Tag Archives: P

From the Good Guys In White Hats – Dodge Charger

The second generation Dodge Charger was launched in 1968 with a commercial cartoon urging customers to visit “those great Dodge boys they’re the good guys in white hats.”

The new body was designed by a team that included Richard Sias who was responsible for the overall profile.

Engine options included a standard 5.2 litre / 318 cui V8 a 3.7 litre / 225 cui straight six, a 7 litre / 426 cui Hemi or a 7.2 litre / 440 cui Magnum was available for the top of the range R/T versions. This particular car appears to be powered by a 6.3 litre V8 which was available with either 290 hp 2 barrel carburetor or 330 hp 4 barrel carburetor variations.

The dual scallops on the bonnet / hood

and front doors added to the performance “Lets stir things up a bit” appearance of the car despite there complete non mechanical or aerodynamic functionality.

Among the options for the Charger was air conditioning, cruise control, electric door locks, tachometer, rear window demister, and a wood-grain steering wheel.

Safety options included head restraints for the front seats, lap belts for center seat passengers, shoulder belts front and rear and a padded steering wheel.

The integrated rear spoiler mimicking aerodynamic devices seen on Can Am and sports car racers of the period further enhanced the competition bred appearance of the Charger, the paired round rear lights were added at the suggestion of Styling Vice President, Elwood P. Engel.

Around 96,100 Chargers were built in the 1968 model year, 75% of which were fitted with factory option Vinyl roofs. 17,000 top of the range R/T Chargers were built of which just 500 were fitted with the fabled 426 Hemi.

The ’68 Charger, which share the same platform with the Dodge Coronet, is probably most famous for it’s movie appearance in Bullitt, which features a couple of hit men in a black Charger R/T dualing for tarmac with Steve McQueen driving his green Mustang GT. By all accounts the R/T was the superior machine.

Thanks for joining me on this “From the Good Guys In White Hats” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you’ll join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Dino Evolution – Ferrari 166/206 #0834

1 Reply

Enzo Ferrari was a man who believed that to remain competitive he needed to start with a good car and then continually seek to improve it’s performance with modifications.

The Ferrari 166/206, following the footsteps of the Ferrari Dino 196S and it’s similarly Dino V6 powered Formula siblings the front engined ‘246’ and rear engined Shark Nose ‘Dino 156‘, perfectly exemplifies his Enzo’s continual modification philosophy.

The original Dino 166/P specification of chassis #0834 seen, in these photo’s at Silverstone Classic last year, was built around a new 185hp variant of the Dino V6 with twin overhead cam shafts per bank, quad cam, and twin plug ignition and a capacity of 1592 cc / 97.2 cui.

The original body was a closed coupé style, similar to that of a bigger V12 powered Ferrari P2 and can be seen on this link.

Despite it’s good handling, in this form the car driven by Giancarlo Baghetti and Giampiero Biscaldi retired from the 1965 1000 kms at Monza after one lap with engine failure, then Lorenzo Bandini drove it to victory at the Vallelunga GP.

However the 166/P’s biggest success against much stronger opposition was at the 1965 Nürburgring 1000 kms where Bandini and Nino Vaccarella came home 4th behind two Ferrari P/2’s and a Porsche 904/8 all with larger motors. This performance was thought so unlikely the events scruitineers had the motor stripped to confirm it’s capacity.

At the 1965 Le Mans 24 hours Baghetti and Mario Casoni only lasted 21 minutes before it retired with a broken valve.

Two months after Le Mans chassis #0834 was upgraded to 206 S/P specification with a 218hp 1986 cc / 121.2 cui Dino V6 motor and a low cut open top Spyder body, which can be seen on this link.

Ludovico Scarfiotti used the car in this form to win the European Hillclimb championship setting new course records in all of the remaining 1965 championship rounds.

In 1967 the car appeared in the Targa Florio with a third, 206 S, body configuration, similar to the one seen in today’s photographs, where it finished 4th with Jonathan Williams and Vittorio Venturi at the wheel.

Two years later Leandro Terra and Turillo Barbuscia drove #0834 still in 2 litre / 122 cui spec to a 25th place finish in the 1969 Targa Florio.

#0834 is currently owned by Harry Leventis who shares the driving with Gregor Fisken on a regular basis in the The Italian Historic Car Cup.

There is an interesting observation about the “Dino 206” cars by the highly esteemed journalist Doug Nye on this link, makes one wonder what Ing. Forghieri may have come up with on a good day !

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

Ferrari Turned Ugly – Ferrari 312 P #0876 ?

2 Replies

Some months ago I said that after Niki Lauda tested the proposed Ferrari 312 P sports prototype for 1974 he advised Enzo Ferrari that if he wanted to win the World Formula One Championship that he ought to drop the Sports Prototype Programme.

(Ferrari 312 P 1974 Spec, Copyright holder unknown image will be correctly credited or removed upon request.)

The photo above shows Niki Lauda testing the 1974 312 P that is thought to be the work of Mauro ‘Fury’ Forghieri who simultaneously was working on turning the Formula One Ferrari 312 B3 into a competitive proposition.

It has emerged that it was more likely that Niki and Luca de Montemezolo between them successfully convinced Mr Ferrari that continuing the sports prototype programme was not a good idea.

(Ferrari 312 P 1974 Spec, Copyright holder unknown image will be correctly credited or removed upon request.)

As can be seen above even after the alleged advice and Lauda’s test drive, the car, seen here with Niki’s team mate Clay Regazzoni at the wheel, was developed further with the wide front wing being added before the car was dropped and plans to enter the World Sportscar Championship were abandoned.

It would appear 1974 spec 312 P was based on a short wheel base 1971 312 P chassis, probably #0876, this car, with it’s even more distinctive driver side cooler arrangement, than we saw in last weeks 1973 312 P blog, was never raced and has not ever been seen in public.

It is thought likely the car got destroyed on the orders of Enzo Ferrari early in 1974 before the Italian Tax Authorities were due to pay Mr Ferrari a visit.

My thanks to everyone on the 1974 Ferrari 312PB ‘evo’ thread at The Nostalgia Forum who contributed to this blog.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s Ugly Sister edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, and that you will join me again, tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Two Seat Grand Prix Car – Ferrari 312 P #0890

2 Replies

Last week on Ferrari Friday we looked at the catastrophe that befell the Ferrari teams Grand Prix effort as a result of Enzo’s illness sabbatical in 1972.

The story of the Ferrari teams fortunes in sports car racing during this period were not quite so catastrophic but having red washed the World Sportscar Championship of 1972 winning all races except the Le Mans 24 hours, which the team did not enter allegedly because they did not believe their engine would prove sufficiently reliable, 1973 proved to be a disappointment.

Matra who had only entered, and won, the Le Mans 24 hours in 1972 made a successful bid for the World Sports Car Championship in 1973. While this was by no means as comprehensive a blue wash as Ferrari had achieved the year before.

The absence of ‘Fury’ Forghieri who had been exiled to the Fiorano test track by FIAT management during Enzo Ferrari’s sabatical was tangible in terms of Ferrari’s flagging sports car results.

This 1973 spec Ferrari 312 PB chassis #0890 was built for the 1972 season during which Art Mezario and Brian Redman drove the car to victory in the Spa 1000 kms.

Mezario also drove to a solo non championship victory at Imola in a 500 km race in this chassis, #0890 only disgraced it’s self once from six starts in 1972 with an engine failure at Kyalami.

During 1973 #0890 was raced a further five times with 2nd place finishes it’s best results at Dijon for Ickx / Redman and at the Nurburgring for Carlos Pace / Merzario a partnership which brought the car a 3rd place in it’s final front line race in the 6 hours at The Glen.

Chassis #0890 seen here at Goodwood Festival of Speed is easily recognisable being the only one of the six 312 P chassis that had the air intake modification to the drivers side chassis skin which appeared at the ADAC 1000 kms at the Nurburgring in 1973.

In 1972 Ferrari built six 312 P chassis so that there could be a team of three freshly prepared cars at each of the World Championship races. The PB initials were used by the press to distinguish the car from the previous 312 P model of 1971.

The 1972 Ferrari sports car team managed by Peter Schetty with Ermanno Cuoghi looking after the preparation of the cars was without doubt the class of the field,

their cars powered by a water cooled 3 litre /183 cui 48 valve flat 12 motor that was in essence a Grand Prix engine detuned for reliability. Five of the six 312 P chassis originally built in 1972 are known to exist today.

Thanks for joining me on today’s PB edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and I hope that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: P

From the Good Guys In White Hats – Dodge Charger

Dino Evolution – Ferrari 166/206 #0834

Ferrari Turned Ugly – Ferrari 312 P #0876 ?

Two Seat Grand Prix Car – Ferrari 312 P #0890