Tag Archives: GTS

It Is A Free Camel – Ferrari 500 Superfast #8019SF

On the 14th of March 1900 a family from Romania with a six year old boy who would later become known as Judge Samuel Simon Leibowitz disembarked from the Kensington in New York City. While still an advocacy lawyer Samuel Leibowitz became one of the most unpopular men in Alabama during the 1930’s for showing the US Supreme Court in Washington that Alabama Courts were denying a defendant, one of the Scottsboro boys accused of rape, the the right to a fair trial which resulted in the eventual release of four of the nine accused and the pardoning of the remainder posthumously in 2013.

During the 1940’s Samuel Leibowitz served as a judge in New York City, who, although a Democrat, was known as a “hanging” judge in favour of capital punishment. Demonstrating his out of the box thinking he once gave a lecture and asked his audience if the man on the logo of a packet of Camel cigarettes was riding the camel or leading it by the halter, debate was heated and opinion was deeply divided, but no one mentioned the fact that there was no man on the Camel logo at all.

Ferrari 500 Supersast, Danville Concours d’Elegance

In 1960 US Ferrari dealer Luigi Chinetti sold the Judge what appears to be the first of at least five Ferrari’s, a 250 GT Cabriolet S2.

Five years later in 1965 the Judge appears to have gone on a Ferrari collecting spree buying a 250 GTS, a 275 GTB 6 carburetor Competizione and possibly the pre-owned 1964 6th Ferrari 500 Superfast chassis #5985SF.

Ferrari 500 Supersast, Danville Concours d’Elegance

The following year The Judge is believed to have sold both the 275 GTB/6C and 500 Superfast on, maybe to make way for today’s Ferrari 500 Superfast chassis #8019SF the 28th of 34 built and the 6th of the 12 series 2’s, which was completed in December 1965 and shown at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1966 before being shipped to Chinetti in the US who sold it to Judge Leibowitz.

It is not known exactly how long the Judge held onto his second 500 Superfast, but by 1976, a former Oklahoma Air National Guard Vietnam Vet who had subsequently worked as a missile analyst for the United States Navy Laboratory in Corona, California before returning to the family wholesale plant nursery in Talequah Oklahoma, evidently took a shine to #8019SF while attending oenology classes at the University of California Davis and bought it from Rick d’Onofrio in Palo Alto.

Ferrari 500 Supersast, Danville Concours d’Elegance

The Vietnam Vet turned wine student Gil Nickel bought the Far Niente Winery in Oakville in 1986, founded the Dolce Winery in 1992 before founding Nickel & Nickel Winery in 2000 with his son Jeremy.

Gil kept today’s featured car until his death aged 64 in 2003 during which time it sporadically appeared at Concours events at Pebble Beach, Monterey and Beverly Hills.

Ferrari 500 Supersast, Danville Concours d’Elegance

Phil White appears to have acquired #8019, apparently unrestored and still in it’s original colour, from the Nickel estate at an unknown date.

#8019SF is seen in these photographs at last years Danville Concours d’Elegance where it was awarded first in the 1961 – 1969 All Other Sports Cars class last year, more recently Geoffrey Horton also saw the 170 mph Ferrari with a five litre / 302 cui V12 at this years Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton as ever for sharing his photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “It Is A Free Camel” 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 ever Chevron. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Alan’s Spyder – Ferrari 275 GTS #07395

With it’s looks more closely related to the Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet than any of it’s similarly 3.3 litre V12 powered 275 siblings, as I noted earlier this year the 200 275 GTS convertibles built are the odd balls of the Ferrari 275 family.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Silverstone Classic,

Today’s featured car, seen at the recent Silverstone classic was imported into the UK by Maranello Concessionaires in 1965 and first registered in the UK on the 19th of July the same year, #07395 appears to have kept it’s original registration ever since.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Silverstone Classic,

The only named owner detectable for chassis #07395 is shown as 1980 Formula One World Champion Alan Jones though no specific dates are given for when he acquired or disposed of the car. The car is shown as having been at Christie’s Beaulieu auction on the 14th of July 1986 by which time, if Alan still owned the car, he had probably come to the conclusion that restarting his Formula One career with Team Haas was probably not going to bear the fruits he was expecting, #07395 is said to have been sold for £47,500 including buyers premium to an undisclosed purchaser.

Thanks for joining me on this “Alan’s 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 !

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Ferrari Friday – Silver Jubilee Silverstone Classic

Welcome to another Ferrari Friday edition of “Gettin’ a l’il psycho on tyres” this week brought to you from last month’s Silver Jubilee Silverstone Classic.

Ferrari 365 GTB/4, Silverstone Classic,

There were plenty of disguised Ferrari’s present such as this 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 chassis #16643 which left the factory as a 2+2 Berlinetta and was converted into a Spyder in 1988, this car is reported to have recently been upgraded with a Traffic Master tracker, Autowatch immobiliser and iPod stereo connection.

Ferrari 365 GTB/4, Silverstone Classic,

Still carrying it’s original Scaglietti 2+2 Berlinetta body above is the 1970 365 GTB/4 chassis #13775 that was owned by “20th Century Boy” Marc Bolan who famously never learned to drive fearing premature death only to be tragically killed when a passenger in a Purple Mini 1275GT driven by his partner in 1977.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Silverstone Classic

Another Ferrari with a famous owner is the 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS chassis #07395 seen above which once belonged to 1980 Australian Formula One world champion Alan Jones.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Halusa/Halusa, Silverstone Classic

Also no longer carrying the body it left the factory with is the famous 250 GT SWB chassis #2819 which Count Volponi had hastily converted to a GTO spec with Breadvan body by Giotto Bizzarini and other ex Ferrari personnel. The car was shared by L & N Halusa and is seen during qualifying for the Sunday TT race in which it finished 17th from 16th on the grid.

Ferrari 250 GTE, Silverstone Classic

I have not yet been able to discern a chassis number for the 1961 Ferrari 250 GTE above, if you know it don’t hesitate to chime in below.

Ferrari 250 GTE, Silverstone Classic

The replicated TR body above also sits on a V12 250 GTE which I believe is the 1963 chassis #4873.

Ferrari 246S, Gregor Fiskin, Silverstone Classic

Finally congratulations to Gregor Fisken who is seen above dancing the, GALPOT site banner car, 246S #0784 through Chapel on his way to a win in the Stirling Moss Trophy.

Thanks for joining me on this Ferrari Friday edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres, I hope you will join me tomorrow for more highlights from the Silver Jubilee Silverstone Classic. Don’t forget to come back now !

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200 Odd Ones Out – Ferrari 275 GTS

Of the Ferrari 275 family including the GTB, GTB/C, GTB/4, GTB/4 NART, the GTS is the odd one out because it has a completely different sharper Pininfarina styled body to it’s siblings.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Underneath the bonnet / hood is the same 3,286 cc / 200 cui V-12 engine block as it’s sibling 275’s with 2 cams and 3 carbs to produce 260 hp.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

The chassis, independent front and rear suspension and hydraulically actuated front and rear disc brakes are also all of the same spec as it’s more rounded siblings.

Ferrari 275 GTS, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Introduced in 1964 to replace the 250 GT Series 2 Cabriolet a production run of 200 275 GTS models was built up until 1966, when it was replaced by the short run of 10 rounded style 275 GTB/4 NART Spyders and more permanently by the 4 litre / 244 cui 330 GTS.

A 275 GTS similar to the 1966 model seen here sold at RM Auctions last year for just short of 1.5 million dollars.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photograph’s of today’s featured Ferrari 275 GTS which were taken at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance a couple of years ago.

Thanks for joining me on this “200 Odd Ones Out” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at a Rolls Royce. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Tenth Of Twenty – Ferrari 365 GTS #12307

The original 4.4 litre / 268 cui single overhead cam version of the V12 Ferrari 365 motor was introduced to Ferrari’s road going range in 1966 with the Ferrari 365 California in 1966.

Ferrari 365 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

14 365 California’s were built up until 1967 before the; 365 2+2, 365 GTC Coupé and today’s 365 GTS Spyder models were launched in 1968.

Ferrari 365 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

This 1969 example is one of just 20 365 Spyders built and so far as I have been able to ascertain is quite possibly the only one to have resided in the UK although not all the histories of all 20 GTS’s is known to me at this time.

Ferrari 365 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

If as I believe the chassis number of this car is #12307 then it is the tenth of the series built and was delivered new to a customer in Rome and #12307 remained in it’s homeland until 1999 when the car made it’s way to the UK via an auction in Gstaad.

Ferrari 365 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

1979 World Champion Jody Schekter can be seen being driven through the streets of an undisclosed Italian looking town in #12307 when it still carried Roma plates on this link.

Ferrari 365 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

All 20 365 GTS models built between 1968 and 1970 are Left Hand Drive, LHD, and at least four of them are red so if perchance you know this car is not #12307 please do not hesitate to chip in below.

Thanks for joining me on this “Tenth Of Twenty” 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 in the present series of Saturday Bristol Specials. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Here Comes The Sun – Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

Data from the Greenwich weather station in London showed that February and March 1969 were much colder months than the norm for the 1960’s and that with 189 hours of sunshine April 1969 set a record that was not beaten until the 1980’s.

These meteorological events may or may not have played apart in George Harrison taking some time off from pressing commitments with the accountants at Apple Corp in London and visiting Hurtwood the house where his friend Eric Clapton lived and writing the song “Here comes the sun” in April 1969.

Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingam

The song contains the lyric “it’s been a long cold lonely winter” which suggests the contemporary weather played a part in the songs creation.

Even more pertinent speculation to today’s blog is whether four years later the song had any influence on George choosing to purchase today’s 1973 Maranello Yellow Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, after all what more could a man driving a sports car under the sun want than a detachable roof ?

George, the petrol head of the Beatles quartet combo, is believed to have kept the car for four years, several life times in rock star terms, before having a garage clear out.

Thanks for joining me on this “Here Comes The Sun” edition of “Gettin’ 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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Celebrity Car – Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS

The 200 mph front engine rear gearbox 550 Maranello road model was introduced in 1996 with a 485 hp 5474 cc / 334 cui 4 valve quad cam V12 motor that could take the GT car from zero to 62 mph in 4.5 secs.

Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Prodrive prepared a batch of 20 550 Maranello GTS’s for racing in Europe and the States where they were regular winners in the GT/GTS class in 2001.

Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 2003 another Prodrive 550 Maranello GTS beat the Corvettes by 10 laps at the Le Mans 24 hour race coming home 10th overall.

Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS, Goodwood Festival of Speed

This chassis has taken part in at least 42 Races in the GT/GTS class for at least four different teams from 2002 to 2006 it has never recorded an out right win but has scored several class wins.

In 2004 this chassis (Prodrive 03) driven by Darren Turner, Rickard Rydell and Colin McRae came in 9th overall at Le Mans but was beaten by two Corvettes which finished 16 and 5 laps ahead respectively.

Ferrari 550 Maranello GTS, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Today’s featured Celebrity Car has been driven by a number of well known drivers including Colin McRae former World Rally Champion, Rickard Rydell former British Touring Car Champion, Alain Menu former British Touring Car Champion, Luc Alphand former World Cup Skiing Champion and Dakar winner, David Brabham, former Japanese GT Champion and Le Mans winner 2009, Jan Magnussen, former Danish Touring Car Champion, Danica Patrick queen of IRL and NASCAR, Darren Manning IRL driver, Christophe Bouchut 1993 Le Mans Winner, and one of my former racing instructors Tim Sugden former British and Asia Pacific GT Champion.

Thanks for joining me on today’s “Celebrity Car” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow, when I’ll be looking at a Formula One Lotus. Don’t forget to come back now !

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