Historic motorsport, classic car features Retro-Speed classic car magazine

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ALFA ROMEO CELEBRATED BY PETER COLLINS : Dorothy

Alfa Romeo at 110 by Peter Collins Dorothy endorses Souvenir Special Souvenir Special No: 2 – Alfa Romeo at 110 has just been published by Auto Tradition. Written by Team-Retro-Speed member Peter Collins, this is a 36-page booklet tracing the history of Alfa Romeo, from its origins to the present day. Peter is a long-standing Alfa enthusiast, who currently owns an early Giuli...

RED-LINE MONTE CARLO - Omnibus 5 : Peter Baker

Red-Line Monte Carlo Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 5, 28 June 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Since 1925, the Monaco Motor Show had grown to become the single, most glamorous social event on the European calendar. Now an institution, for one week every August, the rich and famous visited the Principality on their private yachts ex...

RED-LINE MONTE CARLO - Omnibus 4 : Peter Baker

Red-Line Monte Carlo Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 4, 21 June 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Shawstone Park Castle, nestling quietly within 12,000 acres of rolling Surrey countryside midway between Guildford and Dorking, could boast a family history dating back to Henry V. Indeed, it was the 1st Earl Shawstone who received from t...

PRANCING HORSE AND STAG ANTLERS - Purely Personal : Ken Davies

A passion for the prancing horse.… and stag antlers By Ken Davies. Images from John Gaisford, Steve Jones and Ken Davies archive. In modern parlance this paradigm is referred to as ‘brand awareness’ but whatever the vernacular, motoring enthusiasts the world over instantly recognise the iconic Porsche emblem. It’s a fact that, although Porsche was founded in ...

RED-LINE MONTE CARLO - Omnibus 3 : Peter Baker

Red-Line Monte Carlo Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 3, 14 June 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Freebie Freeman and Jim Hayward together made a formidable negotiating duo and within three months the Weybridge Garage contract had been duly signed, and everyone in the race team moved to the new headquarters. The financial package agr...

BARRIE 'WHIZZO' WILLIAMS INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

A life spent in motor sport Interview by Ken Davies. Images courtesy of Barrie Williams archive, Retro-Speed and Ken Davies From an interview with ‘Whizzo’ in June 2015 Barrie Williams was born in rural Herefordshire in November 1938, the only child of doting parents Frank and Kaye. His father was involved in the early days of karting which gave Barrie a great start in motor s...

RED-LINE MONTE CARLO - Omnibus 2 : Peter Baker

Red-Line Monte Carlo Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 2, 7 June 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page Pete Blake was a very successful advertising executive, but he had his faults. Working too hard being top of the list. He laughed away his borderline, workaholic lifestyle, claiming inspiration was a drug, and creativity, somethi...

TYPE 1 TIMEPIECE FROM MHD : Advertising Feature

Advertising Feature New MHD Type 1 timepiece coming soon Attending the 110 years of Bugatti celebrations at Prescott Speed Hill Climb during the spring of 2019, watch designer Matthew Humphries found a few minutes to sketch down some ideas. Vintage cars of the twenties expose their engineering, including the Bugatti Type 35, which has inspired the creation of MHD’s next watch. From the s...

RED-LINE MONTE CARLO - Omnibus 1 : Peter Baker

Red-Line Monte Carlo Serial copyright Peter Baker Omnibus Edition 1, 31 May 2020 – Follow the daily episodes on Peter Baker’s Facebook page During WW2 Pete Blake made a bundle of money out of American TV and radio advertising, selling everything from baked beans, to automobiles and soup. ‘Live longer, have more fun. Mabel’s Beans for everyone’. That earn...

BAKER'S STREET : Peter Baker

Conquering the Classique By Peter Baker Driving my old Daimler on the 2020 Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique reminded me of days gone by, when rallying was not just a series of time trials supported by service crews and modern technology, but an adventure, a journey into the relatively unknown undertaken by crews wearing flying jackets and sporting moustaches who, above all else prayed for reli...

NICK FAURE INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

Artist, author, photographer and international racing driver who became the acknowledged Porsche 911 meister Interview by Ken Davies. Images courtesy of Nick Faure archive From an interview with Nick Faure in 2017 Nick Faure’s name became synonymous with the Porsche marque from an early stage in his distinguished career, racing 911s including the formidable 750bhp 935 K3 Turbo, deve...

JOHN DAVENPORT INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

International rally-winning co-driver and versatile motor sport impresario Interview by Ken Davies. Images by Ken Davies and courtesy of John Davenport archiveFrom an interview with John Davenport first published in April 2017 Once famously called ‘high speed office managers’ by Stuart Turner, and he should know as he was one of the best, co-drivers tend to possess the one th...

ORIGINS : Peter Baker

Origins of the Italian species Words and images by Peter Baker Italy does everything differently, they are driven by passion, which is a great idea until it comes to paying the bills. Anyway, below is a brief round-up of the survivors to date. The origins of Alfa Romeo are almost lost in the mist of time, but it was certainly the French businessman Alexandre Darracq that laid the foundatio...

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS : Peter Baker

Driving Impressions - The smell of success By Peter Baker I've lost count of how many different cars I have owned or driven, but it runs into the hundreds, everything from Morris Minor to single-seat racer. Strange thing is, I can remember them all. And because each manufacturer at the time used a different glue, sometimes just a whiff is enough to activate the brain cells. For example, th...

BROOKLANDS' 2.6 CHALLENGE : Dorothy

Brooklands Museum took on the 2.6 Challenge Dorothy endorses Brooklands Museum On Sunday 26 April 2020, a small team of Brooklands Museum staff joined fundraisers across the country to take on the 2.6 Challenge, launched to help UK charities. Over seven hours, the team assembled 26 different types of transport, covering 100 years of history, together in one place on the Museum’s site....

MARCUS PYE INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

Competitor, journalist, author and motorsport historian Interview by Ken Davies. Images courtesy Marcus Pye archive and Ken Davies. Taken from an interview with Marcus Pye for Castle Combe Talk June 2015 A lifelong fan of motor sport, Marcus Pye is Autosport magazine’s longest-serving weekly writer and its respected and authoritative voice of club and historic motorsport for 38 of t...

SIXTY YEARS AGO - APRIL 1960 : Peter Baker

Sixty years ago Words and Image by Peter Baker First published in Retro-Speed ten years ago STIRLING MOSS was a household name during the sixties so when he separated from his wife, Katie, and then just days later was stopped for dangerous driving in the Mersey Tunnel the press had a field day. Moss was banned for twelve months (not because of his divorce but for crossing a double...

BEN EDWARDS INTERVIEW :Ken Daives

What do the Railton Special, Alex Zanardi and yoga have in common? Read our interview with F1 Commentator Ben Edwards to find out. Interview by Ken Davies. Images courtesy of the Ben Edwards archive. From an interview first published in Castle Combe Talk, March 2017 The closest us mere mortals usually get to the rarefied world of international Formula One is a television screen, making t...

STIRLING MOSS - A STORY IN PICTURES : Roman Klemm

Thank you Sir Stirling....! Words and pictures by Roman Klemm Sadly, I am not one of those who could have watched Stirling Moss racing in Formula 1, Mille Miglia or Le Mans in earnest, I was born four years after he was forced to stop his professional career. But he made it possible even for us of the ‘younger’ generation to witness him behind the steering wheel. S...

NICK ADAMS INTERVIEW : Ken Davies

What have Exmoor, Sodastream, Le Mans and Kilimanjaro in common? Read our interview with 1989 FIA World C2 Sportscar Champion Nick Adams to discover. Interview by Ken Davies. Images courtesy of Nick Adams archive and Ken Davies Interview first published in Castle Combe Talk, June 2017 with Goodwood Revival images subsequently added.FIA World Champions are a rare breed that occupy an exc...



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