Tag Archives: Berlinetta

Ferrari Friday – Classic Motor Show NEC Birmingham

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Among the 1700 classic cars on display at last weeks Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham there were at least a dozen Ferrari’s and for Ferrari Friday I have selected half a dozen of the best.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Having survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the 1992 Hurricane Iniki this Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta has a few stories to tell, amazingly it’s history is known right back to the individual Ferrari employees names at the factory responsible for putting individual components together.

Ferrari 275 GTB/2, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

By way of complete contrast this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 has had a quiet life it was sold originally to an owner in the UK and in 1982 was transfered to German ownership until October 2013 when it was acquired by restoration experts DK Engineering on behalf of it’s now third owner.

Ferrari 365 GTB/4, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Anyone carrying £625,000 pounds in their back pocket could have bought this 1973 Ferrari Daytona, one of 158 original right hand drive examples that can whisk the occupants up to 60 mph from rest in just 5.4 seconds and on up to 174 mph.

Ferrari 512BBi, Classic Motor Show, NEC,

Only 42 RHD Ferrari 512BBi’s were built and after a £45,000 recommissioning this 1982 example with 16,700 miles on the clock was being offered for £260,000 a veritable bargain if one is not in the market for a V12 powered Ferrari aside from the bargain basement 400/412 models which rarely fetch close to even £50,000.

Ferrari Testarossa, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Looking like it might have just come off the Miami Vice set, yes I know it’s the wrong colour, was this 1989 Ferrari Testarossa with just 13,000 miles on the clock.

Ferrari F40, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Surprisingly given the models reputation for being one of the all time greatest drives the 1991 Ferrari F40 above has covered just 1,100 miles with it’s owner in Italy and more recent collector in Japan.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ferrari Friday” edition of “Gettin’a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to come back now !

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The Pack Team – Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim #1519GT

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In 1950 5 Swiss MG TC owners, Jean Cottin, Richard Crot, Willy Ducrey, Jaques Jonneret and Edmond Tocchio in Geneva founded Ecurie La Meute, The Pack Team, because the MG Car Club Switzerland did not meet their sporting ambitions.

Nine years later Ferrari produced seven 250 GT LWB Interim models using 250 GT Long Wheel Base chassis as used in the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta and LWB California Spider models but with a Pinin Farina body featuring a rear 1/4 light window.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Today’s featured car, chassis #1519GT, seen at Goodwood earlier this year with owner P Paul Pappalardo at the wheel is the fifth of the seven Interims to be built.

#1519GT was originally sold to Ecurie La Meute member Jean-Pierre Schild who entered the car with co driver Roger de Lageneste in the 1959 Tour d’France in which they finished 3rd.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Jean Pierre is known to have driven the car on one further occasion the 1959 Coupes du Salon at Montlhéry which he won beating the much smaller Lotus Eleven of Bob Hicks.

In May 1960 new owner Dean McCarthy entered the car for the SCCA National Cumberland race but was disqualified, undeterred Dean went to Watkins Glen the following month and won the SCCA sanctioned Glen Classic.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

During the remainder of the 1960 season Dean recorded two 2n place finishes at Thompson and Montgomery before retiring from the Haybale Governor’s Cup at Montgomery with a damaged car.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The last known event for 1519GT was the 13th Annual Grand Prix Watkins Glen at the end of 1960 where Dean drove the repaired car to a seventh place overall and class victory.

Since then the car spent some time without either engine or gearbox but the original engine and gearbox was reunited with the car when it underwent a two year restoration by Ferrari Clasiche which was completed earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Pack Team” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow I’ll be looking at the Flash Special 500 Formula 3 car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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199 mph Spider – Ferrari 458 Spider

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To complement the Ferrari 458 Italia Berlinetta, first seen in 2009 and to replace the F430 Spider, Ferrari introduced the 458 Spider in 2011.

Ferrari 458 Spider, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Mechanically identical to the 458 Italia the Spider can reach 62.2 mph from rest in the same 3.3 seconds.

Ferrari 458 Spider, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

However the extra aerodynamic drag from the drop top configuration means the 562hp motor can only push the Spider to 199 mph ….

Ferrari 458 Spyder, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

… as against the 202 mph capability of the hard top 458 Italia.

Ferrari 458 Spyder, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

The 458 Spider features an aluminium top, weighing just 25 kgs / 55 lbs, which can be retracted in just 14 seconds.

Ferrari 458 Spider, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

The aluminium retractable top is said to be lighter than the soft top of it’s predecessor the F430 Spider.

Ferrari 458 Spider, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

When launched Ferrari were hoping to build up to 2,000 458 Spiders, like the one seen here at Sherborne’s Classics at the Castle, a year.

Thanks for joining me on this “199 mph Spider” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ojeda City Winner – Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta #1035GT

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77 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinettas were built from 1956 to 1959 in four series. To make things interesting Carrozzeria Scaglietti built the model with; no louvres in the C panel, 1 louvre in the C panel, 3 louvres in the C panel or 14 louvres in the C panel across the four series.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

To keep things simple the 250 GT Berlinetta is also known as the Long Wheelbase Berlinetta (LWB) and Tour de France (TdF), an event for motor vehicles won by 250 GT LWB’s from 1956 to 1959.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

Today’s featured 1958 1 louvre model, seen at Silverstone Classic, appears to be chassis #1035GT with which Cuban sugar baron Alfonso Gomez-Mena and a co driver known only as Meyer competed on the 1958 Tour de France.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

The pair did not finish the event but Alfonso is known to have competed in at least 6 further events with the car.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

In March 1959 Alfonso shared #1035GT with fellow Cuban Juan Montalvo in the Sebring 12 Hours where they finished 20th overall and 2nd in class. The pair shared the same chassis the following month in the 1000km race at Daytona were classified 12th though their engine expired before the finish.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

Alfonso then took the car to Cuba where he finished second in the 1959 4 hour Almar race, 2nd in the 1960 Havanna GT race and finally 11th in the 1960 Cuban Grand Prix.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta, Silverstone Classic

Racingsportscars.com also shows results for a 1959 race in Venezuela called the Ojeda City Grand Prix, no precise date is given for the event but Alfonso is credited as the winner beating the only other known contestants Venezuelan’s Lino Fayen and Ettore Chimeri who were also both driving Ferrari 250 GTs though the order in which the latter finished is also unknown.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ojeda City Winner” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Ginetta. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Pedro y Ricardo – Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Compitizione #3005GT

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In 1961 Luigi Chinetti ordered today’s Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta Compitizione chassis #3005GT and entered it in the Paris 1000kms race held at Montlhéry for the Mexican brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez to drive.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Revival

The results of qualifying are not known however the result was an emphatic win for the Mexican’s by thirty seconds over the 250 GT SWB of Willy Mairesse and Lucien Bianchi, infact the first five cars to finish the race were all 250 GT SWB’s including chassis #2729GT driven by Pierre Dumas and Jo Schlesser which featured last weeks Ferrari Friday blog.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ricardo Rodriguez was also credited with fastest lap at Montlhéry, having impressed Enzo Ferrari a couple of weeks earlier at Monza with a front row qualifying spot Ricardo was given a works contract for 1962 and continued to impress despite being just 20 years old with a string of good results including a win in the 1962 Targa Florio sports car race where he co drove a Ferrari 246SP with Olivier Gendebien and Willy Mairesse. Tragically Ricardo was killed in practice of the 1962 non Championship Mexican Grand Prix driving a Lotus for Rob Walker after Ferrari had declined to enter the race.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Older brother Pedro was equally talented particularly in the rain and behind the wheel of big sports cars like the Gulf Porsche 917, Pedro won two Grand Prix first in the 1967 South African GP where he drove a Cooper Maserati and the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix where he drove a BRM P153, recording a record average speed for any Grand Prix at the time of 149 mph. Like his brother Ricardo Pedro died at the wheel in 1971 at the Norisring where he drove a Ferrari 512M chassis #1008 that burst into flames after an accident.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Today’s featured car meanwhile was sold to Doug Thiem for the 1962 season and he is known to have driven it in at least 14 further US sports car races winning outright at Erkhart Lake / Road America in September 1962.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#3005 stayed in the US until 1980 when Italian Pietro Brigato acquired the car and entered it into classic events in Italy and Germany. In 2011 Lukas Hueni, acquired the car and can be seen at the wheel in the top photo at the 2011 Goodwood Revival and in the bottom photo at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pedro y Ricardo ” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Nothing Better – Ferrari 250MM Pininfarina Berlinetta #0353 MM (0239 EU)

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After beating Phil Hill on the second stage of the 1952 Carrera Panamerica Mexican hot shot Efrian Ruiz Echeverria skidded of the road while in 10th place overall on the third, of five, stage of the race in his Ferrari 212 Inter Berlinetta chassis #0239 EU.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

He sent the car back to Ferrari for repairs and while it was there Efrian asked if the factory would build him a Ferrari 250MM like the one used by Giovanni Bracco which had proved to be the fastest car in the 1952 Carrera Panamerica field although transmission failure 300 miles from the finish handed a 1-2 victory to the Mercedes Benz Team.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Ferrari were happy to oblige going so far as swapping the identity from Efrian’s old 212 Inter #0239EU to that of the new 250MM chassis #0353MM at the owners request so that import duty would not have to be paid on the new car.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The 1953 Panamerica entry list included five works Lancia’s with Juan Manuel Fangio in the lead car and five non works Ferrari’s. Fangio led a 1/2/3 finish for the Lancia Team and Efrian came in as first privateer in 7th place. A result that remains the best for any Mexican driver in the original series of Carrera Panamerica races run from 1950 to 1954.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Thanks to William (WDH74) at The Nostalgia Forum I have found out what the meaning of the legend “Como 123 no hay dos” which appears to be a sponsors strap line on the bonnet of the car. “No hay dos” translates to “nothing better” from Mexican in this case nothing better than products from sponsor Industrias 1-2-3 owned by Santiago Ontanon who’s products include vegetable cooking oil and laundry detergent.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The 1953 Carrera Panamerica was #0353 MM (0239 EU)’s only in period competitive outing, the car passed through various hands and 3 restorations later the car is seen above at Goodwood Festival of Speed where it was entered by Nick Mason for his wife Annette to drive.

Ferrari 250 MM, Goodwood Festival of Speed

My thanks to WDH74, Arjan de Roos, Doug Nye, Regazzoni and Tmeranda at The Nostalgia Forum for lessons in Mexican and Mexican house hold product marketing.

Thanks for joining me on this “Nothing Better” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Lotus rally car project. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Movie Star Limo – Ferrari 250 MM Pininfarina #0298MM

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The 31 1953 Ferrari 250 MM chassis built could be specified with open barchetta body or Berlinetta closed body styles most, but by no means all of the open bodies were built by Vignale and the most but by no means all of the closed bodies were built by Pininfarina.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

Of course being hand built no two bodies are identical and today’s featured Pininfarina Berlinetta body sitting on chassis #0298, has a slightly longer nose than any of it’s siblings, a fore taste of the pontoon Ferraris that were to follow at the end of the decade perhaps.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

With a 3 litre / 183 cui 237 hp version of Gioacchino Colombo V12 under the bonnet/hood the intention was that these cars were built to be raced, and the likes of Phil Hill, José A. Nogueira Pinto, Luigi Villoresi, Paolo Marzotto, Eugenio Castellotti, Giulio Musitelli, Luigi Piotti and Casimiro de Oliveira all drove 250 MM in Barchetta and Berlinetta forms to victory lane during 1953.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

#0298MM was purchased by Luigi Giuliano for 3.5 million lira in 1953 and a year later passed through two further owners Incom SpA and Industrie Cinematografiche Sociali, the later is reported to have used the car for chauffeuring movie stars.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

In May 1955 this car was acquired by Giovanni Ghersi in San Remo for ‘just’ 2.5 million lira. The car is not thought to have been raced at all until it was acquired by German Herbert Ibing in 1984.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

Since then the car has appeared at many historic events including those at Goodwood, reruns of the Mille Miglia, Nurburgring, Monaco and Monza.

Ferrari 250 MM PF Berlinetta, Goodwood Revival,

Arnold Meier of Zurich has been the owner of the car since 2002 and was sharing the driving with former British Hill Climb Champion David Franklin when the car was photographed at the recent Goodwood Revival meeting. Starting last on the grid Arnold and David managed a 17th place finish, note for some reason the 33 entry in the Freddie March Trophy is listed as a Mitter BMW in the results of the meeting.

Thanks for joining me on this “Movie Star Limo” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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