Tag Archives: Pappalardo

The Pack Team – Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim #1519GT

In 1950 5 Swiss MG TC owners, Jean Cottin, Richard Crot, Willy Ducrey, Jaques Jonneret and Edmond Tocchio in Geneva founded Ecurie La Meute, The Pack Team, because the MG Car Club Switzerland did not meet their sporting ambitions.

Nine years later Ferrari produced seven 250 GT LWB Interim models using 250 GT Long Wheel Base chassis as used in the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta and LWB California Spider models but with a Pinin Farina body featuring a rear 1/4 light window.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Today’s featured car, chassis #1519GT, seen at Goodwood earlier this year with owner P Paul Pappalardo at the wheel is the fifth of the seven Interims to be built.

#1519GT was originally sold to Ecurie La Meute member Jean-Pierre Schild who entered the car with co driver Roger de Lageneste in the 1959 Tour d’France in which they finished 3rd.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

Jean Pierre is known to have driven the car on one further occasion the 1959 Coupes du Salon at Montlhéry which he won beating the much smaller Lotus Eleven of Bob Hicks.

In May 1960 new owner Dean McCarthy entered the car for the SCCA National Cumberland race but was disqualified, undeterred Dean went to Watkins Glen the following month and won the SCCA sanctioned Glen Classic.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

During the remainder of the 1960 season Dean recorded two 2n place finishes at Thompson and Montgomery before retiring from the Haybale Governor’s Cup at Montgomery with a damaged car.

Ferrari 250 GT LWB Interim, Pappalardo, Goodwood Festival of Speed,

The last known event for 1519GT was the 13th Annual Grand Prix Watkins Glen at the end of 1960 where Dean drove the repaired car to a seventh place overall and class victory.

Since then the car spent some time without either engine or gearbox but the original engine and gearbox was reunited with the car when it underwent a two year restoration by Ferrari Clasiche which was completed earlier this year.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Pack Team” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow I’ll be looking at the Flash Special 500 Formula 3 car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Biting The Hand – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa 59/60 #0774

After attracting the attention of US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti in 1957 Dan Gurney found himself at the wheel of a North American Racing Team Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, owned by Chinetti at Le Mans in 1958 and drove the car up to 5th place before handing over to his team mate Bruce Kessler who got caught up in someone elses accident before the car retired. That drive impressed Ferrari sufficiently to earn Dan a drive with the works Ferrari team.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

For their 1959 Le Mans effort Ferrari built today’s featured Ferrari 250 TR chassis #0774 for Gurney to share with Jean Behra the car managed twice as many laps as Dan’s first attempt but still fell way short of a result.

Next time out Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove the car at Goodwood in the TT Race where they also failed to score a result both the 1959 Le Mans and Goodwood TT had been won by Aston Martin in what turned out to be a championship winning season for them.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

1960 would see a return of fortune for the Ferrari sports car team and chassis #0744 played an important role winning two championship races first Phil Hill and Cliff Alison won the 1000 kms at Buenos Aires and then Olivier Gendebien and Paul Frére won the Le Mans 24 hours scoring Ferrari’s third win in the Endurance Classic and helping Ferrari to their sixth World Sports Car title.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

Between these successes #0774 was loaned to Chinetti’s NART team for Ritchie Ginther and Chuck Daigh to drive in the Sebring 12 hours but they failed to finish and after Le Mans the car was sold to Eleanor von Neumann who entered it for Phil Hill to drive in the 1960 LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside where he finished 7th overall.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

In 1963 Tom O’Connor bought the car for his Rose Bud racing team which promptly stripped the motor out and fitted it to their Lotus 19 chassis 952 that featured here on GALPOT a couple of years ago.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

Under the ownership of Paul Pappalardo #0774 was reunited with it’s original motor in the 1980’s and the car won two class Concours d’Elegance awards at Palm Beach and Pebble Beach in 1993.

Ferrari 250 TR, Goodwood Revival

In a twist of biting the hand that feeds irony Dan Gurney eventually won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967 with co driver AJ Foyt driving for Ferrari’s sworn enemy Ford in a Mk IV.

After 26 years in Paul’s custody ownership of #0774 passed to Hong Kong sourcing and logistics magnate William E ‘Chip’ Connor who kindly took it to the 2012 Gooodwood Revival for the Tribute to Dan Gurney Parade.

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

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