Scuderia Parravano

Cavallino did an extensive article about him and cars a few years ago, if memory serves me. Try a search there.
Mike

 

You need a library, not the internet! LOL!

His team has been well doecumented in several books about the California scene, in those years.

At the end, when he had lost his IRS judgements, he loaded the cars and ran for Mexico...they caught the cars....

He left for a business appointment, and was never seen again.

The End.

The library's over there! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

legend has it that he spoke too freely of the Telaio Group . . . .

 

Death and taxes baby!

For him I suspect they occurred fairly close together!

"But he never returned, no he never returned, and his fate is still unknown.
He may ride forever, 'neath the streets of Boston, he's the man who never returned..."
Kingston Trio

 

Go and get Michael Lynch's book about Parravano "American Sports Car Racing in the 50s". EXCELLENT publication, highly recommended. Has ALL the details with pix and serial numbers.

 

A. Parravano was an interesting character. He had a load of money just when Ferrari needed it. He had a lot of cars, not just Ferrari. He came on the scene quickly and disappeared just as quickly with the IRS in hot pursuit. He loaded his cars on two or three trucks and shipped them to Mexico to avoid being seized. Some made it, others were stopped at the border. An interesting read can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0760303673/qid=1108754732/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-1454572-2531048?v=glance&s=books

Ferrari
0150 A 340 America
0222 340 Mexico
0362 AM 375 MM
0438 MD 500 Mondial
0448 MD 500/735 Mondial
0478 AM 375 Plus
0484 LM 121 LM
0590 MD engine only
0592 CM 410 Sport

Maserati
2525 250 F
4502 450S
two 450 S engines for an Indy project

 

From article in Sports Car International, July 1995.
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Tony Parravano also owned:
0253 EU 212 Inter Barchetta Touring
0329 AL 375 America Coupé PF
0538 M 750 Monza Spider Scaglietti
0585 GT 250 GT LWB TDF Berlinetta
He never owned 0222 AT (340 Mexico) however.

Maserati 150 S 1655
Maserati 300 S 3058
Maserati 350 S 3502
Maserati 450 S 4201 Engine only
Maserati 450 S 4202 Engine only
Maserati A6GCS Spider Vignale 2049
Maserati 3500 Coupé traded in for Ferrari 250 GT Europa
Jaguar XK-120 heavily modified
Mercedes 300 SL
Alfa Romeo 1300 Sprint Veloce

Antonio Parravano was born June 9, 1917, in Arpino, Italy, but birth registered in Frosinone/Italy, and became a millionaire building contractor in the south western Los Angeles/CA area, He owned several special competition Ferraris in 1955/1956, 1957 left USA for Mexico but continued to appear in Los Angeles and Modena. He surrendered to authorities in February 1960, and was going to fight his tax evasion charges in court. Didn't disappear completely until evening of Friday, April 8, 1960. His court day was the following Monday. Then the FBI was looking for him.......
Parravano's son Ron is a lawyer living today in Carmel Valley, CA/USA

 

I would guess that it is some confusion between 0438 and 0448. Both are similar in style (rivitted low nose mondial). Given the list of race events for 0438 it is likely that they were at several of the same events during their life.

 

Porfirio Rubirosa offered 0438 MD to Tony Parravano, who then refused, so he sold it instead to John Von Neumann.

 

Parravano had a friend in Mexico, named Javier Valesquez, who was director and organizer of the Mexican GP. Valesquez kept several cars including 0448 MD and 0592 CM and only in the early 1970s sold them back to USA (Bob Dusek).

 

Very unusual car the Maser #2049 in Vignale dress. BTW very interesting thread.
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...so does this attorney get Christmas Cards from exotic, far away postmarks?

What do you think, gtofreak?

 

Lynch's book was the title I was trying to recall......Thanks!

Good period color photography.

 

This is 0448MD at Santa Barbara 1955
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In the 1980s when I was researching the history of an old Ferrari race car I then owned, one of the early owners said he had known Tony Parravano. This gentleman was a retired Army officer and was then a hospital administrator; there was no reason for him to make up that claim, and it did tie in with several other bits and pieces of the history of the car.

He specifically told me he had received Christmas cards from Parravano well after the date of his disappearance....

O.G.

 

is the SF fender shield damaged in the photo, or is the photo damaged? most of the cavallino is gone, like its been chipped off......

 

Could be a pointer to "that big Pininfarina book" - le Ferrari di Pininfarina by Mazzuchelli/Angelo Tito Anselmi. Don't have the book here, so cannot see if the page number matches, but there are two early photos of what is believed to be this car. Am not completely sure of identity, as there are many many false serial numbers given in this book and there seems not to be a way to tell 0438 and 0448 apart.

See "LFdP" in:

http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Literature/Literature.htm

Best wishes, Kare