Tag Archives: Mozart

Au Revoir Le Mans – Ferrari 275 GTB Copetizione #9015

Last Ferrari Friday I left students of the marque a little challenge to find a photo of Ed Hugus driving a NART Ferrari 250 LM to victory in the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hour Race.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Unsurprisingly none has shown up, so for the time being I will have to continue to surmise it never happened. If it did the Ferrari would have been disqualified because both Jochen Rindt and Marsten Gregory continued driving the car after the alleged incident and replacement drivers were allowed only if one of the two nominated drivers took no further driving duties. On the other hand it would have been quite a coup for NART owner Luigi Chinetti to pull one over the, at times particularly pedantic, race organisers.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Ed had a driving career that spanned from the early ’50’s to 1969 that included a class win at Le Mans in 1957 when he was driving a Porsche. He competed as a driver in the Le Mans 24 hours in 1964 for the last, known, time driving a ’64 NART Ferrari 250 GTO, a race from which the car retired with differential issues.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

In 1966 NART, Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team took delivery of today’s featured 275 GTB Competizione and appear to have entered it in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours under Ed Hugus name for Giampiero Biscaldi and Michel de Bourbon-Parme to drive with Ed named as reserve.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Giampiero and Michel qualified 35th and made it all the way to lap 218, about two thirds of the distance covered by the class winning 275 GTB/C driven by Mike Parkes and Roy Pike, before retiring with clutch and gearbox issues.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

#9015 is only known to have been entered in one other event at Road Atlanta where Bill Harrahs Modern Classic Motors entered Bob Grossman and Denise McCluggage in the ’66 500 mile race in which they finished 12th.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Ed continued racing another couple of years in the USA with a Porsche 906 and a fearsome Porsche powered device known as the ‘Tricor Special’ with which he won his last, known, race at Daytona in August 1968.

By 1980 #9015 had passed into the hands of New York collector Anthony Wang. John and Heather Mozart of Palo Alto acquired #9015 in 2011 and entered it into last years Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance where Geoffrey Horton took these photographs.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Au Revoir Le Mans” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the first hybrid to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Customising Crocodiles – Bugatti Type 57SC Roadster #57593

In 1938 a British Colonel G.M. Giles bought a supercharged Bugatti Type 57 chassis #57593 sans body the unique design of which he entrusted to his brother Eric Giles and Jean Bugatti.

Bugatti Type 57SC, Giles Corsica Roadster, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

The Corsica Coachworks in London were entrusted with the realisation of the body which was painted light blue and trimmed with Connolly leather “imprinted with a crocodile texture”.

Bugatti Type 57SC, Giles Corsica Roadster, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

Colonel Giles kept the car until 1939 after which it’s history is well documented all the way to the present owner Californian Property Developer and founder of the Mozart Foundation Automobile Museum in Mountain View California, John Mozart.

Bugatti Type 57SC, Giles Corsica Roadster, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

John drove the car for many miles before undertaking a restoration of the car which was completed in time to be awarded the best in show accolade at the 1998 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Bugatti Type 57SC, Giles Corsica Roadster, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

It would appear the restoration and subsequent award ruffled a few feathers causing one European hack to comment “Dismay has greeted news that a customized Bugatti was the shock ‘best of show’ winner of this year’s prestigious Pebble Beach Concourse d’Elegance…”

Bugatti Type 57SC, Giles Corsica Roadster, Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance

It would appear that a rather antagonistic and possibly xenophobic minority in the old car community took a disliking to John’s choice of colour for the vehicle, which discretely hides some of it’s clumsy finish, the use of chrome stone guards on the leading edges of the rear wings / fenders, which are a vast improvement on the original and unsightly black rubber items, or the use of real crocodile hide in place of the Connolly leather “imprinted with a crocodile texture”.

For my money John has done a great job improving on the original intention of the Giles brothers vision and certainly kept to the spirit of the vision, personally if I had the cash and the choice I’d much rather own the Corsica Roadster #57375, but a Bugatti is a Bugatti and I doubt Mr Mozarts example will be turning any fewer heads than my personal favourite.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photographs which he took at Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance in 2011.

Thanks for joining me on this “Customising Crocodiles” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at what has been happening at the Avenue Drivers Club this year. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ross Page Special – Kurtis Duray

Today’s featured Ross Page Special was built around a frame designed by Frank Kurtis in California using some parts that were taken from Leon Duray’s Indy Car originally built 1931.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

It was one of the few post war designed and built cars that went to the start line of the 1946 Indy 500.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

The Ross Page Special is recorded on the Indy 500 website as being a Kurtis Duray, it ran with a motor that started life as a 1932 Miller 220 but which was modified by 2 time Indy winner George Stewart better known as Leon Duray and the Offenhauser Engineering Company who fitted a super charger. Though the badge on the front carries the words Miller Ross Page, Indy 500 historian Michael Ferner tells me the car was referred to in period as “Offenhauser Special”, “Page Offenhauser Special”, “Ross Page Offenhauser Special”, “Page Special” and “Ross Page Special”. The names of frame and bodywork builder Kurtis, engine originator Miller and engine modifier Duray have all been added retrospectively.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

Mel Hansen started the 1946 Indy 500 from 27th on the grid and was classified 11th having retired on lap 143 with a crankshaft issue. For some reason that is not clear to me the car is listed in the official Indy 500 results as the #4 though the photographic evidence shows the car carrying the #41.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

In 1947 rookie Fred Agabashian started the Indy 500 from 23rd on the grid and was classified 9th and running with 191 laps completed.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

The following year Fred could only start from 32nd on the grid and only managed 58 laps before retiring with a broken oil line and was classified 23rd with the car now carrying the #26.

Ross Page Special, Kurtis Miller, Desert Classic Concours d' Elegance, Palm Springs

When the car was restored by John and Heather Mozart it was briefly used raced in vintage events before being donated to the Peterson Automotive Museum. The car is seen here at last years Desert Classics Concours d’Elegance.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for the photographs and Michael Ferner for the details about the cars name and build.

Thanks for joining me on this “Ross Page Special edition of getting a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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