I have showed you the muddy part, so now we head over to the luxurious part of het Loo, the iconic palace were most jewels were parked. I think next time the awards ceremony should be here again instead of the stage on the muddy field. My walk around the Palace was at the end of the concours, so thats why is looks a bit abandoned with not all cars present anymore… Look at that De Tomaso, 2000GT, Regal Underslung Racer, Daytona prototype, Bentley 3 liter and Amilcar with a secret under the hood… It has… Continue reading
FERRARI
THIS YEARS BEST CONCOURS DANDIES OF HET LOO
As promised a nice overview of all the award winning cars of this years Concours d’Elegance Palace het Loo. The Best of show winner together with the 2000GT were for me deserved winners, but obviously it is always hard to choose between so many great cars. Since the 2000GT did not win an award, today I give the 2000GT the award for best designed car!
Sadly there was not price for the most dirty car of the event, because that would have been my award… Continue reading
CHEEKY TRIAL RUINED THE GARDENS OF PALACE HET LOO-2
The latest report was all about Amillion and its cheeky performance at the Concours Palace Het Loo, but of course there was much more to admire! Sadly I have not had enough time to see much, but still enough highlights to mention. The gardens of Palace Het Loo are royal, so plenty of choice for everyone, from American bad boys to the most elegant and classy dandies. I guess the most brutal beasts were the RR Merlin V12 Spitfire 27 litre Bentley special, the blue Renault Nervasport des Records (record car) and the little robot car… Sadly I have not seen the little car, which was said to have more personality than Amillion. I heard it was flying and opening its doors and interacting with people, but… Continue reading
WE TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL; UNDERGROUND FERRARI DINO FIND!
When digging in their yard (back in 1978) the boys actually discovered a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS buried just a few feet under the dirt in their yard. The family had just moved into the house and immediately called authorities who came and roped off the area. A team of investigators arrived and unearthed the rare car.
Farmers Insurance was contacted and because of the VIN number they traced the last owner. After the investigation, it turns out that the owner of the car had actually… Continue reading
SERIOUS BUSINESS AT TECHNO CLASSICA ESSEN – 4
Hello, I am your host for today, and may I present you my next tour around Essen’s treasures. When I was walking between those irresistible automobiles, I found my next holiday location, Osnabrück! This might sound not so exotic, but I found out that it actually is… This is why: a Porsche 904 GTS, Maserati Mistral, Horch 853, Jaguar D-Type, the streamlined Fiat Abarth 1000 Pininfarina Record car and many more from tropical Osnabrück.
The great thing about exhibitions, concours and most of the auctions, especially if I go there with my dad, is that I learn so much. After such an event I realize that I have discovered so many new icons of automobiles and many other exciting cars. Perhaps you forgot, but it was only one year ago when… Continue reading
SERIOUS BUSINESS AT TECHNO CLASSICA ESSEN – 3
You probably already know that Techno Classica is in scale the largest exhibition in Europe when it comes to vintage and classic cars, so there is still a lot to share with you. Last report we were at the ‘card board’ replica palace. Around it several very special cars were exhibited that have been driven in the Mille Miglia. One of the most iconic superstars was the Mercedes 300 SLR. Juan Manuel Fangio was second on the stage of the 1955 Mille Miglia with this German marvel. More sporty icons were a Ferrari 750 Monza, a highly original Lancia Beta Montecarlo Turbo, Fiat 8V Zagato, Maserati 300 S, Maserati A6GCS, a Porsche 550 Spyder, etc.
Another part of the exhibition was the upstairs hall where a lot of clubs found their spot. By the way, I have not even seen the entire exhibition in one day, sadly. While making a short walk around the clubs, I was first not so impressed, but then… Continue reading
INVITATION TO FERRARIS 250 GTE/330 FOR THE LE MANS PARTY
In total more than 20 Ferrari 250 GTEs from 8 European countries shall be present 8, 9 and 10th of July for the Third International Ferrari 250 GTE meeting, during the fabulous Le Mans Classic 2016 event. Ferrari 250 GTE and 330 America owners are invited to join us, a few more entries are still possible…
David Wheeler from the USA, Editor for the 250 GTE Register & Newsletter, is coming over to Europe for the international event and shall join… Continue reading
THE ANTI BARN FIND RANT – PART 2
This is not to say genuine discoveries cannot be made, we know of many many cars that disappeared, and periodically they reappear, for example Wayne Carini’s Stutz discovery. But look at what he did with the car, replaced a few key components, took it to Pebble Beach and kept it. (It should be noted that even that Stutz was known to people, but the owner had held off selling) Those of us who live in rural areas see many old neglected barns with potential treasures inside, but the car magazines and auction companies are not talking about this.
Going back to the Baillon Ferrari, or indeed any of the cars from that collection, those that can be restored should be. The Ferrari has many incorrect later modifications, the engine and chassis should be completely restored mechanically, replacing old fuel lines and wiring etc. At Retromobile this year a restoration shop proudly displayed a Baillon Talbot they are rebuilding. This will show us… Continue reading
BONHAM’S INVISIBLE RUNWAY – PART 2
Let’s first finish the older selection with the Edwardians. How are those vehicles doing in the current market, and how wanted were they in the Grand Palais?
The 1914 Renault 22CV Type EE Limousine with coachwork by Letourneur et Marchand did not go for €180,000 – 240,000. That same year the 1914 Adler 35/80hp Phaeton was built, and it is a sole survivor of only four made! Not rare enough as it didn’t go for the estimate of €130,000 – 160,000. Again, from the same year was the 1914 Peugeot 14hp Type 144A ‘Coloniale’ Tourer, which sold for €34,500. But it was a no go for the 1906 Ford Model N Cabriolet. An estimate of €25,000 – 35,000 seemed too much. The 1912 Clément-Bayard AC4A 10hp Tourer had been owned since 1958 until the moment in Paris, when a new owner had €26,450 in his pocket and spent it. The 1913 Renault DG Tourer was again another woody goody in the wheels and did sell for €41,400, also a new owner after a long time… The previous ownership had been since 1968. Hard to tell if they are really that high in demand, since it was a bit of a mixed bag here… Anyway, I think they didn’t do too badly and fetched very reasonable prices.
Now the real treat for me… Continue reading
BONHAMS INVISIBLE RUNWAY – PART 1
The last spectacle of the Parisian week starts with a little war… The day before the Bonhams auction in the Grand Palais the party already took off and since Mr. Brown ‘from London town’ and his wicked friends chose this auction over the RM one, I followed. However, before we arrived at the Grand Palais we ended up in a taxi war. Since the fake Uber taxis are not appreciated by the official ones, the official taxis parked their cars in the middle of the roads and left them there as a protest. Were we glad that we were fit enough to simply walk and not spend hours in a taxi!
The Grand Palais is incredible, just look at the view of the roof construction. I saw something even better then stars… Continue reading
RM SOTHEBY’S PARIS ‘BARGAINS’
The first auction that was to be held in Paris during Retromobile was the RM Sotheby’s sale at the impressive Place Vaubain. Earlier on I presented you my shopping list of a few of their more affordable stars. Let’s now take a look how they actually did. I took a good look at the lots during my preview and I will make a list of the, for me, most striking ones. But first my shopping list from an earlier article.
One of my fave lots was the 1965 Maserati Mistral 3.7 Coupé by Frua. The Mistal is one that is making a good name and so it was not a surprise that this one sold for… Continue reading
BACK FROM PARIS! – PART 2
Let’s continue the party with two Atalantes. As an Atalante myself, I am obviously always on the hunt for those masterpieces made by hero Ettore. The Bugatti stand exhibited a 57 with a strange color combination… moss-green and yellow. But the real treat was at the Lukas Hüni stand, a 57SC! I understood that this ex Dr. Williamson Atalante had long been in Japan and agreed with the color combination, it is fabulous. Lukas Hüni is known for high class automobiles and the collection which was exhibited didn’t disappoint, on the contrary. Next to the 57SC, I was really impressed by the stunning Alfa 8C 2300 Figoni cabriolet, Jaguar D Type dans son jus, the Bugatti T59, a smashing black Mercedes 26/120/180 Saoutchik, an Aston DB3S, and pretty much everything else Lukas had on display. What I also really like is to meet young people with the same interest and luckily I did.
To continue with Alfa, I have a very special one for you in store, as the price might be approaching that of a GTO. It is probably even more… Continue reading
THE GREAT ARTCURIAL MOTORCARS AUCTION CINEMA
We have all been waiting for the legendary sale of the Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti, or as my mom called it, that “little red car” of the auction. The Retro week was quite busy with three major auctions, but for sure Artcurial stole the show in a typically passionate French way. A large collection went under the hammer, and 80% sold for a total of €56 million, a European record, of which the 335 is claimed to be the world record for a motor car at auction. The 335 sold for €28 million, but with premium added, it actually yielded €32.1 million! A price unaffordable except for the few. Four automobiles were sold over a million, so enough ‘bargains’ still.
The big and black room downstairs was incredible and very very busy! The auctioneers knew how to fill the space with their voices/songs, and even if they made a mistake, I still like them. The 335 was one big spectacle. The lights were switched off and then… A movie started showing in full song the excitement of the 335. It took a while to… Continue reading
BACK FROM PARIS! – PART 1
An event to look forward to all year is the Parisian super exhibition Retromobile. Even though Retro is not as huge as Techno Classica in Essen, the variety of cars is better and, the quality is definitely as good and the atmosphere is just incredible. When entering the hall of fame, it is hard to decide where to start! There is so much to see and of course so many great people to meet.
I had some fantastic days, and will make you a list of the highlights. Four days were not enough to complete my whole to-do-list and I obviously forgot to… Continue reading
ITALIAN PASSION BRUSSELS
Italian Passion means nothing less than fierce classics. The stallions are resting and behaving well, but somehow you see how badly they want to hit the road again to roar loudly and catch every car in front of them. There was one holy bull featured and it was such an honor to meet a machine like the…
Some of you have already been waiting for this report, so here it is: the report of the Italian Passion exhibition in Auto World Brussels. This event runs from 3 December to 31 Januari and at the same time you can see the standard collection of Auto World, which has the best of Belgian marques on show. All great, but… Continue reading
SHOPPING IN PARIS AT RM SOTHEBY’S
On February 3rd it is shopping time in Paris at the RM Sotheby’s auction, the first of their 2016 European calendar. Here is a great opportunity to get yourself a fine thematic collection of 1950s and 1960s top class coupés at ‘affordable’ prices. And what is more, if you happen to be so eclectic that you want to acquire one from each major automobile manufacturing nation, i.e. Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and the USA, then here is your chance!
To begin with, there is this splendid 1965… Continue reading

POTW – ALFISTI DREAM MACHINE WITH MARIO TADINI AT THE GAISBERGRENNEN IN 1933
Today we will forget all the trouble and look at this gorgeous and breathtaking Alfa Romeo – Scuderia Ferrari. This masterpiece is accompanied by the heroic Mario Tadini. As you might have heard, CHB had some trouble with FB and due to this CHB will not be able to share stories, except on www.crankhandleblog.com and the CHB FB page until Wednesday. This is probably the work of FB and has to do with money, which sadly can destroy great initiatives. I hope that all the CHB readers will continue to support the work of team CHB : ) Please support by sharing this link as much as possible in FB groups, your own FB page, or any other great place you know: https://crankhandleblog.com/news/pic-of-the-week/potw-alfisti-dream-machine-with-mario-tadini-at-the-gaisbergrennen-in-1933/
Let’s make sure CHB is exploding all the social media…
Luckily I became good friends with the one and only Brooke Swan Car and she will go and visit to the FB headquarters to steam them all out with hot water, perhaps even… Continue reading (there is some fine Scuderia history to be found…)
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S DIVE IN A VINTAGE HYDROPLANE
“CHB wishes you a great automotive 2016 with lots of fine automobiles and most of all, to have fun with the old dusty and rusty or shiny and striking historic treasures! What was your vintage/classic highlight of 2015? Let me know in the comments below.”
First of all I want to wish you all the best for the New Year. I hope you will have a year full of rich petrol fumes, gentle patina, and exhilarating exhaust blasts! In the Netherlands we have the tradition of starting the New Year fresh with a dive in the North Sea. It is seen as start of good intentions. Since the invention of… Continue reading
THE ULTIMATE FERRARI IN EXISTENCE
In any Ferrarist’s discussion there is one question that always recurs: “which model would you chose if you were a billionnaire?”
Most of us will reply that the 250 GTO is the one, others will say that the 250 Testa Rossa or the 250 California or the legendary 330 P4 are for sure the perfect cars to match the ideal. I noticed that few (even among the real Ferrarists) will chose the 335S… Continue reading
THE ITALIAN ALCHEMISTS – WHEN GENIUS AND VISION CAN CHANGE STEEL INTO GOLD
Changing base metal into gold has always been the ultimate quest of any alchemist, but after centuries of studying and trials, no one has ever achieved this goal. So, let’s forget Nicolas Flamel and any so called philosopher, for there have only been two men who succeeded in transforming steel, aluminium and magnesium into precious metal.
Each was born in the north of Italy and I know that you have already guessed whom I’m speaking about… Continue reading
HOW MUCH CASH IN OLD SOCKS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
A number of articles ago, CHB presented a special one-off concept car for those who still have hidden socks with cash. On December 10th RM Sotheby’s held their NYC Driven by Disruption auction. Our NYC correspondent Walter Jamieson was present and noted down for you the hammer prices of his favorites, which he dealt with in a previous article about great dashboards.
The following prices are… Continue reading
THE REUNION WITH AN ICON OF A FERRARI…
In 1953 Ferrari was preparing to show new road cars at the 1954 Geneva and New York Auto Shows. One of those chosen to represent the still up-and-coming marque would be built on a 250 Europa or 375 America chassis by Turinese carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale.
Since 1950 Giovanni Michelotti had been the designer responsible for much of Vignale’s output, Ferraris mostly, but on other marque chassis as well. He had already designed more than 80 Ferraris bodied by Vignale, one of which had been called The Most Beautiful Car in the World by one of the American car magazines. His 1953 design for S/N 0313 was strikingly different from any of the others. When an almost identical one was… Continue reading
MY KIND OF OFFICE!
Whether you call it the dashboard, le tableau de bord or even The Office, as some serious petrol heads do, it can be one of the most appealing and attractive parts of any fine Vintage or Classic car. Dials and switches, some of which have functions long ago replaced by more modern technology, proliferate in impressive array. The numbers and letters are handsome; the knobs and handles often suggest that some heft might be needed to… Continue reading
COACHWORK-LEGEND PININFARINA AND THE WEIRDEST FERRARI EVER! – PART 2
Now that we know more about Pininfarina, we can take a look at a contrarian ‘trapezium styled’ futuristic creation that resulted from the relationship between Pininfarina and Ferrari… the Ferrari 512S Modulo! This is a one-off concept car designed by Pininfarina’s designer Paolo Martin. The pearl light blue creation was unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, where it was definitely a highlight as the weirdest Ferrari ever!
The looks of the car are not like any other Ferrari, so why did they come up with an experimental
one-off prototype like this… Continue reading