BECK'S BUS!

Cheers! Volkswagen celebrates Transporter milestones in style.

Throughout November and December, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is celebrating two significant anniversaries at the AutoMuseum in Wolfsburg, Germany.

It's 60 years since Heinrich Nordhoff presented the first prototype Transporter van to the press, and 30 years since the third generation Transporter was launched. Both anniversaries come at a time when Volkswagen is preparing to celebrate the launch of the latest versions of the Transporter van and today's people carrier and camping derivatives, the Caravelle and California, in the new year.

The first generation of Transporter prototype, a Dove Blue panel van, is on show, together with memorabilia from all generations of Transporter. The T1 is affectionately known as the ‘splittie' thanks to its distinctive split windscreen which was initially derived from ideas generated by the T1 Beetle.

Also on display - and a very appealing attraction - is the so-called Beck's Bus, a converted T1 with a built-in bar dispensing ice-cold beer.

From T1 right through to T3, which was launched in 1979, the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine was a hallmark of the model range. Only in 1984 was the engine changed for a water-cooled unit.

The Transporter is Volkswagen's best-selling model in the UK and worldwide. Over one million of the current model have been sold since introduction in 2003, making a total of over 10 million since production started in March 1950.

Source: Volkswagen

A RARE AND BEAUTIFUL ALFA

Thanks to Pete Vack at VeloceToday for his very favourable review of Alfa Romeo Montreal – The dream car that came true.

Here is an extract from it.

"Bruce Taylor’s second book, “Montreal - The dream car that came true”, is the perfect companion to the superb “Alfa Montreal - The essential companion” (read review). It’s full of useful and interesting information, not to mention 575 color illustrations, almost all focusing on some aspect of the Montreal. For Montreal owners or would-be owners, this becomes like the “essential companion”, essential. With a dearth of literature available on this rare and beautiful Alfa, there is surely a place on the shelf for this book.

On the surface, “The dream car that came true” appears to be a glossy ode to the Alfa Montreal. But Taylor is deeper and better than that; he knows and presents Montreals as one who not only appreciates the feminine form (and there is a great deal of that in both books, but I’m not complaining) yet can easily get down to engineering concepts (Taylor is retired from CERN in Switzerland) and the mechanical nuts and bolts."
Click here to read the full review

EDWARD TURNER BLUE PLAQUE UNVEILING VIDEO

Speeches by Tony Benn and John Rosamond.
Thanks to Falak Waheed for sending us the video clips.

E-TYPE ENTENTE CORDIALE

The E-Type that belongs to one of our number at Veloce Publishing - pictured here in Chatéaubriant, France, alongside a very rare BMW E38 7-series V12. The freshly baked baguette and handmade chocolates that then followed weren't bad either!
Thanks to www.amicalee38.org for the picture.

VIVA VELOCE!

The Earl of March has now confirmed the theme of the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed - provisionally to be held on 2-4 July 2010 - as
‘Viva Veloce! - The Passion for Speed'.

This theme celebrates Italy's all-consuming fascination with motor racing, and its global influence on the sport. From Alfa Romeo to MV Agusta, Ascari to Agostini, and Monza to the Mille Miglia, Italians have raced with breathtaking fervour, inspiring desire and devotion that transcends national identity.

Italian DNA runs through many of the sport's most memorable and passionate performances. Whether it's Fangio and Wimille dominating the immediate post-war years in Alfa Romeos, Moss and Behra battling against the odds in Maseratis, Villeneuve and Schumacher's towering achievements in Ferraris, Toivonen and Kankkunen blasting through the forests in Lancias, or Surtees and Hailwood sweeping all before them on MV Agustas, competitors from many nations have shared in Italy's glory.

Equally, many legendary Italian motor sport heroes took on their countrymen in non-Italian machinery, such as Nuvolari and Varzi in German Silver Arrows, Agostini and Rossi rising to new heights on Yamahas, Mercedes-Benz conquering the Mille Miglia, and Porsche making the Targa Florio its own. The 2010 Festival of Speed will honour the cars, motorcycles, drivers and riders that raced with unbridled Latin zeal, and the legendary feats they achieved, with a particular emphasis on the centenary of one of Italy's most celebrated marques - Alfa Romeo.

Running alongside the 2010 Festival central theme, Goodwood will also celebrate 60 years of the Formula One World Championship, with a gathering of cars and drivers that have shaped the history of motor sport's most glamorous series. The 60th anniversary of the epic Carrera Panamericana road race, and 50 years since the RAC Rally took to the forests for the first time, will both be marked in true Goodwood style too.

Also in action for 2010 will be a dazzling array of cars and motorcycles from a huge variety of disciplines, enhancing the Festival's reputation for showcasing not only the world's most famous stars, but also its lesser known gems. Tackling the famous 1.16 mile Goodwood hillclimb on two-wheels and four will be everything from early Grand Prix and endurance machines, to off-road and contemporary racers.

Complementing the overall Festival of Speed theme will be a host of other attractions at the world's greatest celebration of motoring. Aside from getting close to the action-packed hillclimb and paddocks, Festival-goers will be able to relish some of the most stylish vehicles ever designed at the Cartier ‘Style et Luxe' concours d'elegance, glimpse into the future of personal transportation at the BP Ultimate FoS-TECH technology pavilion, see many of motor sport's famous faces up close, swoon at the mouth-watering display of supercars in the world's finest moving motor show, witness the exciting sideways action on the Forest Rally Stage and become a part of the action at the off-road activity fields and Junior Festival of Speed.

Goodwood Festival of Speed founder, Lord March says: ‘It will be fabulous to have so many great cars and drivers here at Goodwood to celebrate our Italian-flavoured Viva Veloce! theme for 2010. I look forward with much anticipation to seeing some of the greatest drivers, riders and machines in action.'

The provisional date for next year's Festival of Speed is 2-4 July 2010.
Press release & image source: Goodwood Motor Sport

THE 240 FASTEST MERCEDES MEN – AND WOMEN!

Racing for Mercedes-Benz – A Dictionary of the 240 Fastest Drivers of the Marque By Hartmut Lehbrink.

From the vast number of drivers who have competed for Mercedes-Benz and its ancestors in the past 115 years, legends such as Hermann Lang, Karl Kling, Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher stand out. However, history should not forget all those other works drivers and privateers whose exploits added to the fame of the company at the wheel of formula, sports racing and touring cars; drivers whose names have often unjustly faded from view. Now those drivers have also been celebrated in a comprehensive dictionary with over 300 pictures from Veloce Publishing. Famous or obscure, the 240 fastest of these drivers are presented in this volume, which has been compiled in close co-operation with Mercedes-Benz Classic. Only one thousand copies of this beautifully illustrated 250-page hardback volume have been printed in English. It is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com and provides a unique, comprehensive record which is a veritable who's who of the four-wheeled sport.



• An encyclopaedia of Mercedes-Benz racing drivers.
• A veritable who’s who of the four-wheeled sport.
• Cars that have been subjected to the ultimate tests on road and track.
• Stars from every corner of the world make guest appearances.
• Features 300 photographs, old and new.
• A comprehensive and fascinating compendium of the men and women who have driven for one of the world’s oldest and most successful manufacturers.
Click here for more info about the book.

SIR JACKIE STEWART RELEASES FAMILY TRIBUTE SONG TO HELP MECHANICS

Three-times Formula One World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart's sons have recorded a tribute song for their father's 70th birthday. . . with a little help from Eric Clapton.


The song and its sentiments touched Sir Jackie so deeply that he felt that he should share it. The decision was taken to release the song and DVD on download, with all proceeds going to the charity which he founded some 20 years ago, The Grand Prix Mechanics' Charitable Trust. The charity exists to support former and current-day F1 mechanics in times of need.

To preview both the song and music video, please visit http://www.sirjackiestewart.com.

The song is available to download from iTunes and Amazon MP3. The DVD will also be available to download in the next couple of weeks.

For further info on the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust, please visit http://www.gpmechanicstrust.com.

The Veloce book Tales from the Toolbox – A collection of behind-the-scenes tales from Grand Prix mechanics by Michael Oliver features a foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart.

40% of all royalties of the book will also go to the Grand Prix Mechanics Charitable Trust!

Click here for more info about the book.