Friday's Ferrari

This is a car that took part in a Shell Historic Ferrari Maserati Challenge race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's the 1971 Ferrari 712 Can-Am of Carlos Monteverde, driven at this meeting by David Franklin, and pictured here in the pit garage. The programme of the event had this note about the race by Neil F Murray:

 

'These disc braked cars are well out of VSCC territory, thus making me unqualified to pass comment on them. However, one thing that I can guarantee you is that they will be extremely swift, with David Franklin's Can Am car of nearly 7 litres being near the front, if not out in front.'

 

The car started life in 1970 as a Ferrari 512 S but was converted to 712 specs in 1971, and its chassis number is 1010.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

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 the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. It also competed at the Coys meeting at Silverstone in 1997 when a note in the programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

This is the only Alfa Romeo 158/159 in private hands, and it was given by Alfa Romeo to Michel Poberejsky (who had raced under the name Mike Sparken) in exchange for the ex-Lord Doune 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Le Mans Berlinetta which had competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year. Michel Poberejsky later sold the car to Carlos Monteverde, and later went to Carlo Vöegele.

Three each of the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 cars still exist, and this one is chassis 158.107 and has engine 159.227 - the others are as follows:

158

Chassis 158.005 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum at Arese with engine 158.102.

Chassis 158.109 on display in the Biscaretti Museum, Turin.

 

159

Chassis 159.109 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum as a chassis without bodywork, with engine 159.211.

Chassis 159.111 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum.

Chassis 159.112 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum and used in events.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the car pictured below.

It's a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

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.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This was one of the competitors in the HGPCA Pre-1952 Grand Prix Car Race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1998.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. It also competed at the Coys meeting at Silverstone in 1997 when a note in the programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

This is the only Alfa Romeo 158/159 in private hands, and it was given by Alfa Romeo to Michel Poberejsky (who had raced under the name Mike Sparken) in exchange for the ex-Lord Doune 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Le Mans Berlinetta which had competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year. Michel Poberejsky later sold the car to Carlos Monteverde, and it has since been purchased by Carlo Voegele.

Three each of the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 cars still exist, and this one is chassis 158.107 and has engine 159.227 - the others are as follows:

158

Chassis 158.005 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum at Arese with engine 158.102.

Chassis 158.109 on display in the Biscaretti Museum, Turin.

159

Chassis 159.109 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum as a chassis without bodywork, with engine 159.211.

Chassis 159.111 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum.

Chassis 159.112 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum and used in events.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the two cars pictured below.

The car on the left is a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

On the right is the 1957 Ferrari 335S of Peter Sachs, which has a 4.023cc V12 engine and is chassis #0700.  Four of these cars were produced, one a converted 315S, as Ferrari's answer to the threat the 4½ litre Maserati 450S posed for the smaller engined Ferrari 315S and 290MM. The first race for the 335S was the 1957 Mille Miglia where two cars were entered, Peter Collins driving #0700 with Louis Klementaski as co-driver, but retiring with a broken drive shaft when in the lead. The second car, chassis #0676, was driven by Alfonso de Portago, partnered by Ed Nelson, but a burst tyre caused the car to leave the road and crash, killing both men together with 10 spectators. As a result of this crash the Italian government banned racing on public roads in Italy so that was the end of the Mille Miglia, though since 1977 the event has been revived as a regularity run for pre-1958 cars that would have been eligible for the original race. The 1957 race was won by Piero Taruffi in a Ferrari 315S, and Ferrari also won the 1957 World Sportscar Championship, with a 290MM winning the 1000km of Buenos Aires, and Peter Collins and Phil Hill winning the last race of the season, the Gran Premio de Venezuela in 335S #0700. The Maserati 450S won two races, the Sebring 12 hour race and the Swedish Grand Prix, and the other two races were won by British cars, Aston Martin winning the Nürburgring 1000 km and Jaguar cleaned up at Le Mans with Ecurie Ecosse D-Types in the first two places with 3 other D-Types in third, fourth and sixth places.

Friday's Ferrari

This was one of the competitors in the Italy v Rest of the World race for Pre 1959 Drum Brake Sports Cars at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

It’s Carlos Monteverde’s 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis 0568M, with the Aurelio Lampredi designed 3,000cc 4-cylinder inline engine and was driven in the race by David Franklin. This car had a very chequered history about which the programme of the event says this:

'Built in 1955, with the three-litre four-cylinder engine - following the rule of thumb that the type number multiplied by the number of pots gives the capacity - this sleek sports-racer has an extraordinary competition history, if not with star drivers.

Originally supplied to French racer François Picard, it finished third in the '56 Agadir Grand Prix in Morocco, and third back on home soil on the speedbowl at Montlhéry, just outside Paris. Thereafter the Italian stallion spent much of its life in Scandinavia, where initially Swedish owner Tore Bjurström used it for the popular local pursuit of ice racing!

From there a short hop to Finland to its next custodian, Carl-Otto Bremer, who returned it to more conventional pastures. After finishing sixth in the '57 Swedish Grand Prix at Kristianstad, won by Jean Behra/Stirling Moss in a Maserati 450S, Bremer confined his major outings to the Helsinki GP thereafter, and the combination won in '59 having finished third the previous year.

Carlos Monteverde acquired  'The Ice Racer' two years ago, and commissioned Tony Merrick to undertake a full mechanical restoration, while leaving the body original. David Franklin has tested the car extensively and says it is beautifully balanced with its five-speed transaxle, but races it for the first time here.'

Friday's Ferrari

I took this photograph of these two Ferraris at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting in August 2001.

Both cars belonged to Brazilian Carlos Monteverde, the one of the left being a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, chassis 0738TR, with the Gioacchino Colombo designed 2,953cc V12 engine and was driven in the race by Carlos Monteverde himself. On the right is a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza, chassis 0568M, with the Aurelio Lampredi designed 3,000cc 4-cylinder inline engine and was driven in the race by David Franklin. This car had a very chequered history about which the programme of the event says this:

'Built in 1955, with the three-litre four-cylinder engine - following the rule of thumb that the type number multiplied by the number of pots gives the capacity - this sleek sports-racer has an extraordinary competition history, if not with star drivers.

Originally supplied to French racer François Picard, it finished third in the '56 Agadir Grand Prix in Morocco, and third back on home soil on the speedbowl at Montlhéry, just outside Paris. Thereafter the Italian stallion spent much of its life in Scandinavia, where initially Swedish owner Tore Bjurström used it for the popular local pursuit of ice racing!

From there a short hop to Finland to its next custodian, Carl-Otto Bremer, who returned it to more conventional pastures. After finishing sixth in the '57 Swedish Grand Prix at Kristianstad, won by Jean Behra/Stirling Moss in a Maserati 450S, Bremer confined his major outings to the Helsinki GP thereafter, and the combination won in '59 having finished third the previous year.

Carlos Monteverde acquired  'The Ice Racer' two years ago, and commissioned Tony Merrick to undertake a full mechanical restoration, while leaving the body original. David Franklin has tested the car extensively and says it is beautifully balanced with its five-speed transaxle, but races it for the first time here.'

Friday's Ferrari

 This car took part in the Italian Historic Car Cup race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1969 4,993cc V12 Ferrari 512S of Carlos Monteverde who shared the driving in the hour long race with Gary Pearson. Twenty five examples of the Ferrari 512 were produced, allowing it to be homologated into the FIA's Group 5 Sports Car Category, and this car is chassis 1016. It was developed to challenge the Porsche 917 in the International Championship for Makes but won only one race in the 10 round Championship (Ignazio Giunti/Nino Vacarella/Mario Andretti at Sebring in 1970), although the Ferrari team picked up two second and four third places to finish that season in second place to Porsche.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This car competed in the Magneti Marelli UK Race for Pre-1952 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. A note in the Silverstone programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

This is the only Alfa Romeo 158/159 in private hands, and it was given by Alfa Romeo to Michel Poberejsky (who had raced under the name Mike Sparken) in exchange for the ex-Lord Doune 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Le Mans Berlinetta that had competed in the Le Mans 24 Hour race that year. Michel Poberejsky later sold the car to Carlos Monteverde, and it has since been purchased by Carlo Voegele.

Three each of the Alfa Romeo 158 and 159 cars still exist, and this one is chassis 158.107 and has engine 159.227 - the others are as follows:

158

Chassis 158.005 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum at Arese with engine 158.102.

Chassis 158.109 on display in the Biscaretti Museum, Turin.

159

Chassis 159.109 on display in the Alfa Romeo Museum as a chassis without bodywork, with engine 159.211.

Chassis 159.111 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum.

Chassis 159.112 on display in Alfa Romeo Museum and used in events.

Friday's Ferrari

This car is listed in the programme of the event as a reserve for the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge race at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 C of Carlos Monteverde and was due to be driven in the race by David Franklin. The 365 GTB/4 C is a competition version of the GTB/4 with an aluminium body and the Gioacchino Colombo designed 4,390cc V12 engine is specially tuned to give 400 bhp. Carlos Monteverde's car is chassis #15667 and is the eighth of the fifteen competition cars that were built. The car was originally acquired by Charles Pozzi who entered it for the 1972 Le Mans 24 Hour race where it was driven by Claude Ballot-Léna and Jean-Claude Andruet, finishing in fifth place overall and winning the GTS class.

Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the car pictured below.

It's a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

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 Dutch National Motor Museum at The Hague.

1948 Alfa Romeo 158

This car was one of the competitors in the Magneti Marelli UK Race for Pre-1952 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.

It's the 1948 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlos Monteverde and was driven in the race by Willie Green. The Alfa Romeo 158 was originally designed in 1938 to compete in the pre-war Voiturette class of racing and has a 1,479cc supercharged straight-8 engine. A note in the Silverstone programme said this:

'The final two seasons of pre-war voiturette racing were dominated by Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158, a scaled-down version of one of its GP designs. Whenever it ran it won, leaving the Maserati and ERA opposition to fight over the pickings. Alfa carried on in the 1940s where it had left off before the war, for the 'Alfetta', as it was known, now complied with the new Grand Prix regulations. It retired in one 1946 race, but from then on was unbeatable until, famously, an unblown 4.5 litre Ferrari dealt the death blow here at Silverstone in 1951.'

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in two rounds of the Shell Historic Ferrari-Maserati Challenge series at the VSCC's meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's a 1972 Ferrari 712 Can Am, chassis #1010, and is powered by the biggest engine that Ferrari has ever produced, a V12 unit of 6,860cc. It started off life in 1970 as a Ferrari 512S with a 4,994cc V12 engine, but was converted to 712 specifications in 1971 and was used in Can Am racing by the NART team in 1972. It was owned at the time of this Donington Park meeting by Carlos Monteverde and was driven that day by David Franklin. This photograph was taken in the pit lane during a practice session.

Friday's Ferrari

This is a photograph taken at Redgate Corner on the opening lap of a Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge race at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

The Ferrari in second place is the 1952/54 Ferrari 625, #0482, of Alexander Boswell, originally a Ferrari 500 that raced in the World Championship races of 1952 and 1953 when there was a 2-litre capacity limit. When this was increased to 2½ litres in 1954 the cars were lengthened, the engines replaced by 2½ litre units, and it was re-designated a Ferrari 625. On 28 July 2017 I showed a photograph of this car at the HGPCA meeting at Donington Park earlier in 2004. The car on the outside leading the race is the 1937 Maserati 6CM of Stefan Schollwöck and is chassis #1547, a car originally belonging to Austin Dobson. Behind Alexander Boswell is the 1939/50 Alfa Romeo 158 of Carlo Vögele, being driven by Willie Green, and on 24 May 2018 I featured three other photographs of the car at this meeting. Just visible at the rear is the 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa of Carlos Monteverde, #0738TR, which I pictured in the pit lane at this meeting on 29 January 2016.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Italian Historic Car Cup race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010.

It's the 1969 4,993cc V12 Ferrari 512 S of Carlos Monteverde who shared the driving in the hour long race with Gary Pearson. Twenty five examples of the Ferrari 512 were produced, allowing it to be homologated into the FIA's Group 5 Sports Car Category, and this car is chassis 1016.

I've shown photographs of this car previously in the hands of two previous owners, on 16 May 2014 at Silverstone in 1998 when owned by Brandon Wang, and on 12 April 2013 at Donington Park in 2003 when owned by Olivier Cazalieres.

Friday's Ferrari

This car competed in the Shell Ferrari Maserati Challenge Race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Historic Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's the 1967 2-litre Ferrari Dino 206S of Brazilian (hence the yellow/green colours) Carlos Monteverde, chassis #032. The car was badged as a 'Dino' instead of 'Ferrari', so the chassis numbering didn't follow the standard Ferrari sequence. I've shown photographs twice previously of the Dino 206S, on 16 December 2016 and 17 February 2017.

Lister Corvette

This car competed in the BRDC Historic Sports Car Championship Race at the Silverstone Historic Tribute meeting in June 2004.

It's the 1959 Costin-bodied 5.3 litre Lister Corvette of Julian Bronson, which was originally built for Mike Anthony. Next to it is the 1956 Ferrari 750 Monza (chassis #0568M) of Carlos Monteverde that I featured on 27 June 2014.

Ferocious looking beast!

Friday's Ferrari

This is a car that took part in a Shell Historic Ferrari Maserati Challenge race at the VSCC's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Donington Park in June 2003.

It's the 1971 Ferrari 712 Can-Am of Carlos Monteverde, driven at this meeting by David Franklin, and pictured here in the pit lane during a practice session. The programme of the event had this note about the race by Neil F Murray:

'These disc braked cars are well out of VSCC territory, thus making me unqualified to pass comment on them. However, one thing that I can guarantee you is that they will be extremely swift, with David Franklin's Can Am car of nearly 7 litres being near the front, if not out in front.'

The car started life in 1970 as a Ferrari 512 S but was converted to 712 specs in 1971, and its chassis number is 1010. On 1 February 2013 I showed a photograph of the car when it was part of a Ferrari display at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997.