For collectors, most of the time, it’s all about the object; whether artwork, models, posters, photographs, etc., our eyes are drawn to a well-rendered car, a beautiful hood ornament, or shining porcelain sign. But sometimes, it’s the story behind the object that assumes primary importance.

Suzy Dietrich was a pioneering female racing driver from Sandusky, Ohio, who gained notoriety in the early 1950s through late 1960s, piloting Porsches, Elvas, MGs and a Formula Junior Cooper in regional and national SCCA-sanctioned events, such as Cumberland, Elkhart Lake, Watkins Glen and even Daytona and Nassau Speed Week. She competed primarily in the ladies’ division, but occasionally went head to head with the men. 

She began her racing career in 1953 in a supercharged MG TC, due largely to the influence of her husband Chuck Dietrich, a successful Porsche and Ferrari driver with whom she owned a car dealership. When she wasn’t involved with cars, she worked in a school library, prompting lifelong friend and fellow racer Denise McCluggage to describe her as, “An enormously cute librarian”!

​It took another two years of honing her skills behind the wheel before she scored her first victory, still in the MG, at Cumberland, Maryland, besting rival Margaret Wyllie in a Jaguar C-Type! At the time, Cumberland was an important venue in American sports car racing, driven by the likes of Briggs Cunningham, Carroll Shelby, Jack McAfee, Walt Hansgen, Roger Penske, and Bob Tulius.

By 1956, Suzy was something of a fixture at the race circuits east of the Mississippi, and it was at this time she had her first experience in a Porsche 550; years later, upon reflection, she stated the 550 was her favorite racing car. She competed regularly during the following decade, including an epic drive in the 1966 Daytona 24 Hours. She travelled extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, often in support of her husband’s racing efforts. By 1967, Suzy’s involvement in racing began to diminish, largely due to a separation and eventual divorce from Chuck. She continued on as a librarian, but also returned to the scene in 1970 as a team owner, fielding a Formula Continental Brabham BT21. 

​Sadly, Suzy Dietrich passed away in 2015 at age 88; her personal collection of mementos and racing memorabilia being offered at auction in 2011 to assist with living expenses.

​The Leston timing board is certainly an interesting bit of memorabilia, but its intimate association with Suzy Dietrich makes it quite special. In her words, “I may not win, but I’m hard to beat. Don’t ever forget it!” You go girl!   

​John Lutsch

Today, the term "souvenir" often conjures images of cheap, plastic, almost throwaway mementos from a particular event or experience. It wasn’t always so. In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, incredibly beautiful objects were created to commemorate the American and European elite’s travels to classical historical sites, most often referred to as “The Grand Tour.” Items were constructed of bronze, stone, semi-precious stones, and mosaics to connect their owners with memorable travel experiences.

A parallel exists in the world of automobilia collecting; special items directly related to significant races. In this article, we will just touch on one particular event; the legendary Mille Miglia. A grueling race that took place from 1927-1957, traversing a one-thousand-mile route from Brescia in Northern Italy, down to Rome, and back up to Brescia, passing through some of the most beautiful (and dangerous) roads on the peninsula. Over the three decades of its existence, the Mille Miglia hosted most of the world’s greatest automobile marques, and doubtless its greatest drivers.

A wide variety of remembrances were offered to race attendees (averaging five million per year) as illustrated in our first group image(below). The Aston Martin cigarette or trinket box is from 1951, constructed of a Bakelite-like material, and is hinged on the left side. It measures approximately 5”x3”. The glass paper weight to its left is quite lovely, heavy and thick (around one inch), featuring the race logo and date reverse painted on the back. Its diameter is approximately 4½”.

Below it is a black and white marble plaque measuring 9”x6”, with deeply incised red paint-filled lettering, spelling out the race logo, and the manufacturers Porsche, Maserati, and Ferrari. The glass-lidded trinket box to its right has sadly fared rather poorly over time. While intact, the metal-framed lid suffered a series of cracks induced by the swelling and shrinking of its wooden underlayment. It is a shame, but the piece still has historical interest. It measures 5”x4”. The racing gas filler cap is a more modern desk piece from the reconstruction of the race, now known as the “Mille Miglia Storica.”  The lid opens, and is quite authentic, equipped with a spring loaded anti-leak inner gasket and a “filler tube” that can accommodate pencils, business cards, etc. While not from the original race period, the desk piece is unusual and highly collectible

Our previous article, “Part And Parcel”covered only a tiny portion of the vast array of collectible reproductions of automobile components; a situation we’ll try to redress by examining several outstanding scale model engines, starting with a group produced by GMP in 1:6 scale several years ago. 
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Offered were 12-cylinder motors from Ferrari; a 250 Testa Rossa, a 250 SWB, a 250 GTO (pictured), and a flat-12 312 PB (pictured). Also produced were three different 4-cylinder inline Offenhausers; a “clean” version (pictured), a “dirty” race-used version, and a turbocharged Indy engine. A group of three Ford V8 Flatheads followed, along with a Keith Black Chrysler drag racing engine.

For those of us who are automobile history and racing fans, and like to collect along those lines, often the very high outlay (think thousands of dollars) for a significant piece of memorabilia is well beyond consideration for most of us.
Thankfully, a few manufacturers and custom builders have addressed this problem by constructing scale model representations of the real items, creating works that stand on their own as highly collectible.

Sean McKenna, noted builder of gorgeous (and expensive) 1:8 scale Bugatti models, has given the enthusiast the opportunity to own one of his smaller creations at very reasonable cost. He has produced a series of 1:8 scale wheels, some of which grace his large models, from significant racing cars that include Bugatti, Ferrari, Cobra, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Alfa Romeo. They are all comprised of cast and polished aluminum, machined bronze, silver, and period-correct tires. We have concentrated on just three examples; wheels from the Bugatti Type 35, Type 59, and a Borrani from the Ferrari 250 GTO. The workmanship is exquisite, especially with the Type 59, as true to its nickname, the ‘piano wire’ wheel, is a thing of beauty. 
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Within modern technology, one of the newest forms of security and identification is facial recognition software. From smartphones to tablets to criminal investigations, the fact that all our faces are unique provides an instant method for positive I.D.

In the world of automobiles, ‘facial recognition’ has been with us from the outset. Beginning as entirely utilitarian devices, car’s radiators and grilles evolved into objects of great beauty, carefully styled to provide instant notice as to the identity of manufacture. The grilles and radiator shapes became so iconic and identifiable that who could fail to recognize a pre-war Bugatti, Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Maserati grand prix car, or Mercedes-Benz speeding toward them? Even today, a glance in our rear-view mirror confirms immediately that an approaching, black, twin-nostril grille belongs to a BMW; instant recognition.

In 1945, in a disused stable in Worthing, England, Ken Rudd, a rather successful racing driver who eventually had stints at LeMans, opened a tuning shop catering to owners of Austin Healeys, Volvos, Alfa Romeos, and AC cars. The shop prospered until Ken Rudd’s passing in 2010; the firm still exists, providing tuning and restoration on vintage racers, and will soon release a factory replica of an AC Ace competition car available to enthusiasts.

Sometime in the 1960’s, Ruddspeed became involved in the manufacture and distribution of a series of beautiful radiator-inspired liquor decanters, which were sold by high quality British retailers such as Harrod’s of London, and others. The particulars as of this writing remain rather murky; an American equivalent scenario would have been if Carroll Shelby had  produced a set of fine automobile-inspired tableware, distributed through Neiman Marcus!