Classic news, reviews, club news, auction action, gotaways.
Long before Carroll Shelby and his Ford GT40s took on Enzo and his Ferraris at Le Mans, sparking the movie Ford versus Ferrari, Shelby raced one of the famed prancing horse Italians.
It was this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti he drove to victory at the 1956 Palm Springs Road Races and it’s going under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s at the Monterey car spectacular, with an estimate above $22.5 million Australian dollars.
This 410 Sport Spider wasn’t a race car or a road-going sports car. It was a one-off sports racing special prototype transformed into a race car. Only four were built and this is chassis 0592 CM. Over the past 53 years it has had just four owners, including a 37-year ownership by Robert Dusek, a Pennsylvania architect who boasts one of the most notable Ferrari collections in America.
This is believed to be the most original of the four 410 S examples, retaining its original matching-numbers engine, and having never been damaged during its racing career. The big-block V12 prototype 410 Sport is one of Ferrari’s most impressively specified and designed racing Spiders, from the golden era of American sports-car racing.
It was bought from the factory by Tony Parravano, a property developer with his own front-running race team Scuderia Parravano. A racing enthusiast, his deep pockets let him indulge in his passion for racing Italian sports cars, and the Scuderia Parravano team quickly made a name for itself as a front runner in American sports-car events. His driver roster was equally as star studded as his cars and his character, with names including Carroll Shelby, Ken Miles and Phil Hill regularly behind the wheel.
Shelby grew tired of Parravano’s constant meddling with the cars and switched to John Edgar’s team, driving a sister 410 Sport, chassis 0598 CM, which along with his Palm Springs win in 0592 CM put him on the racing map and a drive with the Aston Martin team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 which he won.
Parravano’s hasty exit from the racing scene was a result of a federal tax lien, causing him to flee to Mexico in mid 1957. While his evasion was successful only some of his cars escaped south of the border without being impounded. Chassis number 0592 CM was one, and it remained stored in an Ensenada warehouse for some time.
In April 1960 Parravano was scheduled to return to the USA for a court date but never arrived, and no one ever saw him again. His disappearance remains one of racing’s most fascinating mysteries, evoking shades of Amelia Earhart or Jimmy Hoffa.
This won’t be the first appearance for the Ferrari at Pebble Beach, after a complete restoration in 2017 it was on display the following year in the Concours d’Elegance.
HENRY’S FORD UP FOR GRABS
A one-off historically significant Escort RS2000 auto, built for Henry Ford II when he lived in the UK in the 1970s is going under the hammer with Iconic Auctioneers. It has an eye watering estimate between $97,000 and $117,000.
Finished in Roman Bronze metallic with a cream leather interior, the exterior colour is also a one-off to the Escort range.
After Ford’s departure back Stateside, the bespoke Escort had a long stint at the Ford Heritage Centre and then vanished until recently. It has travelled a mere 44,000 miles.
Although Ford was able to drive a manual, he preferred an automatic gearbox and while Ford’s new RS2000 was powerful and distinctive thanks to its droop snout, Scheel seats,
three-spoke RS steering wheel and a dash full of gauges, it
wasn’t available with an automatic transmission.
Ford contacted his good friend, Walter Hayes (at this point vice president, Ford of Europe) and asked him to find him “something special, a bit unusual.”
So Hayes instructed Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering to create a bespoke, one-off, RS2000 for HF II. The car was duly built with an automatic ’box, luxuriously trimmed in cream leather with deep carpets, de-badged and meticulously painted in Roman Bronze Metallic, prior to being registered to Henry Ford for his sole use, on June 8, 1976 with the rego number NUF 617P.
After it finished its duties with HF II, the unique RS was acquired by Melvyn Butcher on May 27, 1978. He was aware of its provenance but used it as family transport for almost 10 years covering around 40,000 miles. He sold it to John and Scott Redding who were vehicle engineers and restorers, and the plan was to bring it back to its original condition. They never got around to it and sold it to the vendor.
It was looking tired and in 2002 the vendor had a total external restoration carried out to the tune of A$13,000. The interior was left untouched aside from a good clean. It then made infrequent appearances at shows until it all but disappeared for the last 10 years.
Henry Ford II, sometimes known as “Hank the Deuce”, was the eldest son of Edsel Ford I and the eldest grandson of Henry Ford. He was head of Ford Motor Company for 34 years (1945-79) and credited with reviving the firm’s fortunes. Models launched under his reign include Mustang and Thunderbird.
Gary Dunne of Iconic Auctioneers comments: “To own the Ford that was the personal car of Henry Ford II while he was living in the UK, is a case of driving living history. That it’s a one-off vehicle just adds further to its potential collectability and value.”
SURVIVOR 300SL ON THE BLOCK
IT’S amazing to think that a car as significant as this 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster has managed to remain in the hands of its second owner for the last 58 years.
Finished in its orginal and rare colour combination of black over red, with a black soft top, this example is believed to retain nearly all of its original paint and was sold new by Geller Motors Mercedes-Benz of Akron, Ohio, and delivered on April 19, 1962. It was subsequently sold in 1966 to fellow Akron resident John J. Hillegas and it remained in his possession until it was acquired by the consignor earlier this year.
Along with retaining the matching-numbers body, chassis, engine, gearbox, differential, steering box, and front spindles all are as per the factory build record.
With an indicated mileage of under 45,000, this 300SL is presented with original owner and radio manuals, a factory brochure, its stamped service book, 1966 title, and even battery warranty paperwork. Other fascinating early documentation accompanies the sale, along with a tool kit and jack.
Listed with a guiding range of USD$1.4- $1.6M at the Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction, it is sure to attract strong bidding and a far cry from the $10,950 price tag when new.
See goodingco.com for more information.
LIGHT CAR CLUB OF AUSTRALIA CELEBRATES 100 YEARS
Australia’s preeminent motor-sport club, the Light Car Club of Australia recently held a 100-year lunch, to mark the special occasion of its formation. Club members of all ages attended the function held in the original clubrooms in Brunswick St, Fitzroy Vic, now a restaurant.
Formed on November 5, 1924, the LCCA ran and promoted Sandown in its heyday, including the Tasman series for F1 cars and drivers, then Formula 5000s, as well as the touring-car enduro that was the curtain raiser to Bathurst. There was Fangio’s appearance at the 50th Australian Grand Prix in 1978, as well as motorcycle championship races and the first World Endurance Championship sports-car race in Australia in 1984.
It also brought motor sport to the heart of Melbourne from 1953 to 1958 organising race meetings at Albert Park, using a different layout to the F1 event today.
The LCCA was at the forefront of rallying and successfully managed local, intrastate and national rally championship events. The LCCA building was also the nerve centre for the Repco Reliability Trial in 1979. While no longer operating as an active club, its long-serving members keep the club memories alive and strong with regular social gatherings.
AMELIA PACKARD SEEKS NEW CARETAKER
Readers might recall our recent feature about one of the world’s arguably most significant historic cars, aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart’s 1935 Packard Super 8 Coupe, and how it was restored by Gold Coast motoring identity, Ross Marshall.
The story has actually generated considerable interest from overseas as not only is there some speculation that Earhart’s plane, which mysteriously disappeared in 1937, has finally been found in the south Pacific, but also because Marshall has decided to sell the car in order to focus on a much more recent automotive project.
While he isn’t willing to give too much away at the moment, Marshall did confirm that a new prestigious car brand will be launched on the market in the near future – and what’s more, its Aussie-built and designed.
“We think automotive enthusiasts will be as excited as we are by the new project,” he told UC from his Gold Coast home. “It’s not only intended as a high-performance sports car with cutting-edge technology, but it also embodies the styling and feel of a classic time in automotive design.”
In order to focus on the project and bring it to market before the end of the year, Marshall is divesting some of his own classic-car collection, and so the Packard is on offer for serious collectors of serious automobiles.
“I restored the Packard by hand myself so I have a close connection with the car and Amelia’s story,” confided Marshall. “To be honest, I’m somewhat torn by offering it for sale. But given the interest in its history and Amelia’s own story, I’m hoping it goes to a collector who will treat it with the reverence it deserves.
Interested parties can contact Ross at rwm1300@gmail.com
Photography: RM Sotheby’s, Iconic Auctioneers, Prime Creative Media