works Service

Newport Pagnell, United Kingdom

http://www.bonhams.com/

+44 (0) 20 7468 5801

1954 DB2

1964 DB5

ENGLAND ON THE 22ND

1950 ALLARD K2

1936 MG TA

SPRING MOTORING CLASSIC

by Coys

Ascot Racecourse

Berkshire, United Kingdom

http://www.coys.co.uk/

+44 208 614 7888

1938 LANCIA APRILIA

1936 LAGONDA

photo credit: coys and its consignors

Tuesday

SIXTY YEARS OF FORMULA ONE

The world's premier television sport had a major birthday this week. On May 13, 1950, the first ever Formula One World Championship race was held at the UK’s Silverstone motor racing circuit with Alfa Romeo storming to an historic 1-2-3 podium lockout. Italian Giuseppe Farina, nephew of the founder of the influential automotive stylist Pininfarina, dominated proceedings in his 300 bhp Alfa Romeo 158 ('15' for 1,500cc and '8' for 8 cylinders), with the three Alfas two laps clear of the 21-strong field. F1's influence has grown over the last 60 years to the point where more than 600 million people watch each race - that is, one in every eleven human beings watches each F1 race.

Alfa Romeo's global sporting reputation was well established prior to Formula One. It won the first “world championship” in 1928, and throughout the 1920s and 30s it scored prestigious wins in races such as Targa Florio, Mille Miglia and Le Mans. It was during this period that the term “supercar” was first used by a British journalist, and it was used in reference to an Alfa. Many advances in aerodynamics, styling and automotive body construction were pioneered by the Italian brand that wears the winners laurel in its logo thanks to that 1928 world title.

Having made their motor racing debut in 1937, the 158s spent the war years dismantled and hidden in various inconspicuous places including, legend has it, an Italian cheese factory.

The birth of Formula One gave the already 13 year-old cars an opportunity to shine and Alfa Romeo completely dominated the first season of competition with the pre-war design.

The Formula One World Championships were still largely European-based, with the “token” overseas event being the Indianapolis 500, which Alfa did not contest due to its minuscule post-war budget. It won every race it contested though, with three wins apiece to Farina and Fangio.

The following year, the 158's derivative, the 159, again won the title and the likes of Farina, Fangio, Parnell and Fagioli became household names across Europe, as did the brand of the car which won ten of the first 13 European Grands Prix. While the Italian marque's performance motoring heritage extended a half century before Formula One, there is little doubt that the first years of Formula One established the foundation for the legions of Alfisti which remain strong to this day. Even the Top Gear crew insist that you cannot legitimately lay claim to being a "petrolhead" unless you have owned an Alfa.

At the end of the 1951 season Alfa withdrew from F1 competition. It had won 10 of 13 European-based F1 Grands Prix using six engine blocks manufactured prior to WW2 and with limited resources dwindling, and the rise of Ferrari and Maserati imminent, it had achieved its goals.

Alfa Romeo's Centenary Year is 2010, and a range of events are planned. Alfisti in particular have good reason to visit this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 2-4), where Alfa will be the featured marque and a 159 will be among a host of historic Alfas taking part in the event.

As the inaugural F1 motor racing champion, Farina's career is well worth a read. He was very lucky that the identical machine of Juan Manuel Fangio proved to be so fragile in 1950, as Fangio won every race he finished and went on to be widely regarded as the best ever. Farina regularly employed “roughhouse” driving tactics that would not be tolerated today, and was without doubt one of the hardest men ever to front an F1 starter. His background of privilege had unfortunately given him an arrogance to match his fearlessness, endearing him to few. It is an enormous pity that he were not driving today, as he would no doubt enliven the sport manifold.

“El Maestro” Fangio once said of Farina, "because of the crazy way Farina drove, only the Holy Virgin was capable of keeping him on the track, and we all thought one day she would get tired of helping him." Farina survived his motor racing career, but died on public roads in 1966.

This article is however, about the sixtieth anniversary of a sport which has become more alluring than any other in history. If the television viewing audiences are to be believed, and the expenditure of billions of advertising dollars globally are based on these figures, then roughly one in eleven human beings on Planet Earth watches each F1 race on average – a truly astonishing fact.

Formula 1 continues to be the most alluring and fascinating of public soap operas – we're not sure if that's due to the massive entourage of press which follow the circus around the globe and focus the microscope on every aspect, or the character of the people which the brightest spotlights attract. Regardless of why, it is undoubtedly the greatest entertainment man has yet synthesized.

Sunday

INDIANA ON THE 19TH

1948 PACKARD

1935 FORD

1939 FORD

1958 FARMALL

INDY SPRING CLASSIC

by Mecum
Indiana State Fairgrounds
1262 E. 38th Street
Indianapolis, Indiana

http://www.mecum.com/

1-815-568-8888

1949 CADILLAC

1932 CHEVY

1958 FORD POWERMASTER

1940 FORD

FORMULA ONE IN MONACO

VETTEL (2ND), WEBBER (1ST) AND KUBICA (3RD)

So, Mark Webber does it again. Two race wins in seven days. His teammate, Vettel, came in second place. Robert Kubica, driving for Sauber, came into third and happy to be there.

This race puts Webber and Vettel tied for first place in the points rating. Two wins for Webber and one for Vettel.

THE MOST POINTS AND THE MOST POINTS

Monday

INDIANA ON THE 13TH

1957 MGA

CORVETTE

AUBURN SPRING MOTORFAIR

by Kruse International and Auburn Auctions

Auction Park

Auburn, Indiana

http://www.kruse.com/

1-888-968-4444

COBRA REPLICA

1956 OLDSMOBILE

FORMULA ONE IN SPAIN

MARK WEBBER

Kind of a quiet race with Mark Webber leading from start to finish. He is my odds on favorite for many reasons....not afraid to speak out against his home country for their police actions, visited the burn victims from the Australia fires without fan-fare, attitude in over-coming poor racing luck over the years.

Fernando Alonzo, racing in his home country, came in second to the happiness of the Spaniards who acted like he won the whole show. Well, why not. It was a fluke that put him there. Lewis Hamiliton, who had been running a solid second, had a tire give out causing him to hit the wall just two laps from the end.

That problem with Hamiliton also moved Sebastian Vettel (Webber's teammate) up to third place in a car that had been limping without brakes for many laps. On to Monaco!

ALONZO (2ND), WEBBER (1ST) AND VETTEL (3RD)

Thursday

EXPENSIVE "BUGATTI" STORY TWO

Bugatti Veyron

Authorities around the world have long puzzled how to effectively deter those who would endanger innocent lives by driving recklessly on public roads. Car confiscation laws are now in place in many jurisdictions within America, Canada, Australia, Holland, Israel, South Africa and Poland, and in Iran you can have your car confiscated if it is carrying a pet or an inadequately covered female or playing loud music – indeed, in Iran, you can even be imprisoned and flogged for driving offenses. Maybe that would be preferable for some, compared to what happened to this guy.

While those of us fortunate enough to live in civilized countries may consider such punishments overly harsh, at least they punish the perpetrator. Many punishments in countries we consider civilized are now targeting the owner of the car rather than the perpetrator.

Some jurisdictions give the cars back after impounding them for a period of time, though in Holland, the car can be confiscated permanently and that's just what happened a few weeks back when a 20-year old who had borrowed his dad's car, was booked for doing double the speed limit – 160 kmh in an 80 kmh zone.

That was just far enough over the limit to permanently lose the vehicle he was driving, and win him the world record for the most expensive speeding ticket in history, even if it was effectively being paid by his father – he was driving pop's Bugatti Veyron worth EUR1.8 million!

As far as we can determine, the car is gone for good, and dad is no doubt having a few stern words with junior, despite dad's long term association with motorsport.

The owner of the Veyron, with whom we thoroughly sympathize, is none other than technology entrepreneur Michel Perridon, the founder and CEO of Trust International, manufacturers of some of Europe's best selling computer peripherals.

Michel is a long time sponsor of motorsport and only last year Trust International was sponsoring the Red Bull Formula One team. That's F1 ace Mark Webber, Red Bull F1 Team Leader Christian Horner and wunderkind Sebastien Vettel holding a Trust International Red Bull computer mouse in the photo.

Truly, we do feel sorry for Michel – he wasn't even driving the car, yet if there's an upside, and we think there might be, it's that we think he can legitimately claim the record for himself - after all, he paid the fine. Whatsmore, he isn't going to lose the record soon. If we adjust the world's-most-expensive-speeding-ticket going forward to take inflation into account, it's gonna be a loooong time before he relinquishes the title.

Michel Perridon - can't be smiling now

upper photo credit: nykotynethefuture.wordpress.com

lower photo credit: www.quotenet.nl

EXPENSIVE "BUGATTI" STORY ONE

1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic

A 1930s Bugatti has sold for about $30 million to become the world’s most expensive car -- with dealers predicting more records as billionaires look for alternatives to risky financial investments.

The Type 57SC Atlantic was bought in a private transaction for nearly as much as its asking price, dealers with knowledge of the matter said. The coupe had been owned by the New Hampshire-based neurologist Peter D. Williamson, a former president of the American Bugatti Club, who died in 2008.

The Williamson family’s sale was brokered by the Santa Monica-based classic auto specialists, Gooding & Company. Katie Hellweg, the company’s spokeswoman, said in an interview that she wouldn’t comment on the price or the buyer.

The 123-mph car was bought by the California-based collector Peter W. Mullin, who specializes in French coach- built classic cars, said Max Girardo, a London-based specialist with RM Auctions, who on May 1 held a 33.2 million-euro ($42.8 million) car sale in Monaco.

Mullin is the founder of Mullin TBG, which provides executive benefit packages. Calls to his company press office weren’t immediately returned. Mullin paid 260,500 euros at a Paris auction by Bonhams in January for a wrecked 1920s Bugatti Brescia Type-22 roadster that had been salvaged from a Swiss lake.

The Williamson Bugatti 57SC Atlantic was designed by Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, and debuted at the 1935 Paris Motor Show. The futuristic design, made out of welded aluminum with a distinctive central seam, attracted three orders, only two of which survive in their original condition.

One is owned by the fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The other was acquired by Williamson at a Sotheby’s auction in Los Angeles in June 1971 for a then-record price of $59,000.

edited text: Scott Reyburn

photo credit: bloomberg.com