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THE K E Y 100
Learn from history: cars always win!
4 TOP OF THE CLASSIC CAR WORLD
If we look back at the cars we love so dearly and study the historical moments in which they were conceived and created, we soon discover that, without exception, they emerged from different kinds of crises: financial, conflict, violent clashes, petrol shortages, atomic threats and even extremism. And they, the cars, clothed in technology and magnificence, are testiments to how humanity always manages to respond to adversity in an unexpected way. They are a demonstration of the positive energy that accompanies human nature, and which can transform simple objects into timeless symbols, almost as if they are conduits of positivity and trust. The first post-war Decò cars, the reaction of the American automobile industry after the stock market crash of 1929, the creative momentum of the Italian, German and English brands after the destruction of Europe during WW2, are just some glorious examples. This issue of The Key, written at a moment when the world stopped, confirms the role that cars can play as powerful stimulants of positivity. It does so by using scientific data to demonstrate the enormous yet unexpressed potential of collecting and using classic cars, thanks in no small part to the interest and sophisticated attraction they exert over the female gender. It does so by proposing an innovative and decidedly contemporary way to enjoy collectible cars, specifically through the possibility to use them virtually, and not just in reality. Here, Pininfarina and Zagato, two great coachbuilders who are keeping the magical legend of Italian style alive, have joined forces to create two simulators for TCCT based on identical mechanics, each capable of reproducing the authentic sensations and engine noises of the most famous sports and Gran Turismo cars from late 1940s to the beginning of the 1980s. The eClassic programme looks set to become a sort of club where those who buy the simulator can find themselves on the track or on the road together with other owners for friendly meetings or, if desired, the possibility to compete in challenges on the world’s most famous circuits. Races in which the clutch, gearbox and overall control of the vehicle will be up to those behind the wheel and not, as too often is the case today, to electronics. Magnificent!
This issue of The Key also aims to celebrate the considerable energy that goes into collections and projects – both realized and never born – like those of the many Alfa Romeos that we have discovered in the 110 years of the brand’s illustrious history – presenting the motivations and secrets of Ralph Lauren, Fred Simeone, Nicola Bulgari and Michael Kadoorie and proposing, for the third year running, a ranking of the world’s 100 most important collectors. A list whose accuracy and trustworthiness continues to grow year after year. Energy and potential resonate through the rediscovery of legends, such as Steve McQueen the young race driver, the Ferrari 330 P4, the genius of Scaglione, the highly anticipated renaissance of Iso Rivolta thanks to Marella, the founder’s granddaughter, and Bertone’s secret creativity hidden away in his private archive. And then the new generations, attracted to races, rally raids and events, such as the magnificent London Brighton experience, concours and restorations. All this in the presence of the cars they love: the same Youngtimers you’ll see in the preferences of the younger generations from the 2019 edition of The Key which, thanks to the help of Quattroruote and the Director of the Ruoteclassiche and Auto Italiana magazines, we can present alongside their original car reviews. The Key 2020, a veritable reference to be preserved and consulted over the years, was compiled during difficult months for the world during the pandemic, but offers readers, on the basis of the desire for pleasure and beauty that unites us all, the positive energy and passion of the extraordinary world of collecting, as we look forward to a future that can only be better than what came before.
Antonio Ghini Chief Editor Learn from history: cars always win! 5
Authors
Lorenzo Ardizio
Is the Curator of the Alfa Romeo Museum, responsible for both the Centro Documentazione Alfa Romeo and the Centro Storico Fiat. Ardizio is an automobile historian and a professor of Car Design History and Culture at the Scuola Politecnica di Design and at the Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design. He collaborated in the completion of the National Automobile Museum of Turin. Ardizio is the Conservator of the Registro Italiano Alfa Romeo and served as the editorial director for the magazine Il Quadrifoglio. Partnering with multiple publishers, Ardizio is the author of many automotive books.
Massimo Delbò
This car lover started working for a car magazine in 1997, and has never stopped since. He considers Isotta Fraschini the most important, and forgotten, brand in automotive history and has driven its very first and last cars built. He is the Italian contributor for UK Octane magazine, a freelance classic car writer, a communication consultant for Lamborghini Polo Storico, and an experienced Concours judge. He has contributed to The Key Magazine since issue 1. In his garage is a small collection of classics, always with the tanks filled up because, for Massimo, cars are meant to be driven.
Dale Drinnon
Dale Drinnon’s automotive passion was inspired from age 12 by reading Ken Purdy and Denis Jenkinson, so it’s no surprise he followed their example into motoring journalism. Relocating to Britain from his native USA some 20 years ago, his work is award-winning in both countries, and has appeared in Octane, Magneto, Automobile (USA), Ettore, and other publications worldwide.
Shinichi Ekko
Shinichi Ekko is a PR Consultant and Chairman of EKKO PROJECT. He is a car historian with an extensive network of contacts in Modena and Turin, Italy. While working in the entertainment business around the world as a producer of a record company, he was also involved in the automotive industry. He was the founder and chairman of Maserati Club of Japan in 1993. Currently he runs the EKKO PROJECT as a business consultant and is also working as a journalist. Born in Tokyo Japan. www.ekko.jp.
David Giudici
David Giudici started collaborating with authoritative motoring magazines in the early 90s (AM., AutoCapital, Ruoteclassiche, Gente Motori). His first contract as a trainee was at Motorbox.com in 2000, followed by a long period in Aci Mondadori and in 2012 at the direction of GenteMotori, with the new GenteMotori Classic project. Two years later, he was called to the board Editoriale Domus as Director of Ruoteclassiche and, subsequently, of the Italian edition of TopGear. He is now also Director of Youngtimer and AutoItaliana.
Massimo Grandi
Massimo Grandi has been an architect, professor of Transportation Design and director of the Car Design Laboratory at the Design Campus of the University of Florence until 2019. Among his published works are: Car Design, the shape of memory - Car design workshop - Dreaming american car - Ferrari 550 Alaspessa, from idea to project - When the wind drew them - The Scaglione paradigm - The fastest, brief history of world road speed records (with others).
Duccio Lopresto
Born into a car family, he developed a taste for beauty and design thanks to his father Corrado, architect and renowned collector of Italian one-off and prototypes. His experience lies in Marketing and Business Strategy, having worked for Lamborghini, RM Sotheby’s and Hagerty, before joining TCCT, where he currently sits on the Management Committee and is part of the Editorial Board of The Key. His experience as a judge started in Pebble Beach 2019 as a young apprentice, and he has since judged at Salon Privé, Audrain and other international events.
Mike Robinson
Mike Robinson’s 41-year career as an American car designer in Italy includes 22 years as Design Director, at Lancia, Fiat, Bertone, and ED Design. The hundreds of car design projects include many concept cars as well as many production cars. Some of Robinson’s highlights are the 1995 Fiat Bravo production car, the 2001 Lancia Thesis and the 2003 Lancia Ypsilon. In 2003, Robinson was inducted into the Car Designer Hall of Fame at the Italian National Auto Museum (MAUTO). At home he is a painter, sculptor, journalist, and author.
Bernard Vermeylen
Born in 1953 in Brussels, Bernard Vermeylen became fascinated by motoring history very early in his life, and was collecting car brochures since the ‘60s. He has owned Panhard’s and Tatra’s since the ‘70s, and has, since 1995, written several books, half on the French make, or others like Renault and Nissan. He also writes articles for French magazines like Gazoline, L’Aventure Automobile and Citroscopie. His enthusiastic interest for cars from eastern Europe led him to write on this subject as well.
Gary Watkins
Gary Watkins fell in love with motorsport as a car-mad nine-year old, when James Hunt and Niki Lauda were making newspaper headlines – on both the front and back pages – during the barmy summer of 1976. He went straight into journalism on completing a degree in politics. That turned out to be the ideal qualification for the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscar racing, which has been his area of specialism for 30 years.
6 TOP OF THE CLASSIC CAR WORLD
Contents
Editorial
Collector’s
Past & Future
Ranking and Subranking
4
Learn from history: cars always win!
8
Our passion during a crisis
13
Ralph Lauren A questionof style
23
Fred Simeone: Protagonists. Just them.
32
Bulgari and his jewels
43
The reality of virtual
61
Sir Michael Kadoorie: the responsibility of excellence
68
Art is timeless. Art is eternal.
76
Marella Rivolta: Iso, from dream to reality
88
Top 100 Collectors 2020
113 Steve.Him.
Myth and Myts
Young Collectors
120
Sliding doors. The history of the Alfas that never were.
132
Scaglione, the Palladio ofthe car world
140
Monna Lisa
151
The more things change
159
Young, different pasions, same enthusiasm
165
J-Duck, the soul of the missing Jota.
170 Cockpit
Cockpit
Events
Cars
179
She knows what she wants
201
Intelligence and Vision
206
The new frontier
216
A promoter of culture and creator of value
223
Behind the Curtain
234
Within the dreams of “Generation Z”
245
Here are the rules of a perfect restoration
252
Bertone’s secrets
CONTENTS 7
Our passion during a crisis
Same vision, new reality. Fritz Kaiser looks ahead.
8 TOP OF THE CLASSIC CAR WORLD
T
he Corona pandemic has not prevented us from promoting the wonderful cars of the last century. On the contrary. It has encouraged all of us to use the time to go the extra mile.
Our editor-in-chief Antonio Ghini, Duccio Lopresto and their team have once again created a unique, must-have yearbook for every classic car enthusiast, with valuable analysis and great feature stories. An issue even richer in content than any of the previous ones! Our 2020 ranking of the top 100 collectors globally has continued to evolve and improve thanks to our ever-growing database and our market intelligence. Many collectors have supported us by providing data about their collections. Their dedication and involvement are much appreciated and are helping improve the accuracy of this overview of the collectors’ world. For the annual TCCT – The Classic Car Trust – collector ranking we have applied a scoring system that takes into account the estimated market value of the collections, the historical importance of the vehicles, the reputation of the collections and the awards they have won, and the contribution made by the collectors to the world of collecting. The current ranking reflects some Corona-related effects and recent market adjustments. The No 1 among international collectors in 2020 is Evert Louwman. With his impressive Louwman Museum in the Hague, which features cars from his extraordinary and historically significant collection. His mission is to preserve the heritage that deserves to be conserved. Congratulations Evert. In addition, you will find a wealth of interesting features in this issue, including unique stories about Ralph Lauren, Nicola Bulgari, Fred Simeone, Sir Michael Kadoorie and Marella Rivolta. You can see unpublished photos by Steve McQueen and hear about his passion for cars; read the story of the many Alfa Romeos that
were never actually built; have a peek into Bertone’s secret archive; and even take a look behind the Iron Curtain at the cars of the USSR. A special mention should also go to the results of our own international market research about women in the classic car world, and we hope that our “market cockpit” continues to offer interesting insights for all key stakeholders.
A year for the history books 2020 is proving to be an annus horribilis for many. The speed and severity of the worldwide shutdown would have been simply unthinkable a few short months ago. Hotels, restaurants and shops were closed by decree. Businesses had to quickly organize home offices. Aircrafts remained on the ground for weeks and you can no longer simply travel at will. The Olympic Games are postponed, football matches and Formula 1 races are taking place without spectators. People wear masks now as a matter of routine, and they still live in fear of this invisible enemy. A screenplay for Hollywood. 2020 is a year in which boundaries were moved in ways that will substantially change our lives, our thinking, our social habits and the global and local economy going forward. We are learning the painful lesson that pandemics are another fundamental driver of rapid change in our world. But, what does all this mean for the classic car market?
Classic cars are emotional assets in a new reality Countries around the world have made previously unimaginable trillions available to cushion the effects of the Corona crisis. However, we will soon see more bankruptcies, unemployment and a shift from old to new business models. In times like these there is a demand among wealthy people for tangible assets and collectibles, innovation and sustainable business models.
As collectors’ items, important classic cars can be considered emotional assets, assets for which their owners have a passion. Comparable to works of art. However, the classic car market has been facing various challenges for some time now. The world’s great collectors and officials are themselves reaching a certain vintage, and are looking for successors as caretakers for these important historic automobiles. Car manufacturers are feeling the impact of the economic crisis and are having to reinvent themselves. And then there is the green movement, which is demanding fewer cars in general. There is a flipside to everything, of course, and challenges always also represent opportunities. There are undoubtedly solid arguments for newcomers to look into this exciting billion dollar classic car market. First of all, these gems from yesteryear are simply very enjoyable to drive or even race. And besides their value as pieces of history, these cars convey prestige. They are well-liked status symbols that have always been and continue to be popular with people young and old. No wonder, then, that we are seeing more and more younger celebrities from the music, film and business scene, as well as people who made their fortune on the internet joining the classic car community. They welcome the fact that unique collectors’ items are now coming onto the market and that they can sometimes benefit from “bargain” sales of interesting, affordable and cool cars. Today’s prices are more in line with the natural market, as fewer speculators are currently investing in this segment. I recommend newcomers to the collector’s market to get professional support, because important cars can quickly earn a million dollar price tag and, for such investments, the basics such as history authenticity and quality must be expertly proven and documented.
Our passion during a crisis 9
10 TOP OF THE CLASSIC CAR WORLD
Never let a good crisis go to waste In the spirit of this famous quote by Winston Churchill, we have used this “special” year to innovate and take classic cars into the world of eSports. We have commissioned unique high-tech classic car simulators tailored by two of the greatest car design superstars ever – Pininfarina and Zagato. With this initiative we are introducing a new dimension to the passion for classic cars and aim to help build a bridge to the next generation.
TCCT eClassic: Classic cars go eSports We all love these precious gems from the past. The fascinating body designs, the bespoke interiors, the technology and the smell of leather and gasoline. Driving them is a real pleasure and, to me the sound of their engines is just like music. But all too often we can’t enjoy these automotive icons because they are kept idle in their garages. So TCCT is launching eClassic, which allows us to drive and race classic cars whenever and wherever we want – securely, at no cost to the environment and with virtually all the excitement of the real thing.
Today our own eClassic machines sit proudly among my collection of iconic sports cars. And when I don’t have the opportunity to enjoy the real thing, I now have the perfect alternative method of experiencing the most important cars of yesteryear – on a Sunday morning drive in the countryside or on a mountain road, practising with friends on important tracks or racing in club events. I am also convinced that eDriving is a valuable training tool that will help make racing with old cars in real life safer.
For the future of classic cars in a fast moving world Cars were for the last century what data is for this one. These masterpieces of engineering facilitated human progress and economic development.Today, however, classic cars, like many other things, have to face new realities and disruptive developments. They are threatened by mobility mega-trends, the race to a sustainable way of living, by generational shifts and new lifestyles. TCCT is committed to preserving the value, the cultural heritage and the enjoyment of classic cars in a fast moving world.
To achieve this we have converted state-ofthe-art high-end simulator technology – as used by racing drivers for training purposes – into a unique classic car driver experience. And Pininfarina and Zagato have joined us to design new masterpieces that ensure an exciting look and feel.
Real driving and simulated driving.
The eClassic Racing Club is an exclusive community of collectors, aficionados and racers: an interesting network of like-minded people who connect both in the real world and digitally in order to enjoy together the passion of classic cars in a new way.
Fritz Kaiser, TCCT Founder November 2020
With eClassic, the pleasure never stops.
Our passion during a crisis 11
Monna Lisa
*
Leonardo’s masterpiece cannot be ranked in terms of beauty. It is absolute. The Ferrari 330 P4 has the same effect. There are no possible comparisons. The three built for the 1967 World Championship are once again a reality: together with #0856, which has remained exactly as it was when it crossed the finish line in Daytona, #0860 and #0858, transformed into open Can-Am by Ferrari that same year, have now returned to their original splendour. The latter car, which earned the decisive points that conquered the World Title, driven by Chris Amon and Jackie Stewart, has found its original bodywork. The Key offers a rare glimpse of the timeless style of this mechanical masterpiece. by Gary Watkins
* that’s not a mistake, Leonardo Da Vinci used this name. 140 MYTH AND MYTS
Monna Lisa 141
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She knows what she wants. Let’s open our eyes: women want cars. They want to be behind the wheel, to be part of the action, to enjoy the pleasure of a classic car, with the right outfit and the right spirit: a spirit that takes pleasure from having fun, without fury and rivalry. If we want to look to the future of car collecting, we should look at women. As companions, of course, but above all behind the wheel, proud and happy to show their talent. The Key’s dossiers. Women, the car and classic cars The protagonists with three examples of today’s participants, divided between Concours d’Elegance, authentic race challenges and pure fun.
The co-protagonists by interviewing a sample of women who attend events in the company of companions and friends, discovering their interest and ambitions.
Women, cars and classics through scientific research, on a statistically representative sample of American and European driving licence holders, who told us how important the car is to the female universe and, more surprisingly, just how attracted women are to collectible cars.
She knows what she wants. -179-