Tag Archives: California

Rare Spyder – Ferrari 365 California Spyder #9985

At the 1966 Geneva Motor Show Ferrari revealed two new models the Ferrari 330 GTC and today’s featured car, thanks to Geoffrey Horton’s photographs, the Ferrari 365 California Spyder of which just 14 would be built.

The 365 California Spyder is fitted with a 320 hp 4.4 litre / 268 cui V12 which is fitted to a 5 speed synchromesh gearbox and is covered by Pininfarina coachwork which features a split front bumper as first seen on the 500 Superfast Coupé and rear vents behind the front doors which would become a feature of the mid-engined Dino 246.

Being equipped with Right Hand Drive this car is easy to identify as chassis #9985, the 10 th of the 14 built and the only one to be so equipped. The expired rear UK plate RPE 909 E which was registered to Mark Tippets when he owned the car in 1986 is also a bit of a give away.

#9985 was sold to Paul Kay in June 1967 painted Blue Sera with a biege interior over the next two years the car had 3 further owners with the registration changing from “NJD 8E”, “L11” to “MNV258E” before Mark Tippets ownership. Since then the car was seen with the number “2UAE” from July 1986 to July 1990, a number still available to the owner if the car ever returns to the UK.

The car was first painted red during a restoration carried out in Florida between 1983 and 1985.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for his photographs of this rare and magnificent vehicle.

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

California Sun – Danville Concours d’Elegance

Leave a Reply

One of the things that has stuck me all week looking at the photo’s that Geoffrey Horton and Jay Wollenweber have kindly sent me from the Danville Concours d’Elegance is the sheer beauty of the California Sunshine, so at the risk of being accused of publishing car porn, to round out a long week of toil I thought to put all of the two photographers best Ferrari photo’s together for Ferrari Friday.

Photo Jay Wollenweber
Above is one of 20 1968 Ferrari 365 GTS spyders fitted with a 4.4 litre / 267 cui V12, that would soon be replaced in the Ferrari line up by the sharper 365 GTS/4 bodystyle.

Photo Jay Wollenweber

Like wise the Dino 246 GTB featured in one of my earliest blogs above is the Targa top GTS.

Photo Jay Wollenweber

One of my favorite’s is the Ferrari 365GTB/4 in one of which Dan Gurney once drove 2,876 miles from New York to LA at an average speed of 80.1 mph !

Photo Geoffrey Horton

Sharing a slightly detuned motor, inorder to accommodate a lower bonnet / hood line, with the GTB/4 is the Ferrari 365 GTC/4.

Photo Jay Wollenweber

For some reason among my memories of working in the motor trade are a couple that in which gold painted cars were rarely ordered new in that colour and always hard to shift in the second hand market, I don’t know if that rule applies to high performance vehicles like the Bertone designed Ferrari 308 GT4 seen above.

Photo Jay Wollenweber

While Bertone’s 308 GT4 is probably one of the cheapest Ferrari’s to purchase in the pre owned market place the Ferrari 328 GTS like the one above is one of the more reliable, 6068 of these targa tops of the 160 mph plus cars were made between 1986 and 1989.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

Ferrari lost ground to it’s competitors with the Ferrari 348 that succeeded the 328, particularly to the Honda NSX, but bounced back with Ferrari F355 Berlineta, Targa and

Photo Jay Wollenweber

and soft top spyder models.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

The Ferrari 360 Spider was the 12th road going convertible offered since Enzo Ferrari moved into road car production in 1949.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

Ferrari’s 360 Challenge Stradale like the one above was intended for those lucky enough to spend 20% of their time in the car at track day’s and only 80% of their time in the car in normal road conditions. The Challenge Stradale comes with an additional 20 hp, improved throttle response, steering feed back and chassis balance which made a significant difference in achievable lap times over the standard 360.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

For 2004 the the Ferrari 360 was replaced by the F430 in the model line up, and in 2007 the 508hp Ferrari F430 Scuderia filled the niché that had been left vacant since the demise of the 360 Challenge Stradale.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

Allegedly the Ferrari California started as a Maserati project but when it was realised how expensive the finished car was going to be it was decided to launch it as a Ferrari in 2008. Either way it is a stunningly attractive car to look at in the California sun.

Photo Geoffrey Horton

Of the current range the Ferrari 458 Italia launched in 2009 is without doubt the most attractive of the lot on the road or on the track, it is powered by the most powerful per liter/cui normally aspirated production motor in the world.

Photo Jay Wollenweber

I only know one person who has ever driven a Ferrari FF, unfortunatley Michele Rahal at The Drive Channel has removed the clip from youtube, needless to say he was grinning from ear to ear the whole time he was in the car.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton and Jay Wollenweber for sharing their photo’s form Concours d’Elegance.

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

Ferrari On The Avenue – Carmel by the Sea Concours d’Elegance

Leave a Reply

Saving the best for Ferrari Friday today’s blog is the forth and final summary of the vehicles that were on display at this years Carmel by the Sea Concours on the Avenue which comes courtesy of photographs by Geoffrey Horton.

Of the photographs Geoffrey kindly sent this Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder looks a show stopper, but being one of 55 it was by no means the rarest Ferrari on display.

Enzo Ferrari took to being chauffeured about in a Ferrari 250 GT/E which gives an added poignancy to the model, however the sheer volume of cars built, around 1000, and the expense of keeping them maintained led to many subsequently being broken up for parts for more exotic models and some being hacked wholesale into more desirable examples like the 250 GT SWB Competizione linked here.

350 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Pininfarina Berlinetta‘s were manufactured between 1962 and 1964, making it more difficult to trace the serial numbers than most.

The 275 GTS above is one of 200 built between 1964 and 1966.

Ferrari had started deleting wire wheels from his options list as early as 1966 with the quad cam 275 GTB/4 which makes it perhaps surprising that the straight edge styled 365 GTB/4 launched in 1969 first appeared at the IAA show in Frankfurt mounted on Borrani wire spoke wheels which hark back to an earlier period rather than more contemporary alloy wheels which had virtually replaced wire wheels in the track competition scene.

Finally winner of the best in show at Carmel by the Sea on August 14th was this 1967 quad cam Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder built for Luigi Chinetti to distribute in the USA. This car is the 7th of 10 that was built for Luigi Chinetti to distribute in the USA.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for kindly sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Ferrari On The Avenue’ edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the last of the Lotus Seven variants to be designed by the factory. Don’t forget to come back now !

Pillarless Coupé – BMW 327/28

Leave a Reply

The BMW 327 was a short chassis version of the BMW 326 manufactured originally in cabriolet form in 1937 and from 1938 it was also available as a Coupé.

The 327 built with either a standard 55 hp 6 cylinder motor as used in the BMW 326 or with the 80 hp from the higher state of tune 6 cylinder found in the BMW 328. Cars supplied with 80 hp motors like the one in Geoffrey Horton’s photographs taken at Palo Alto are known as BMW 327/28 models.

This pillarless coupé is one of just two known to have been built from more than 560 cars built with pillars until 1940. It was acquired by a US serviceman in Germany in 1958 who shipped it to NY and then drove it to California where it has remained, changing ownership just once since then.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for the fabulous photo’s.

Wishing all GALPOT contributors and readers in the USA a Happy Thanksgiving.

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

The Very Wildest – Kellison J4 Grand Turismo

1 Reply

According to Griff Borgeson writing in Sports Car Illustrated in May 1960 when the Kellison J4 Grand Turismo was shown at the Los Angeles International Motorshow in December 1959 one ‘hipster’ summed up the audiences reaction by quipping ‘That is the very Wildest’.

Developed by former Korean Air Force Vet and missile engineer James Kellison, at just 39 inches tall and 67 inches wide the Coupé was also one of the lowest and widest cars present.

James opened a repair shop to generate the cash to turn his design into a kit car that could be built in around 130 hours. The 160lb fibre glass body was designed to fit either a salvage yard chassis or a bespoke 140lb chassis designed by stress engineer Chuck Manning.

The sales literature advised potential customers that the $6700 Kellison with independent suspension, custom finished interior and luggage space for three large suitcases was a luxurious touring car and the first American car to surpass Europe’s most distinguished designs.

The cockpit was designed to comfortably seat a 5′ 8″ driver and passenger, though the construction of the seats was left to individual builders so that taller drivers could find away to accommodate themselves.

The Kellison could take any of the available V8’s of the day including the Ford, Chevy and Chrysler’s other proprietary parts included the windscreen that came from early 1950’s Studebaker Commander or Champion models, a rear screen from a 1949 Buick, Oldsmobile or Cadillac and door hinges that came from Mopar vehicles dated ’49 to ’52.

Kellison sent several vehicles to Bonneville Speed Week over the years all painted silver with maroon stripes and the #905, taken from his address ‘905-907 Sutter Street, Folsom California. One of his later J5 models is said to have recorded a top speed of 186 mph.

This particular model, in need of a pair of windscreen wipers, seen at the recent Goodwood Revival apparently has recently been acquired by Lord March. More on the Kellison Marque can be found at kellisoncars.com.

Thanks for joining me on this #905 edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres. I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

25/10/11 Egg on my face dept, reader Martin Christandl kindly informs me that Lord Marches car is actually a J6 model not the similar looking J4. Thanks Martin. If you spot any any other errors please do not hesitate to let me know.

Hotel California – VW California

6 Replies

Continuing the California theme started yesterday today we are looking at a VW California.

Production of the Volkswagen T5 Transporter began in 2003, this one is fitted with a 170 hp turbo diesel engine.

In 2001 Mercedes Benz bought out VW’s preferred camper van outfitter Westfalia leading VW to decide to design it’s own camper around the popular Transporter platform. VW call their camper the ‘California’ a name that was first used by Westfalia in connection with a VW camper in 1988.

launched in 2005 the California comes with an electro-hydraulic operated elevating roof, space for two beds, kitchen sink two burner gas hob, fridge and two kitchen cupboards with integrated drawers. Among a long list of options is the VW 4 motion all wheel drive system.

With Ford knocking on Ferrari’s lawyers doors with respect to the use of the F 150 name I wonder if Ferrari will ever be knocking on the VW’s lawyers doors with respect to the California name ?

Unfortunately thanks to a US ‘chicken tax’ on imported light trucks, which the already expensive T5 is classed as, you are not ever likely to see a VW California in the State from which it takes it’s name, the California is so expensive, £40,000 / $64,000 that only around 300 a year are thought to be imported into the UK.

Fancy seeing why the VW T5 is so highly rated in the UK ? Check out these two advert free clips of the T5 going head to head with the A Team van and over a timed run against the a much more powerful 204 hp Brabus (!) Mercedes Vito Sport X.

Hope you have enjoyed a couple of days in the California Sunshine wishing all readers of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ a relaxing weekend, don’t forget to come back now !

California Dreaming – Ferrari California 2+2 Convertible

4 Replies

A couple of years ago I was at an airport and I noticed in the duty free area there was a Ferrari on a turntable that was a raffle prize.

I’d never seen one like it before turns out that it was a California, at £25 / $40 a pop for a ticket I passed on what may well have been my only opportunity to own a Ferrari without regret.

Allegedly the California was originally conceived as Maserati, however the economics of the project dictated that only a Ferrari badge offered any hope of a financial return on the vehicle.

Researching this blog I was surprised to find the California introduced in 2008, shares it’s engine design with both ALFA Romeo and Maserati models.

Over 1,000 hours are said to have been spent in a wind tunnel perfecting the aerodynamics of the California so that it’s drag coefficient is 0.32 the lowest ever achieved for any Ferrari.

I have to confess it was not until I had run a registration check on these vehicles that I had any idea of exactly which models they were and indeed they were both the same type, I thought the red one was a 612 Scaglietti !

Allegedly there is room on the back seats for two adults in a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti something at 6′ 2″ I’d love to put to the test.

Even if I had known it comes with a front mounted 450 hp 4.3 litre 260 cui V8 engine I doubt I would have been tempted to buy a raffle ticket….

because for all the attention to detail …

beautiful craftsmanship ….

seven speed dual clutch transmission …

and promise of the joys of open air motoring …

alone price of the road tax on the Ferrari California is enough to keep me on the road for a whole year in my 20 year old jalopy … but that does not stop me from dreaming 🙂

With thanks to the PistonHeads responsible for bringing these dream machines to the Sunday Service at the BMW Plant in Cowley a couple of weeks ago.

Hope you have enjoyed to days California dreaming edition of ‘Gettin a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you’ll join me again tomorrow for a look at another vehicle bearing the California name. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Should I have failed to quench your thirst for Ferrari’s take a look at the new Ferrari FF with Michele Rahal over on The Drive Channel.

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: California

Rare Spyder – Ferrari 365 California Spyder #9985

California Sun – Danville Concours d’Elegance

Ferrari On The Avenue – Carmel by the Sea Concours d’Elegance

Pillarless Coupé – BMW 327/28

The Very Wildest – Kellison J4 Grand Turismo

Hotel California – VW California

California Dreaming – Ferrari California 2+2 Convertible