MEMBERS’ CORNER

Brush cars were manufactured in America, by Alanson P Brush, from 1907 to 1912. They were small, lightly made, runabout cars, but incorporated many novel ideas, including: a single cylinder counter rotating internal combustion engine, beautifully made 2 speed transmission, suspension by four coil springs and friction dampers, self-energising rear brakes in both forward and reverse direction, variable ratio steering, wooden chassis rails and hickory wooden axles. They were strong, very successful, reliable and easy to drive cars. The first car to cross Australia from west to east (Perth to Sydney) in March 1912 was a Brush carrying two men [...]

On a sunny Sunday morning in March, the 4th annual Historic Vehicles Event took place, coinciding with the 70th Anniversary of the Macau Grand Prix. To mark the occasion, 70 cars and 70 motorcycles participated in the event. While there was only one motorcycle that was over 28 years old—an Ultra Classic manufactured in 1995—many of the cars were over 30 years old, and all the owners put in considerable effort to support the event. The event started at 9:00 am, with all the vehicles assembling at the Pit Lane area below the Macau Grand Prix Control Tower. Traffic Police [...]

Our member, Mille Miglia Museum in Brescia in collaboration with Lopresto, set up an exhibition last summer dedicated to the restoration and conservation of automotive heritage, illustrating through four unique cars different situations in which a historic car can be found. The exhibition started with a discovery, the Fiat 1500 Cabriolet of 1939, whose rusty bodywork shows the signs of time with a very special charm, passing to the Lancia Augusta Coupé of 1935, a completely original car, preserved with exceptional care. The exhibition continued with one of the most important cars of the Lopresto Collection, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta [...]

There are very few things that can make my family and me drag ourselves out of bed on a Sunday morning. However, 29th January 2023 was one of the early morning starts we were all really excited about, our 3 year old included for whom it was also the first ever vintage car rally! Talking of firsts, there were more than just one – my father could join us for this event and it was his first ever time experiencing a vintage car rally. My father and my daughter’s attendance in turn made it three generations in attendance – again [...]

We are extremely grateful to Prof. Lorenzo Morello, Chairman of the Culture Commission of ASI, our Italian ANF, for sharing with us the precious booklet he wrote, “1886-1906 From the horseless carriage to the automobile”. The material presented here was originally the basis of a programme of lectures given at a number of Italian universities between 2015 and 2017 and covers the twenty years from 1886 to 1906 which was particularly a significant period in the emergence of the car. It was during those years that the horse-drawn carriage was transformed, through the replacement of the horse by a crudely-built [...]

16 November 1900 – 5 January 1994 Elisabeth Junek (née Pospíšilová), the most successful and famous lady racing driver of the Twenties, was born on 16 November 1900 in Olomouc, in what is now the Czech Republic. In 1920, she and her brother Stanislav spent time in France, where Elisabeth drove a car for the first time. In 1922, she returned to Prague and in June that year married Čeněk Junek. Elisabeth was keen to share his hobby of motorsport, so she took a driving test and from 1922 until August 1924 accompanied her husband in his racing efforts. They [...]

Hong Kong The “Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride” (DGR) took place around the World on Sunday 23rd May 2021, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of this Charitable Event. The idea behind this gathering is to promote men’s mental and physical health. The Hong Kong group gathered at 9.30am on the south side of Hong Kong island beside ‘Ocean Park’. A one-hour ride had been pre-planned taking the 80 Riders, with classic and modern motorcycles, past Deep Water Bay over the mountain into Tai Hang, through Causeway Bay, and along the waterfront to Central District, then up the Peak, and back to Wong [...]

A history of the Spanish branch of VW History of vehicles that changed the flow of development and culture in a country! FIVA Culture Commission and FIVA Youth group present the story of Seat Click here to read the full article:Seat-70-aniversario-vicente-sevillano Text and pictures by: Vicente Sevillano Guerrero, member of THE FIVA YOUTH WORKING GROUP and SEAT

Life and adventures of ‘Paddy’ Naismith, actress, race and rally driver, pilot, air hostess… Eirane Redmond ‘Paddy’ Naismith was born in London in 1908, the daughter of a traveling car tyre salesman and a renowned clairvoyant (or “psychological expert”). In her teens, she began stage acting and later joined a touring company performing musical comedies. In July 1928 she took part in the Junior Car Club’s Bournemouth Concours D’Elegance with her own Ballot, but without notable success. Undeterred, in September she entered the Southampton International Motor Rally, and this time she won a Special Award with the D Hall [...]