Friday's Ferrari

This car took part in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's Carlos Monteverde's 1952 Ferrari 375 Indianapolis, one of four cars specially prepared with a 4,382cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi for the 1952 Indianapolis 500 race. One of the cars was to be driven in the race by Alberto Ascari, the others being sold to American drivers. Ascari's car was the only one to qualify for the race, in 19th position on the grid and in the race got as high as 8th position at one point but the spokes on one of the rear wheels gave way on lap 40 putting him out of the race. Carlos Monteverde's car is chassis #2 which was sold to Gerry Grant, becoming the Grant Piston Ring Special, to be driven by Johnny Parsons, but he had a falling out with Ferrari and switched to a Kurtis Offenhauser for the race where he finished in tenth place. Danny Oakes took over the Grant Piston Ring Special but failed to qualify. Afterwards the car was sold to a partnership of four people, eventually ended up with one of them, Ernie Beutller, from whom Carlos Monteverde acquired it in 1997. I understand that the car is now with the Louwman Museum at The Hague.