Tag Archives: Tourist

Double Austrian GT Champ – Ferrari 250 GTO #3505

In April 1962 UDT Laystall racing took delivery of a Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number 3505 painted pale green as were all the other cars in the UDT Laystall team run by dentist and one time Indy 500 competitor Alfred Moss father of Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Stirlings former manager Ken Gregory.

Ferrari 250GTO, Goodwood Revival

The cars first outing was at the 1962 Le Mans test where Willy Marrise recorded 2nd fastest time in #3505, he appears to have driven several other Ferrari’s over the weekend including the fastest car a 250GT SWB chassis #2689. Innes Ireland and Marsten Gregory shared the car for the rest of the season Marsten scored to 2nd place finishes at Silverstone before he and Ireland retired the car at Le Mans with a combination of starter and battery problems after completing just under half the distance of the race.

Innes Ireland drove the #3505 to victories at Brands Hatch and again in the 1962 Tourist Trophy run at Goodwood where the car is seen above fifty years after the event. With just seven events entered the car was sold to Austrian Dr. Gunther Placheta.

Ferrari 250GTO, Goodwood Revival

Dr. Gunther Placheta was an alias for the actor Gunther Philipp who raced under the pseudonym “Giulio Pavesi” and used the #3505 in racing and hillclimbing events in 1963 and 1964 claiming 4 overall victories from nine events known to have been entered claiming the 1963 and 1964 Austrian GT championships in the process.

Since 1964 #3505 has spent most of it’s time with owners in the United Kingdom in 2000 the #3505 sold for $8 million and went to the Matsuda collection.

Ferrari 250GTO, Goodwood Revival

The car was back in the UK with a new Dutch owner by 2005 and last year was sold far a reputed $35 million to it’s current owner wireless billionaire Craig McCaw who by strange coincidence is also the husband of former US Ambassador to Austria Susan Rasinski McCaw. The reputed $35 million price paid makes this car twice as expensive as the most expensive car sold at auction last year the $16 million 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype.

It should be noted that #3505 was neither owned by Sir Stirling Moss other than through any financial interest he may have had in his fathers racing team British Racing Partnerships which raced under the UDT Laystall banner in 1962 and nor is there any record that #3505 was ever raced by Sir Stirling Moss in period.

Thanks for joining me on this “Double Austrian GT Champ” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Financial Stabiliser – Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupé #1083GT

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In the late 1950’s in order to stabilise the company finances Enzo Ferrari commissioned Pinin Farina to design a coupé suitable for series production.

The 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé was launched at the 1958 Milan Motor Show with the last, featuring a superfast tail being shown at the 1961 London Motor Show.

Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina (PF) Coupé boasted 240 hp at 7000 rpm from it’s 3 litre / 183 cui V12 which was connected to a four speed gearbox and a live rear axle with semi elliptic leaf sprung suspension. The 250 GT Coupé was capable of 150 mph and rest to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds.

The independent front suspension comprised double wishbones and coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Until 1959 drum brakes were used on all four wheels.

This particular car was one of two delivered from the factory to Tourist Trophy Garages in Farnham Surrey who displayed it at the 1958 London Motor Show at Earls Court.

Tourist Trophy Garages belonged to the Hawthorn family who’s son Mike became the first British World Champion driver, driving for Ferrari, in 1958.

The car seen here was sold to an Irish land owner in 1958 and turned up in a sorry state of repair in the 1980’s at Maranello Concessionaires, which took over the UK Ferrari Franchise after Mike Hawthorn’s death in 1959, who had the car restored. The car has belonged to it’s current owner since 1993.

It is thought just over 350 of these cars were built, most of the steel bodies were fitted at a factory purpose built by Pinin Farina, in Ferrari’s terms going into series production for the first time proved a huge success.

Due to the phenomenal depreciation rates of these cars, many were subsequently cannibalised for parts and some even turned into replica’s of more sought after models, it is thought only half of the production run has survived.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Financial Stabiliser’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be featuring a Lotus 77 Grand Prix car. Don’t forget to come back now !

Race Winning Body – MG K3 #K3001/K3003

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In October 1932 MG launched the K-Type Magnette at the London Motor Show, featuring a 48″ track and either a 94″ or 108″ wheel base the chassis was powered by a 6 cylinder 39 hp 1087cc / 66 cui motor with a cross flow cylinder head that originated from the 1930 Wolseley Hornet.The K1 Magnet was fitted with a saloon body on the 109″ wheel base and in all 181 were manufactured up to 1934 in KA, KB and lastly KD specifications which reflected a series of motor upgrades during the production run.

In 1933 the K2 a two seater on the 94″ chassis was launched, 16 were built with KB spec motors and 4 more with KD motors and pre selector gear boxes.

The princely sum of £795 could secure a supercharged K3 racing variant, as seen driven above at Prescott by Brandon Smith – Hillard, at first, as above, fitted with Powerplus superchargers just below the radiator and later with Marshall units. Fitted with pre selector gearboxes three K3’s including #K3001 above were entered into the 1933 where George Eyston and Giovanni Lurani driving chassis #K3003 came in 21st behind Tazio Nuvolari in an ALFA Romeo but took a class victory with Earl Howe and Hugh Hamilton coming in 22nd overall and 2nd in class in #K3001.

Subsequently #K3001 was raced at Brooklands, shared for the Shelsley Walsh by Land Speed Record holder and Mille Miglia class winner George Eyston with MM team mate Giovanni Lurani, raced throughout Europe by Bobby Kolrusche in 1934.

The Mille Miglia chassis #K3003 meantime had been given to the great Tazio Nuvolari to drive in the 1933 Ulster TT which he promptly won outright beating two 8 cylinder ALFA Romeo’s running in the 3 liter 183 cui class.

At some point after 1934 and before the commencement of the 2nd World War the body from the Mille Miglia and Tourist Trophy winning #K3003 replaced that on #K3001 which is how #K3001 appears in the photo above one of just 33 K3’s to have been built from 1933 to 1934.

My thanks to Ed of the Wessex MG Club Newsletter for details about this chassis.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Race Winning Body’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow, don’t forget to come back now !

Royal Tragedy – Rover P6 Series II 2200 SC

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Some of you may remember I found a cut’n’shut Rover Series I P6 Cabriolet behind a hedge last year, today I am looking at the Series II P6 introduced in October 1970.

Initially the P6 Series II comprised exterior changes to the grill, plastic replacing alloy, rear lights and the instrumentation and switches of the two more expensive Twin Carburettor and 3500 versions.

From 1973 the Series II P’6s came in three flavours the 98 hp 2200SC, Single Carburettor, 115hp 2200, Twin Carburettor and 3500.

Production of the P6 ceased in March 1977 with 32, 270 units produced over four years. Allegedly the last 2200 model was a Left Hand Drive export model that was converted to Right Hand Drive by the Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham.

British Leyland, the nationalised merger of large swathes of the British motor industry was entering it’s worst period of industrial relations during the production of the P6 and this was reflected in abominable reliability issues, one driving organisation reporting that their 3500 P6 had required three engines, two gearboxes, two clutch housings and a wiring loom in 6000 miles motoring over 6 months and was off the road for 114 days out of the 165 days that it was tested over !

An attempt was made to export a high spec P6 to the USA but with less than 1500 units sold many of the cars built for the USA were eventually sold in Left Hand Drive European markets instead.

While driving her daughter Stéphanie home on September 13th, 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, nee Grace Kelly, suffered a stroke which caused her to drive her P6 off the road. She never regained consciousness and died from her injuries the next day, while Stéphanie who fractured her neck in the accident, made a full recovery.

Thanks for joining me on this edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Tourist

Double Austrian GT Champ – Ferrari 250 GTO #3505

Financial Stabiliser – Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupé #1083GT

Race Winning Body – MG K3 #K3001/K3003

Royal Tragedy – Rover P6 Series II 2200 SC