Ferrari owners and fans club

/ #1949-Ferrari-166MM-Touring-Barchetta / #1949 / #Ferrari-166MM-Touring-Barchetta / #Ferrari-166MM / #Ferrari-166 / #Ferrari / #Touring / #Barchetta

The founder of the most famous marque in motor racing was no slouch behind the wheel, having driven for the Alfa Romeo works team before setting up the #Scuderia-Ferrari / #Enzo-Ferrari / #Ferrari .

ENZO FERRARI
Born 18 February #1898
From Modena
Died 14 August #1988
Career highlights Winner of Circuito di Modena and Coppa Acerbo; set up Scuderia Ferrari


Choosing a hero for this issue was the perfect excuse to go for the great man himself. So much has been written about him (including his own utterings in Piloti, che gente… and My Terrible Joys), I can only offer my observations.

Enzo Ferrari certainly had a hard climb out of relative mediocrity to the heights of leading the most famous brand on earth. Born in 1898, he made it through most of WWI in the military, albeit in poor health, and eventually got himself employed at Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali. By 1920, he was with ALFA (later Alfa Romeo) at Portillo. Around 1921, by dint of hard work, determination and considerable charm, he was manager of the fledgling race team, as well as a driver in the company of Antonio Ascari, Ugo Sivocco and the inimitable Giuseppe Campari.

Bringing Vittorio Jano from FIAT to replace designer Giuseppe Merosi was a brilliant stroke, moving Alfa into the serious quality car market. As he progressed, the forceful and pragmatic Ferrari noticed that aside from works drivers, there was no shortage of wealthy amateurs anxious to compete but not wanting to get their hands grubby. Harnessing his know-how, he set up his own firm at the end of 1929, preparing and transporting Alfas (and ’bikes) for clients.

Some of the drivers turned out to be rather good at the job. Mario Tadini, for instance, could beat the best of the competition in hillclimbing and was a fine wheelman on the Mille Miglia. So, indeed was Felice Trossi, who took over the presidency of the Scuderia in 1932 when Alfredo Caniato (one of the original backers) resigned. As Enzo Ferrari prospered, his pace as a racer diminished. Sufficiently so that in August ’1931, competing in an ex-factory 8C in the Tre Provincia road race near Bologna, he was thrashed by a diminutive driver in an older 6C-1750. Nuvolari and Ferrari were made for each other.

When Alfa withdrew from racing and handed over the hardware to Ferrari, with it came drivers such as Arcangeli, Borzachinni, and Nuvolari.

Enzo’s ability to keep the balls in the air required copious doses of ingenuity, guile, willpower and sheer bravado. Juggling businessmen, racers, mechanics, suppliers, bankers, officials, press, public and family required the patience of Job and the skill of Niccolo Machiavelli. It was to be Ferrari’s life until he died in ’1988. Enzo derived great joy from the control and influence that he had over everyone he came into contact with – none more so than his drivers.

Did he really connive Nuvolari’s win on the 1930 Mille Miglia by having Varzi informed that he was well ahead when he wasn’t? Was Eugenio Castellotti really summoned from his bed to the Modena Autodrome in March ’1957 and told the lap record there was no longer his? Was de Portago really told that Gendebien was ahead of him on the ’1957 Mille Miglia?

The infatuation with Ferrari’s life and cars knows no bounds. Myth, folklore and truth are constantly intermingled. In the ’60s, books rarely dealt with the man himself. That’s all changed. Today you can find out who made his suits, how he dealt with those close to him, why he loved going to his house at Fiorano. Someone even tracked down who produced the ink with which he signed his documents and what sized bottles it came in. Who on earth would care?

Okay… it was bought from Olivieri’s shop at Via Claudia 95, Maranello, which got it in 1-litre bottles from Gnocchi in Treviso. It was made by Francesco Rubinato, and Enzo liked the colour because his father used a purple pencil to mark out sheets of steel. There is likely only one noble person left who could add to the history, and she has no reason whatsoever to oblige.

Ferrari finished second on the Targa Florio in #1920 driving an Alfa Romeo 40/60. Below: Enzo pictured in later life with his signature sunglasses.

Horse Whistle
REWIND/PLAY - #Ferrari #F40
Then - When the famous prancing horses get turbo-ed

All #Ferrari-F40 : #1987 - #1992


Here’s what has been called the greatest supercar the world has ever seen. We’re not too far away from agreeing. This mid-engined, rear-wheel drive beauty was built to celebrate

Ferrari’s 40th anniversary. It was born from old man Enzo’s desire to leave behind one last awesome car bearing his name. And he happened to have a few 288 GTO Evoluzione development cars lying around to turn into one of the most gorgeous cars to have ever hit the road. It had a 2936cc twin-turbo V8 making 472 bhp.

Designed by #Pininfarina , the body panels made of carbon fibre, aluminium and kevlar. Weight? 1100 kg. It hit 0-100 kph in 3.9 seconds, 0-160 kph in 7.5 seconds and 0-200 kph in 9 seconds. Top speed was a scalding 324 kph. Till #1989 , it was the world’s fastest production car and the first roadlegal production car to break the 200 mph (320 kph) barrier.

It was priced at the equivalent of ` 2.53 crore when it debuted, and 1311 examples of how to make one of the greatest cars in the world were made.
‏ — at Monza, Monza and Brianza, Italy

/ 2017 FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO COVER STORY #Ferrari-GTC4-Lusso / #Ferrari-Lusso / #Ferrari-GTC4 / #Ferrari-FF

The rumour mill is always churning on about Ferrari doing the unthinkable and putting out a passenger 4x4, keeping in line with the current “monkey see - monkey do" trend of the auto industry. Thankfully Maranello”s interpretation of that thought transcended first onto the FF and now into the all-new - a vehicle that truly stands out in a league of its own. Classy, elegant and ferociously fast, this is the world’s ultimate Grand Touring sports coupe. We find out why...

One of my favorite things in life is taking my six-year old daughter for a drive in every car I test drive. I mean, as a little person her comments are certainly very honest and straight to the point, sometimes even opening my eyes to the practicalities I miss out on. For example, “this car is too loud dad" or “I can't hear myself sing” and 'the seats are not as comfy as… if you get the drift?

Now obviously, when I get a two seater coupe our drive time is limited to just a few quick spins around the block with Taylor Swift or Selena Gomes, blaring out of the stereo. And I don’t really like that... both of the latter and especially the former! I love sharing my experiences with her whether its the Ferrari, the McLaren or the Porsche, but the front seat is no place for a child, hence cruise time gets limited, that is...

ENTER THE GTC4 LUSSO

I have been a sucker for hatchbacks ...all my life. So to me, the whole “shooting brake” (aka station wagon, hatchback or estate) concept has always been a jaw -dropping proposition.

Of course there are exceptions to that rule, when we start talking about Subarus, Toyota Yaris or some Chinese made obscenity that have Hooded the market of late.

Point being. I have always in love with the Ferrari FF... since its launch. To me the FF (four seats, four wheel drive) is a gentleman's steed. You get plenty of room, dapper interior and decent luggage space to keep all your boxes... just in case you get fired... or the missus finds out about your other squeeze.

But besides the afore mentions, it offered a thumping #Ferrari-V12 engine upfront, a Ferrari gearbox and a glorious Ferrari exhaust note. It was the ultimate Grand Tourer in my books, and my personal favorite from the existing range. So imagine my surprise when people chose to bypass it either due to its looks or simply because they found it too large to track, Either way, Ferrari hit the refresh button earlier this year and came out with this updated, smarter looking and stick driving GTC4Lusso.

Alright, the name is a bit clunky but it’s been soaked in classic Ferrari heritage. The GTC+ was bagged from the roomier and spacious variant of the 1970’s Daytona, while Lusso was the designation given to the less flashy but super classy, drop-dead gorgeous (1963-1964) 250GT. Yes! It is amazing how the Italians can just pick up the archives and splice off names/designs for all their new products. Only exception to the rule being La Ferrari (still hate that name!)

IS IT A FACELIFT?

The answer to that is no. Facelifts are the industry standard for adding shine to a product that has started softening up on sales. Ferrari doesn’t do that. Ferrari goes through a “modificato" process that ensures its road cars stay abreast with the fast paced developments at the company's R&D shop. And that's exactly what the new Lusso is all about.
The GTC4 offers a plethora of improvements which not only make it faster, lighter and roomier but also adds for die first time ever. Jour wheel steering. I guess, this was done for specifically for those of you who questioned the FFs handling prowess - being such a large car. But more on that a little bit later.

THAT INTERIOR

It’s awesome... that’s the only way I can describe it. There is a new dash design which incorporates a ten-inch screen and an upgraded LCD passenger display just above the glove box. This will not only keep your passenger fascinated with the speeds your driving at, but also allows them to fiddle around with extras such as making phone- calls, controlling music or adjusting the sat-nav. The new infotainment processor is about eight times faster than the last, which means displays switch over in micro-seconds and you certainly need that in this car, so you can look out for speed cams.

The quality of leather and metal used is peerless. The entire interior has been given a re-fit albeit with a smaller but grippier steering wheel. There are four new seats developed with partner Poltrona Frau which have got a retro 70s vibe to them. They are comfy in a very un-Ferrari-esque kind of way, and even if you’re not sitting hi them, they are just amazing to look at.

The Lusso may lie only millimeters bigger but the cabin feels a lot roomier than that. The panoramic glass roof option only further adds to the airy and luxurious ambience of the car.

I was ecstatic as my daughter got into the rear seat and sat there comfortably enjoying the ride. No words spoken is always a great sign at that age. It would be safe to say that average sized adults can travel quite comfortably in the back of this car, no issues at all.

REDRAWN OR RESTYLED?

It looks big on the outside too, and sure enough the changes to the exterior have altered the proportions. The new gills or fins behind the front wheels help visually shorten the long nose, while the rear haunches are curvier, giving the car more width in terms of stance. Overall the rear end with its bracketed top and integrated spoiler with the round protruding lights looks really cool. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love the front end of this car... but in all honesty, this is probably the first car on the planet I would purchase based on its behind.

Aesthetically you can see it looks a lot more chiseled than its predecessor. Although I loved the FF, but it looked a lot more straightish.

In my humble opinion there was something quite not right from the li-pillar oil and the “modificato” process has rectified it. This here is the finished product and it resonates that sentiment through the driving dynamics of the Lusso. It feels more broad shouldered through the turns and stubbier when stationary. If you like cigars then consider this a “Churchill” that finishes off as a ’robusto’.

THE PERFORMANCE

I know it might sound cliched but there is nothing like the sound of a naturally aspirated V8 or V12. So when Maranello started toying with the twin-turboed V8s, I wasn't too pleased, nut from the aspect of output but more so from the sound. A Ferrari high note should never end as a growl... it can start oil with one but it must finish off with a scream! And that is exactly what the GTC4's 6.3-litre V12 does when hammered.

Forced induction might have been introduced if the GTC4 had rivals from a performance aspect, but luckily it does not! You might think Bentley. Aston, AMG S-Coupe or Wraith, but ever tried sitting in the back of one of those? Or say...doing a time-attack challenge in a Wraith? Nothing comes close to the driving ethos of the Lusso and there is literally nothing around the corner either. As a result the GTC4 is not inclined to adhere to segment benchmarks or slap on turbo chargers or blowers in the quest for more HP.

However, improvements have been made to output but through the use of conventional machinery and tools. The old car made 651bhp, the new one makes 681bhp. Compression ratio has been raised, the piston design has changed, there’s now multi-spark ignition and as a result, power has climbed up by 30bhp. With further tweaks to the gearbox and traction software the GTC4 knocks of 0.3 secs from the FF, delivering 62mph in just 3.4secs. Top speed is 208mph.

HORSE WITH CLAWS

In typical Ferrari fashion the spec sheet handed to me was jam-packed with acronyms. But the one that really stuck out first was the 4RM-S, which controls the new four-wheel drive and four- wheel steering system. This is the same system that made its debut on the limited edition F12 TDF, making the Lusso an even more special proposition.

Anyways, the afore mentioned system works in tandem with the SSC4 SCM-E and E-Diff (in order: side blip control, adaptive damping and electronic differential), and I'm only bringing these up to show you the complexity and integration of the various systems that keep the GTC4 pointing in the desired direction.

The four-wheel steering really does make the Lusso feel more agile than the FF. It is a bit lighter (by about 60kg in total), which helps with direction changes, but this system, which is almost entirely unobtrusive, makes the GTC4 sharper into corners (when the back wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts) and gives it a more attacking, willing demeanour.

You feel more confident once you realise you can overtake or change directions mid-curve especially in a car that's this big and heavy.

Quite Frankly tile Lusso does a far better job of controlling its weight oil bends and turns than I expected. On the open roads and larger sweeping curves it’s clearly in its element with the big engine howling and plenty of grip and power both on hand and foot.

But the best part is when you get the power on, feel all four wheels work the last part of а winding curve, and then the V12 propels you out and on to the straight. It is quiet torquey at die bottom end (80 per cent at 1750rpm Ferrari claims, although it doesn’t feel quite that strung), but forget about that, because it’s what happens higher up that counts.

ONE OF A KIND

Yes it truly is. Because #Ferrari usually tend to focus more on their front nm occupants and performance rather than excess baggage...or any baggage for that matter. The FF was therefore a welcome break from routine and a proper car with all the mannerisms synonymous with the famed prancing horse insignia. Therefore the Lusso has turned out to be a step above its predecessor gaining a whole lot more, while losing none of its original dynamism, especially that stratospheric #V12 .

Its ail expensive car, but I can't think of anything as exclusive, sophisticated, elegant and sporty to carry lour people, while staying true its brand values, like the GTC4 has. And given that the company has said it will never go down the route of producing an SUV (anti thankfully so) enthusiasts looking for a non-Ferrari' to use as a daily driver have had their prayers answered. To put it simply, there is nothing quiet like it out there... not at least until the next “modificato” on this offering is due.

“ON THE OPEN ROADS AND LARGER SWEEPING CURVES THE FERRARI LUSSO IS CLEARLY IN IIS ELEMENT WITN ITS BIG ENGINE HOWLING AND PLENTY OF GRIP AND POWER BOTH ON HAND AND FOOT.”

Historical reinterpretation Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso

In the finest tradition of Italian coachbuilding, Touring Superleggera has unveiled a stunning rebodied version of Ferrari’s mighty F12 supercar. Dale Drinnon drives it. Photography Martyn Goddard.

Funny thing about secrets: after you know them, they seem obvious, and it's hard to understand why the people so mesmerised as we motor sublimely past can't identify what it is they're coveting. Surely the classic eggcrate grille, the signature character lines highlighting the graceful flanks, and that feral V12 yowl could mean only one thing: Italy's most illustrious manufacturer and the design house that shaped its first real series-made automobile are back together. Unofficially, at least, and in limited numbers for the lucky few.

The manufacturer, of course, is Ferrari, the design house is #Carrozzeria-Touring , coachbuilder for the seminal #Tipo-166MM of #1948 , and the car we're driving is called the #Berlinetta-Lusso , produced by Touring on the awe-inspiring #Ferrari-F12 platform. And the reason for the hush-hush is that we're hustling this as-of-yet one-of-a-kind objet d'art round the public roads of Northern Italy, bold as thunder and twice as loud, more than a week before its world debut at the Geneva international motor show. Life just doesn't get no more Old School Italian than this.

Then again, the whole project is pretty Old School Italian. Carrozzeria Touring, now formally called #Carrozzeria #Touring #Superleggera , was among the pioneers of what we now consider quintessential Italian automotive style. Founded in 1926, it set trends throughout the era when owners of taste and distinction had their machinery custom-tailored as readily as their clothing. Touring had the inside line on competition bodywork, thanks to its trademark Superleggera, or 'super-light' construction, which is why #Enzo-Ferrari , familiar with its work from his #Alfa-Romeo experience, turned that way for the heavily race-oriented #166MM .

Touring had some spectacularly hard times in the post-1950s, going inactive for decades (though not quite bankrupt, thanks to the heroic efforts of long-time CEO and co-founder's son, Carlo Anderloni), but since its acquisition in 2006 by Dutch concern Zeta Europe BV, also owners of Borrani, it has successfully reapplied the early company principles. They concentrate on one-off and short production runs of singular designs for a discerning clientele, manufacturer's concept studies, niche production of contract specialist jobs: the full repertoire of the typical small- manufacturer business model. Dedicated Italian car enthusiasts will doubtless be familiar with its critically acclaimed #Alfa-8C -based Disco Volante.

'From any angle the final shape is cleaner than the original car’s, and extremely well balanced’

It was indeed such handiwork that enticed an anonymous but prominent Ferrari collector to approach Touring Superleggera for a private commission: translating the intensely high-performance and aggressively styled F12 supercar into a more elegant, more Lusso idiom. In addition, he wanted it configured in the three-box architecture now rare among performance coupes, with visually separate volumes for motor, interior and boot. It would be, in essence, an updated version of the great front-engined Ferrari uber-GTs of old, such as the exclusive and potent 500 Superfast.

That collector must have been slightly puzzled, however, when Louis de Fabribeckers, Touring's head of design, seemed already way ahead of him. 'I was dreaming about this car for years and years and years,' he says, 'since I first started designing cars, certainly; a three- volume car, simple, very classic, with the long bonnet and small greenhouse. It's one of my favourite themes of all time, so it was very natural, very satisfying, to finally build it.'

Louis also says the F12 was eminently adaptable to this composition although, as per his usual practice, extensive time and effort went into reaching optimum proportions before any other elements were even seriously considered ('If you start with the wrong proportions, nothing else you do can ever make up for them'). The roofline curvature in particular required significant attention, and from every direction, to reach exactly the effect he wanted, due to the conversion from two- box to three-box profile. Integrating the rear overhang was, not surprisingly, another delicate issue when adding a boot volume, while also critically 'finishing' the car's lines, instead of merely ending them.

Viewed from any angle, the final shape is noticeably cleaner than the original car's, and extremely well balanced. The surface treatments and detailing (what Louis calls the styling, as opposed to the design) are simpler, too. There is little in the way of added excitement or extraneous flourishes, and both the nose and tail are underplayed compared with the fashion of racer-rep grittiness.

The grille, narrower and taller than the F12's squat, wall-to-wall rendition, also gently evokes that feature of the 166MM, as does the creased swage line sweeping back along the waist. It's a Carlo Anderloni touch that has recurred on several Touring designs, from the 166 through the #Lamborghini-350GT to the #BMW Mini Vision concept car produced last year. Overall, de Fabribeckers displays a lightness of hand suited to the objective of creating a latter-day Italian luxury express.

Primary body panels are executed in aluminium formed manually over styling bucks in the traditional manner, which is really the only way to achieve that lovely, long body crease and still have doors that open without shut lines bigger than a politician's expense account. Such non-structural panels as bonnet, skirts and splitters are carbonfibre, and the alloy door handles, exhaust tips and forged wheels are bespoke. Touring poetically refers to this blue metallic paint as Azzurro Nioulargue, alluding to the shifting shades of the Mediterranean, and it genuinely does amazing things in changing light.

Interior mods seem minor beside the body revamp; the dash is basically the F12's but look closer and you spot instances where carbonfibre has been replaced with brushed aluminium or leather, and discreet niceties such as the colour-coded air con vents, and the Berlinetta Lusso badge below the main triplevent grouping that turns them into a cockpit focal point. Seat facings in cream leather and a matching slash across the door panels and parcel shelf lighten and enrich the atmosphere.

With multi-way power adjustment for driver's seat and steering column, it's almost impossible not to find a driving position that fits, and the interior is comfortable and surprisingly roomy, reportedly a Ferrari priority with the F12. The new roofline still leaves adequate headroom, assuming you replicate the passably average dimensions of this correspondent. Personal opinions on paddle shifting, automatic parking brakes and similar modernisms put aside, they're exactly the same here as in the F12, and admittedly just as flawless in operation.

Road performance is also exactly the same, as the mechanical package remains just as #Ferrari made it. Which is to say the whopping normally aspirated V12 will leave you breathless, and that's no half-arsed figure of speech: after the first couple of solid blasts through the gears you'll realise you've actually forgotten to suck any air, and your face has gone all tingly. Although that last symptom might be strictly down to g-forces. Touring also says it tests religiously to ensure the chassis dynamics don't suffer from possible weight re-distribution, and real world driving substantiates that.

When it comes to pure, raw speed numbers, however, it's hardly worth speculating beyond official factory specs; each #Berlinetta-Lusso could differ in weight, since each will be built to the customer's wishes - and Touring will accommodate a wide variety of those. Flexibility being a company credo, some detailing changes are even in discussion before our subject car goes to Geneva. Consequently, Touring won't quote prices, but it's safe to assume the 5000 hours of various labours required for every unit won't be cheap, and that's on top of the roughly quarter-million pounds' worth of Ferrari stripped down to begin the process.

Touring Superleggera's agreement with the commissioning client for series production extends at this point to a mere five examples, and completion time is projected as six months from delivery of the donor Ferrari to its workshops in Milan. The car is EU type-approved, and Touring won't rule out having a go at different regs in other parts of the world, such as North America. Small companies can often be extremely flexible.

From a solely rationalist, functionalist perspective, there will be many who don't understand the Berlinetta Lusso, granted, and anyone who judges a car by its merits as a mechanical device alone must find this a bewildering exercise. But if you appreciate some extra style, grace and sophistication, and oceans of artistry with your high velocity, you'll twig its special place in the automotive cosmos straight away. After all, there were those who preferred the 500 Superfast, and those who preferred the #Ferrari-250GTO . There are also those who think the perfect compromise would be one of each. Individuals of taste and distinction should have more than one suit in their wardrobe, shouldn't they?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on the Berlinetta Lusso visit www. touringsuperleggera. eu

Car #2015 #Carrozzeria-Touring-Superleggera-Berlinetta-Lusso

ENGINE 6262CC V12, DOHC, 48-valve, direct fuel injection
POWER 730bhp @ 8250rpm
TRANSMISSION Seven-speed dual-clutch sequential transaxle, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
STEERING Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
SUSPENSION
Front: double wishbones, coilsprings, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar.
Rear: multi-link, coilsprings, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar.
BRAKES Carbon-ceramic discs, #ABS
PERFORMANCE Top speed 211mph. 0-62mph 3.1sec

OWNER’S STORY #1959 #Ferrari-250 GT-Competizione

I like the rarity of the Tour de France, but it’s not the rarity that first attracted me. It was the look of the car. It’s very distinctive. It’s very simple. It’s got very clean lines and yet, they’re elegant. I would probably like it no matter what the paint configuration is. But, because it is what it is, it really does attract me. The first one that I saw was a black one and it was completely black and it was gorgeous. And I like this one with the white stripe, and it’s not your typical Ferrari red. It’s a very burgundy type of color.

Going to shows gives me an excuse to drive it, to show it to other people. My fortunate thing is that both of my adult sons are very much into the hobby, so we do a lot of things together. When I did the last Tour Auto because it was the anniversary of the event and they wanted as many Tour de Frances as they could get, and they did end up with about eight, it was great, and I did it with Andrew, my oldest son. — #Bruce-Male .

Tour de Force Despite prices for the #Ferrari-250-GT-Tour-de-France rocketing into the stratosphere, we found one that continues to be driven as hard today as when it was new Words and photography By Terry Shea.

While we snicker around the #Drive-My offices about the absurdity of the Pontiac Le Mans or Dodge Monaco, there is no denying the nickname earned by Ferrari’s late Fifties #Ferrari-250-GT-Berlinetta : Tour de France.

Covering several thousand hard miles over as many as eight days, the Tour de France Automobile seriously challenged cars and drivers on rally stages, hillclimbs and closed-course road circuits, testing competitors and machinery to their limits. Not only did drivers have to demonstrate multi-faceted talents behind the wheel as well as significant endurance, the cars, too, needed to be ready for almost any type of competition and a durability of their own. Ferrari dominated the event from 1956 through 1964, winning every year, with the #Ferrari-250GT Tour de France model winning from 1956 through 1959. A very pleased Enzo Ferrari was said to have embraced the nickname after that first victory in 1956. The 250 racked up plenty of other international wins for the factory along with those for privateers, in addition to many national and local trophies.

Not only did the Tour de France win races for Ferrari, it also made the company money, as the model was offered to wellheeled privateers who often complemented the works team at major races. Gregor Fiskens, a noted vintage racer and Londonbased seller of historic competition and GT cars, points out that, “As a GT, the Tour de France was accessible to a gentleman driver as well and a gentleman driver could shine in the car. It wasn’t just works-level drivers. I think you had something that was a turn-key GT car which was friendly, powerful, forgiving. If you go through any of the Ferrari books, the Tour de Frances did everything — rallied, raced — and it was also a great production road car. And it was a production car that was equally adaptable for track use, hillclimbs, sprints — you name it!”

Following the disastrous 1955 Le Mans that saw more than 80 spectators killed, the FIA established new GT class rules to bring back sports car racing from what had become thinly disguised grand prix racers with fenders. The rules also initially called for a 3.0-liter engine-displacement limit. Competition rules also stipulated that GT-class cars be road legal and the #Ferrari-250 GT merged Ferrari’s already-legendary-by-1956 competition spirit with relative luxury, and certainly undeniable beauty.

Ferrari’s 250, so named for the displacement in cc’s of each of the 12 cylinders, had been in production for a few years, in a variety of open and closed-roof models for competition and street use, but Ferrari built the 250 GT Berlinetta for 1956 specifically with competition in mind, both with a factory squad and also for the privateers that carried the torch for Ferrari in national and local events. But, as a street legal coupe, it still featured a simple, if well-appointed interior, along with the sort of creature comforts not always seen on sports cars, such as roll-up windows and complete weather protection.

Working from a design that emerged from the Pinin Farina styling house, #Scaglietti built 84 TdF bodies from 1955 through 1959, with a handful of design changes throughout the model’s run. The initial batch of cars featured a wraparound backlight, while subsequent models had louvered sail panels from the B-pillar back. The second-series models have 14 louvers cut into each panel, the third-series cars have three and the final run just one. The louvered cars also featured that oh-so-American design feature from the Fifties — tail fins, also more pronounced as the model run continued.

From fully exposed headlamps to Perspex covered ones and back to fully exposed, there were changes on the front end, too. The early first-series cars, with their short noses, had the lamps nearly flush with the front end. As that front end grew longer, the covers were added, but then removed again later in the TdF’s model run due to a change in Italian law that outlawed them from 1958. Export cars could still be so equipped. Our feature car, originally delivered to Switzerland when new, came equipped with the covers, which were removed early on for Italian events and, at some point later on, re-installed.

Featuring an aluminium body over a tubular steel frame, along with drum brakes and a live rear axle and a mixed coil-spring front/leaf-spring rear suspension, the Tour de France broke no new technological barriers when it arrived on the scene in 1955. Weighing around 2,500 pounds, it relied on its high-revving, #Ferrari 3.0-liter V12 “ #Colombo ” engine to make speed. With a 60-degree cylinder bank angle, single-overhead camshafts and an aggressively over-square 73 mm to 58.8 mm bore-to-stroke ratio, the V12 made approximately 240 hp at a high 7,000 RPM when equipped with 9.0:1 compression pistons. The specific output of the relatively small, normally aspirated #Colombo-V12 was unmatched for years on the street. The chassis and suspension remained highly conventional, its independent front end consisting of unequal-length A-arms supported by coil springs and Houdaille-type shock absorbers. In the rear, leaf springs on either side of the solid rear axle are also damped by the rotary shocks. Riding on a 102.4-inch wheelbase (which would later be known as the longer of the two common 250 GT wheelbases used on the many different versions of the entire range), the TdF’s chassis offered a fairly forgiving ride given its racing intentions.

Gregor offers more insight into driving a Tour de France, in reference to the later short wheelbase version of the 250 GT, commonly as the SWB model: “In some respects, a 250 SWB has more of an advantage over a Tour de France for someone who has got no experience of old cars because a #Ferrari-250SWB has got disc brakes. I think that the drum brakes on a Tour de France are exceptionally good. But it helps if you’ve got more experience of older cars. I think in terms of handling, the cars handle extremely well. I think the gearbox is very similar. I think the later engine of the SWB is a step up, but it’s not black and white. I think the 250 SWB is a definite improvement on the Tour de France, but the Tour de France is on a very high level.

“The Tour de France does everything,” Gregor continues. “As a Berlinetta, there is more room in it, it’s got a roof, it’s got windup windows. You could use it as a daily driver. Would you use a Jaguar XK120 or an XK140 a lot? So, why wouldn’t you use a Tour de France? Everyone is understandably bedazzled by the value of the car, but take all money considerations aside, it’s a thoroughly usable and easy-to-drive, lovely car. It starts. It stays on all 12 cylinders. It stops. It steers. They’re lovely — they’re absolutely lovely to drive!” Inside, the cockpit is far more snug than any modern Ferrari and far more intimate with all of the mechanical chicanery going on; sound deadening does not seem to have been in the Ferrari vocabulary of the Fifties. And the mechanical voices are far more honest compared to the world today where engine sounds are amplified into the cockpit or just dreamed up from a synthesizer and piped through the umpteen-speaker on-board interactive entertainment system. While the high-octane consuming, heavy breathing engine sounds are pretty far from a literal breath of fresh air, they certainly pair appropriately with the car.

In recent years, Ferrari 250 GTs of all stripes — think short wheelbase (SWB) Berlinettas, short- and long-wheelbase California Spiders and, most of all, the 250 GTO — have seen their monetary values rise considerably. Almost all carry seven-figure — or more — price tags. While this situation has very fortunate benefits for current owners who got in when the getting was good, these values have also left far more owners reluctant to actually use the cars. But not Bruce Male.

Owner of serial number 1143GT, the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT featured here, Bruce has been campaigning his car since he acquired it in 2002. Appropriately enough, Bruce was inspired to find a TdF while racing in the Tour Auto, the historic version of the Tour de France Auto, with Gregor as his co-driver. Knowing Gregor’s connections and expertise in the field, Bruce had Gregor out looking for the right car for some time. Eventually, they found it in Europe. The first Swiss owner competed with the car throughout the Continent in its early years, as did subsequent owners, including years later on the vintage circuit.

Once the car was acquired, Gregor had it sorted, including with work done by renowned Ferrari experts GTO Engineering, also based in the U.K. With a previous high-quality restoration holding up well, only some mechanical servicing and tweaking were needed. Knowing that he planned to take the TdF to the track, Bruce also had a four-point roll bar and harnesses installed for safety. Bruce, who makes his home just north of Boston, kept the car in Europe for several years, where he campaigned it, appropriately enough, in the Tour Auto, as well as at several legendary European circuits including Monza, Donington Park, Mugello, Valencia and the Nürburgring. Since returning the car to the U.S. five years ago, Bruce continues to drive it on long-distance rallies, race it at the likes of Lime Rock and show it, along with regular trips to a vacation home in Maine.

Ask if he has any trepidation about driving hard a car of such significant value, and Bruce responds immediately: “No. It’s metal — it can get fixed if there’s a problem. The car was made to be driven, not to be stored in a garage and ‘Oohed and aahed’ over. I have no trepidation. People ask me a lot, ‘How can you drive a car of that value?’ I just don’t think of it that way. I think of it as a car I bought to enjoy.” Overall, in roughly 13 years, Bruce has added more than 18,400 kilometres, or roughly 11,400 miles, of enjoyment to his TdF, many of them at the track.

In an era when the vast majority of vintage competition Ferraris rack up more investment growth than actual track time, Bruce’s use of the TdF rings true to the car’s intended use. And, as for growth of the personal kind, Bruce has taken to sharing his enthusiasm with his sons, Jason and Andrew, both of whom participate in vintage events with Bruce and the Ferrari, as well as other vehicles.

The Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France might not have the purposeful look of the #Ferrari-250-GT-SWB or the aggressively functional visage of the 250 GTO, but instead, from almost any angle, the #Tour-de-France invites and seduces. Bruce, long ago smitten by the car, knows just how strong that attraction can be.

“My wife, Leslie, and I did a tour of Tuscany in 2008. We were driving around in a long string of cars on the small roads of Tuscany and a Carabiniere comes in the other direction, and, really, I’m in a row of cars and there’s no way I am speeding. This cop steps on his brakes, turns his lights and his siren on, makes a U-turn and pulls me over. He went through the motions of asking for my papers. One of the other people behind me who spoke Italian walked up to the other cop and he asked the other cop what was going on. And the other cop said, ‘We’ve never seen a car like this up close. We just wanted to see it.’”

The #1963 #Ferrari-250GT-SWB is the last one ever made and expected to fetch up to £8.47m. / #Ferrari-250GT / #Ferrari-250 / #Ferrari /

250 SWB at #Rétromobile sale

Trying hard to produce a strong follow-up to its atmospheric disposal of the Baillon Collection at its Rétromobile sale earlier this year, French auction house Artcurial has started lining up important lots for its 2016 event, which will be held on February 5.

Currently topping the bill is a 1963 #Ferrari 250 GT SWB, chassis number #4065 – the very last of just 122 made. A left-hand-drive steelbodied car, it was originally shipped to America where it stayed for over 26 years. But since 1989 it has belonged to Swiss collector Antoine Midy, from whose estate the car is now being sold. One of the Holy Grails for car collectors, it has been given an estimate of €9m-€12m (£6.35-£8.47m), which is broadly in line with what was recently famously paid for Richard Colton’s right-hand-drive #Ferrari-250-GT-SWB (see story on previous page).

Also on offer is the only factory-built Ferrari Testarossa Spider. This 1986 car was commissioned specially for Gianni Agnelli, who was at the time president of Fiat. It was painted silver in reference to the first two letters of his surname ‘Ag’ – the periodic table abbreviation for silver. Packed with a host of unique features, the Testarossa has been given an estimate of €680,000-€900,000 (£480,000-£635,000). For more details on these cars and the other lots scheduled to be sold at the Rétromobile sale, see artcurial.com.

LEAVES OTHER FERRARIS IN ITS WAKE

This unique Ferrari-powered racing boat features a V12 engine that raced at Le Mans, Spa and in the Carrera Panamericana - before taking to the water. #1957 #San-Marco-Ferrari #KD800

Words Gerald Guetat // PHOTOGRAPHY Henri Thibault. #San-Marco #Ferrari-KD800

Sitting in the cockpit of this single-seater, the pilot activates the fuel pump and turns over the engine for a few seconds on the starter. Then a few pumps of the throttle to fill the carburettors, the magneto is set to position number three and a finger pushes the starter button again. This time it lights an inferno in 12 cylinders. The tachometer needle jerks round to 1300rpm yet, although the driver keeps his foot down, engine speed soon decreases to 1200pm and it remains ticking over. The water in the tank is heated slowly while oil pressure drops gradually from 100 to 50psi. The sound is fantastic, every single moving part of this historic V12 running like clockwork.

Briefly, the pilot contemplates Ascari and Villoresi, who might have won the Le Mans 24 Hours in #1953 behind this engine if it hadn't been for clutch failure - but today he's not sitting in that car, nor any car. Meanwhile, the water temperature has risen to 60 degrees. The pilot shuts down the engine so that the heat is distributed and continues to rise naturally. Three minutes later he fires it up again and engages the propeller shaft by means of a specially designed gimbal, and keeps his foot on the clutch pedal. He must now increase the acceleration while slipping the clutch to drive the propeller without stalling.

The red racer starts to trace its wake of white foam across Lake Como; the engine is hot, and now the driver can attempt take-off. Lift speed is achieved at the point where most boats have already reached their limit but, here, the party has just begun.

Unlike the other two Ferrari-powered classic racing boats still in existence, this is the only one equipped with an engine taken directly from a prestigious race car - the others have motors that were always intended to power boats. This V12's amazing adventure started on the track at La Sarthe in the year of the first World Sports Car Championship, when Commendatore unleashed a pack of three 340MM coupes. Among the contenders, one - chassis number 0318AM - was specially prepared with a reinforced chassis and a higher-capacity engine of 4494cc, actually a 375 engine directly derived from Aurelio Lampredi's #1950 and #1951 #Formula-1 design. This particular unit was reported as having been prepared for the Indy 500 in #1952 with machined (rather than forged) con-rods.

Entrusted to driving aces #Alberto-Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, the 375 beat the lap record at Le Mans at 181.5km/h (112.5mph), dominating the race and leading at 17 hours only for the clutch to fail at 19 hours, after 229 of a total of 304 laps - thanks, possibly, to the increased torque of its bigger engine. Of the two other cars, only 0322AM finished the race (in fifth, driven by brothers Paolo and Gianni Marzotto), while Hawthorn and Farina's 0320AM had been disqualified after 12 hours.

After Le Mans, the three cars were sent back to Pininfarina to be modified for the rest of the season. The next race was the Spa 24 Hours in Belgium on 26 July, for which the other two cars were also fitted with 375 engines. Hawthorn and Farina won the race in 0322AM, #Ascari and #Villoresi retired in 0320AM (another clutch failure), while 0318AM (entrusted to Umberto Maglioli and Piero Carini) did not finish.

It next crossed the starting line in Mexico, all three sister cars having left for the #Carrera-Panamericana under the private flag of Franco Cornacchia's Scuderia Guastalla. This time 0318AM was driven by Antonio Stagnoli and Giuseppe Scotuzzi, who died when the car left the road at almost 180mph after a tyre burst. Only the engine remained intact, and it was preserved in the garages of Scuderia Guastalla in Milan - until Guido Monzino bought it to mount in the 800kg-class racer he had ordered from Milanese boatbuilder San Marco. Owned by champion boat-racer and Ferrari multiple water speed record-holder Oscar Scarpa, the San Marco yard was a perfect match for Ferrari. This boat, hull number 069, was built in 1957 after the precious V12 was checked by the Ferrari Corsa department at #Maranello . #Guido-Monzino was well-known for his chain of Standa stores, but even better for his expeditions: their wide media coverage almost made him a national hero. He was a wealthy explorer who financed his own adventures to the tops of the highest mountains, the North Pole and other remote spots - a thrill-seeker who loved dramatic landscapes and the feeling of living without limits.

His raceboat was of the 'three point7 type that dominated powerboat racing from the Second World War through to the mid-1970s. Its hull is designed with two wide sponsons at the front while the rear ends with a narrow transom, supporting the propeller and rudder mounts. Therefore, at full speed, the hull is in contact with water at only three points, minimising friction between the hull and the water.

Cooling is a crucial factor. The engine coolant is fed by a 20-litre buffer tank, with a heat exchanger to warm water that is collected from the lake by means of a dynamic scoop under one of the forward floats. This is only effective once the boat is running at a speed of 25-30mph. The pilot has to wait for the water to get up to temperature before revving up to 5000-6000rpm by adjusting the clutch to send the required torque to the propeller, which rotates at the same speed as the engine's output shaft.

Ideally, the lake surface should not be too flat: small ripples actually help to tear the hull away from the surface of the water from about 50mph. At that point the boat becomes a true hydroplane, running faster and faster. Just as Monzino wanted it.

Monzino's offices were in Milan, but he spent as much time as possible at one of the most beautiful houses on Lake Como: the Villa del Balbianello, where the James Bond film Casino Royale was more recently made. There he enjoyed both a sporting and refined existence, with his Ferrari racing boat brought to his private dock on request from a nearby boatyard. The servants loved to watch him, impeccably dressed, climbing into the cockpit of the red San Marco, casting off and speeding towards Como with a fantastic roar from its V12 engine. Within 15 minutes, he would alight at the Yacht Club where a Ferrari awaited to whisk him off to Milan. Now that's the way to commute.

Monzino was an accomplished water pilot, yet the only race that attracted him was the Raid Pa via-Venezia, a competition on a wild river that was similar in spirit to some of his great adventures (see panel, left).

By the late 1960s, Monzino had acquired some of the most expensive cars in Maranello's catalogue, such as a 400 Superamerica and a #Ferrari-250GT-California-Spider . Yet his aquatic escapades had become less frequent. Stored at the boatyard near his romantic villa on the lake, the red racer had been almost abandoned when a young student of the Fine Arts Academy of Milan discovered it in #1969 and was fascinated by the aesthetics of this strange machine. Monzino reluctantly accepted a meeting with the young Austrian eccentric, who went by the name of Dody Jost, and a deal was done. Jost took deliver)' of the boat, which was in need of restoration: three-point hulls are delicate and one doesn't launch a #Ferrari racing V12 onto the water without taking certain precautions. Jost went on to own the Nautilus hotel, with its own private dock on Lake Como, and kept his boat there for a few years before starting its full restoration.

The hull was entrusted to respected Como competition boatyard Luccini, while the engine went to the Diena & Silingardi Sport Auto workshop, specialists in rare Ferraris on Modena's Via Toscanini. Conducted piece by piece, the process took years to complete. It was recently exhibited at the Museo Casa Natale #Enzo-Ferrari in #Modena , where it fascinated not only the public but also the historians of the Maranello factor)'. For years they had paid little attention to Ferrari-engined boats yet in 2012 Ferrari Classiche itself made the trip to survey it. After a detailed examination, its engine received official recognition.

Collectable Ferraris with an exceptional pedigree can reach sky-high prices at auction: witness 0320AM, the 340/375MM sister car to the one from which the San Marco's engine was taken, which found a buyer for nearly €10 million at the RM Villa d'Erba sale in #2013 (and which was featured). But the San Marco's potential monetary value is of no great concern to Dody Jost.

'Smaller racers were powered by Alfa Romeo or BPM engines of 2.0 litres or less, whereas these 800kg "monsters" had 4.0-to-6.0-litre engine displacement, and sometimes even more,' he says. 'Driving is a delicate operation requiring a lot of concentration, because to go fast the hull must hover to avoid contact with the water except at the extremities of the lateral floats and the rear propeller. The engine torque is critical because, when starting up, the boat behaves like a mono water-skier. Fast engine response is essential to get the boat to lift out of the water.

This is where the multi-disc clutch is crucial to provide maximum torque for lift-off. The hull of a racer is built to go fast; it is much more manoeuvrable when it is gliding across the surface of the water.'

There's a secret to steering this boat, too: 'The profile of the rudder is designed for high speeds and responds immediately to the slightest command from the wheel, which requires a lot of concentration. The super-cavitation propeller is only half-immersed in water and the pilot can hear its characteristic roar at full throttle: 7000rpm. The torque of the propeller rotates in a clockwise direction and tends to turn the boat to the right. This is why a small winglet is fixed under the left sponson to help stabilise the boat.'

Even that sleight of engineering hand can't help in all circumstances, however. 'Race circuits always turned counter-clockwise around the buoys. Attacking such a turn is very tricky because it requires the pilot to reduce speed but not by too much, to prevent the hull from sinking back into the water, which would bring the craft to a halt within a few metres. One can imagine the race conditions of a pack of boats sending up huge white sheaves of water as they slip out of their trajectories in the furious chop generated by the hulls and propellers.'

How does it compare with racing a car? 'The powerboat champions had no reason to be envious of their colleagues on the track in terms of courage, strength and sense of anticipation. However, as in automobile racing, you can recover on a straight stretch, casing the acceleration to maintain 6000-6500rpm and attain maximum speed over the water. It's an exhilarating sensation - matched by the fabulous roar of the #Ferrari-375MM V12. We'll certainly take his word for that.

Boat #1957 #San-Marco-Ferrari-KD800
ENGINE 6494cc V12, SOHC per bank, three #Weber 40IF4C four-barrel carburettors
POWER 340bhp @ 7000rpm
TRANSMISSION Propeller shaft with manual attachment and multi-disc clutch, twin-blade propeller.
WEIGHT 800kg
PERFORMANCE Top speed c140mph


Attacking the Raid Pavia-Venezia
The longest river race in the world

The raid #Pavia-Venezia , founded in #1929 , still occupies a unique place in the hearts of powerboat racing enthusiasts in Italy. The route followed some 280 miles of the wide and wild Po river, including locks and unstable sandbanks that were hidden just below the water, as well as blind curves and threatening bridge piles, all passed at high speed.

Taking part is a true adventure through relative wilderness: no wonder it attracted entrepreneur and explorer Guido Monzino. In #1958 he gave Ferrari third place, the best ranking it would ever achieve in the race, averaging 88.26km/h (54.72mph). He finished the race after U hours 36 minutes, AO minutes behind the husband-and- wife crew of Tarcisio and Amelia Marega (in a Timossi-BPM) and 30 minutes behind the great champion of the race, Paolo Petrobelli, with mechanic M Pacchioni (Timossi-BPM).

This was an honourable performance for a casual racing driver. At the time, the regulations required a two-man crew: the driver took the wheel while the ‘mechanic’ was supposed to go down into the river bed to dig the boat out of sandbanks. Today, the race no longer exists in its original form, due to low waters in late spring and, sadly, a lack of sponsorship.

Left and above. This boat was originally built by San Marco of Milan in 1957 for the Italian adventurer and chain store owner Guido Monzino, who used it to commute from his villa on Lake Como. Today it is fully restored and kept by the owner of a Lake Como hotel.

‘THE RED RACER TRACES ITS WAKE ACROSS LAKE COMO, THE ENGINE IS HOT AND THE DRIVER CAN ATTEMPT TAKE OFF

Right. Le Mans 1953: car no 12 was specially equipped with a 4.5-litre ‘375’ V12, but retired due to clutch failure - it subsequently donated its engine to this San Marco racing boat; at speed on Lake Como, fast enough for hydroplaning to take effect.

Right, top and bottom Steering wheel controls a rear rudder, though an additional fin counteracts the torque effect of the V12 - seen here with its triple Weber carburettors, and capable of a 340bhp output.

Road to Daytona Ferrari Daytona Prototype. As Daytona model was a milestone for Ferrari so it was this car - the very first prototype of what became the 365 GTB / 4 "Daytona" - that started the process. Now it has regained its former glory after a ten-year restoration. Text: Jeroen Booij. Photo: Pieter E. Kamp.

Leonardo Fioravanti, the man who created the name Pininfarina Ferrari Daytona. Even today, he considers it to be one of his masterpieces. Something that becomes particularly clear when trying to interview him about other things - and he still insists on talking about Daytonan.

It was born more or less by accident. I saw a 275 GTS chassis, the open version of the 275 GTB, get on a truck. It was on the way to be fitted with a body, but the chassis was complete with wheels, engine, seats and steering wheel, albeit still quite naked. When I saw it I thought, "we are doing wrong - completely wrong." I started sketching and came up with a proposal for a new car.

The boss said it was impossible to replace the 275 GTB already, the model was too new. But he liked what he saw and we showed it to Enzo Ferrari who fell for the profile and rear, but did not like the front. I had taken into account the very long wheel base of 275, something that had been done to the car felt like it had a little "too much" body. We changed the front and asked Ferrari once again - it was unusual that you had to do it - and now it was okay, he really liked it.


So it was that 275 received a replacement after just over 800 built, but it was only after they felled a few prototypes to substitute. In fact, the very first of the six test series a completely different front than the Daytona we know, something Fioravanti had not told earlier. Neither he nor I had not any idea that the very unique car was about to be restored to original condition, and it is not far from my home in Holland. But you can not know everything. Something that also applies to the owner of the prototype. His name is Gerard van Bergen, is a 73-year-old car salesman who bought it in 2003 without knowing that it was a prototype! How can that be possible?

Well, when is it going sometimes so fast that you do not have time to check the details, he says with a happy smile. Van Bergen has bought and sold the most during the greater part of his life, he started as a 17-year-old with dealing with livestock. When foot and mouth disease broke out operations in the second half of the 60s, he decided to switch to cars. Half a century later the Dutchman runs a small leasing company, has some properties and is still active as a car salesman, now with one of his sons. As a hobby, he has renovated several classics along with a friend, mostly Mercedes cars.

We fixed a 300 SL Roadster, a brace, a pagoda and a 190 SL, which we turned into a 190 SLR. Slowly I became more and more interested in the Ferrari, too, he says. I bought a Testarossa, had a F512M and has repaired a crashed F40. But my dream was a GT-car from the 1960s. Then I came across this in Switzerland, it was in a sorry state but I managed to get it started and participated in a club rally in 2003.
Do you have any idea about what it is? Asked one of the older members. Well, one item that needs an awful lot of work, I replied. Slowly it dawned on me that it really was a very special car and I had to find out its entire history. It took a year to sort out it.


It was during the inquiries that van Bergen came in contact with the Ferrari expert Marcel Massini, who confirmed its prototype status. With chassis number 10287 proved to be the first of the six test cars, a 275 GTB-based creation that came into being in the spring of 1967. Scaglietti was commissioned to build the prototype of the Pininfarina and did so under the code name "Study 109". After it is mostly unclear. In fact, the car used for the test around the old aerodrome Modena, although it was never published.

Since it was sold to an unknown owners even before the 365 GTB / 4 Daytona was unveiled in 1968. It then cost eight million lire (about the same price as for a new 275 GTB) and was recorded in Rome. The next owner, Gianpaolo Salgarella in Bologna, paid three million lira in 1972, but as the car is said to have been injured. Shortly thereafter, was exported to the US and found new homes, first in Georgia, then in Mississippi and Illinois, and finally in southern California.

Somewhere in the chain got it a facelift, the colour changed from grey to red and headlights changed to some taken from a 275 GTB. Van Bergen believe it was to make the car more easily sold. - That it was a prototype did not mean much at the time. But the 275 GTB had been coveted for some time, so maybe it had something to do with it, he says.

Rebuilt yet again, this time to Daytona with the hood over the headlights, the car was found in 1988 a new owner of Dutchman Henk van de Meene. He put it in his Swiss garage and sold it since the beginning of the 1990s to another man in Switzerland. Then it took another ten years before Van Bergen became the ninth owner. Shortly after he bought decided he decided to start a thorough restoration. The first idea was to do it in-house, along with his friend, but it soon became apparent that the job demanded specialists. - With lots of patience, we manufactured a manifold but when a Ferrari club member came to take a look, he said "what on earth are you doing? I know you like Mercedes, but this is totally wrong, and it must be easier. "

It was only to begin anew. Of the few photographs we had revealed that the whole body changed slightly. And of the right headlamp, we had just left the house, but sat on the left side! The rear fenders were also bad and needed lots of new material. At the same time began to hunt for the headlights of the correct type. - Fiat 850 Spider have similar lights, but the glass on them are ribbed and the pictures we had we could see that Ferraris was not. It took me two years to find out what they were, Carello number so and so. Then I found a couple in the US and the guy wanted 1250 dollars for them. Sure, I could have let manufacture new but what it did not cost! In addition, I wanted the real thing, no copies. I always thought that it is worth the price in the end.



Judging by the results, it is just as when it left Maranello. The leather-wrapped instrument panel, aluminium, paper mill used as insulation behind the door panels, the primer is applied to the body to a year before it had the grey colour - a cellulose lacquer to the original factory specifications ...

Then it was the engine. If perchance thought that the body was the oddest of this unique car, it's time to reconsider. Under the bonnet sits namely the world's only #Lampredi-V12 engine of the "243-type". There is an experimental machine with dry sump, two spark plugs per cylinder and three instead of four valves per cylinder. The foundation is a 330 GT-block taken up to 4380 cc, yet it is the cylinder heads, which is the most unique of the machine. Engine Builder Alex Jansen of Forza Service claims that the engine is experimental and probably made the competition department.

The cylinder heads are completely flat, which means that the combustion chambers located in the piston tops. That, and the tight angle between the valves, makes the dual camshafts can fit in a single cam housing. To fit the dual plugs has moved to the outside of the peaks. The only thing unchanged is the assembly of the six dual Weber 40 DCN carburettors, but the characteristic air filter box is missing and instead sits six pairs of open intake trumpets on Ferrari racing cars. The only engine I've seen that, in addition to the spark plug placement, similar to this is the race car 330 P4! And as it sounds! Van Bergen hit at the gas pump and turn on the small key. The starter motor turns slowly and it takes a few laps before the twelve cylinders filled and the engine slams started with a characteristic metallic sound. - This is hardly the perfect car for the winding back roads, he says, trying to drown out the rumbling V12. It needs a little turns and thrives best if you wait to switch to at about 7000 revolutions ... First he warms up gently. When the temperature reading is 90 degrees his pedal and the prototype as well as lifts, starts dancing back and leave everyday traffic in the rear-view mirror. At lower speeds it spits a little, "camshafts" said engine builder Jansen and refers to machine racing shield.

But as soon as a straight pop up, things happen. As the lap increases the beast begins to breathe properly and it is then, when the needle on the tachometer suddenly shoots up, you get goose bumps. Compared with all modern sports and GT cars is its position in the leather, contoured seat remarkably high. That, along with the narrow A-pillars, gives a great overview. The long hood stretches out along the way and the main four instruments are all gathered behind Nardiratten. The large tachometer graduated up to 8000, but the red mark begins in 7000, meaning that van Bergen is not afraid to use the unique machine and he revving happily past the 7000.



The instrument panel itself is simpler than in the later production cars that had the eight instruments combined. Here are some conditioned place in the middle along with six toggle switches. Moreover, there is a very Italian cigarette lighter - no longer will be used ...

The odometer shows 32,400 kilometres - have resisted the temptation to set it back to zero and van Bergen has only driven a few mil since the car's restoration was completed.

Ferrari, however, has been traveling back and forth to Italy a few times, but then in a covered trailer. First, it was taken to the manicured lawns of the Villa d'Este. From van Bergen made a small detour to Maranello on the way back to see the car for Marco Arrighi at Ferrari Classiche.

The only thing missing was the car namely the coveted Classic. There appeared, however, up an unexpected problem, namely Arrighi found some sketchy pictures of the car, but they were still clear enough to show that it originally had three instead of two tail lights! After an eye Spirit showed it to be true, and Van Bergen looked forced and compelled to cut new holes in the stern of the newly restored car!

When offered Ferrari Classiche to help him, they had even hired an old retired guy from Scaglietti bodywork which once installed these light units!

It was great, but even if it was #Ferrari-Classic felt nervous. It was like handing over one of my children to an unknown surgeon. It was almost as if I persisted in getting to sleep next to the car...

Finally, after seven sorrows and eight afflictions almost ten years, is the van Bergen pleased with the end result. And it is also the Ferrari, which is well proven to be borrowed car over the summer and put it in his museum in Maranello.

The question is what Gerard van Bergen dream car now, when this is done? He thinks, and shines up: - A Daytona Competizione - a standard Daytona is just too "normal" for this project...

TECHNICAL DATA #Ferrari-Daytona-Prototype / #1967 / #Ferrari-Daytona / #Ferrari
Engine: V12, 3 valves per cylinder, dual ignition, dry sump, capacity 4380cc
Maximum power DIN 352 hp at 7500rpm
Maximum torque DIN 300 Nm at 5000rpm
Transmission: Five-speed, manual gearbox fitted together with the diff - transaxle-type
Body and Chassis: Steel Body on steel frame, double wishbone and coil springs and anti-roll bars front and rear.
Dunlop disc brakes all around.
Tyres Michelin XWX 205/70 VR14
Weight 1,350kg.
Performance:
0-62 MPH 0-100 kph about 6.5 seconds.
Top speed of about 280 kph
Price: New 1968 8 000 000 lire.
Today, it is invaluable.

Probably only gone as little as 3240 miles, but in that time it has had a number of different fronts.

Ferrari Daytona #Prototype #V12

With two tight overhead camshafts under the same cover is unique cylinder heads. Furthermore, the plugs located on the exterior and the entire combustion chamber can fit in plunger tips when the tips are completely flat underside. According to the experts, the engine is based on a 330-drilled block and reminiscent of the one in the racing car 330 P4, even if it is not quite like. Probably, it is built as an experiment.

Under the bonnet will we as expected V12 machine.
But this time it is completely unique to this copy.
Decor is your own mix of different Ferrari models of time. Dashboard is quite different from the one that came in Daytona.
Front remind me of the 275 GTB, but my party is definitely Daytona. And the three rear lights is only remarkable.