Ralphs Cars

I think the question that Zack is asking is, "When do cars become art?" I think that this really got started when Guggenheim opened their Art and Motorcycle exhibit. All of a sudden, it became fashisonable even for your upper east side, lifting pinky finger, art maven to gush over a vehicle.

Take Lawrence Stroll's P4, for example. I don't mean any offense here, but clearly this car never looked this pretty back when it was a race car. But, boy does it look pretty! All those shiny primary colors blending into a piece of machinery. I can clearly see this car as an art exhibit. In fact, I'd probably sit there and stare at it for hours.

While I realize the Mr. Stroll still tracks this car on occassion, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. Other than taking a few exhibit parade laps so that we, the great unwashed, could get a chance to see, hear, and smell the car (yes, I said smell), what good would come out of running this car anywhere near 8/10s?

On the other hand, I keep hearing Jonie Mitchell's line about, "They cut all the trees down and put them in a tree museum."

Dale

BTW Zack, "When do cars become art?" would make an excellent article. Hint, hint.

 

I think there is a VERY fine line in this discussion that will never give us a hard and fast rule to keeping history in a restoration. Jim walks that line very well, but we can't expect everyone to do the same.. RL takes it a bit too far. I'd like to see some survivors in that garage, not just absolute perfection at any cost.

The car below is a good example of "What do you do?" I'm not sure if I'd just bring it back up to operational status, keep it as is, or do a full restoration. I'd be curious to hear what Jim thinks, even if the reality is far different.

http://www.cobracountry.com/articles-cobra/missing-coupe/

-Chris
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Great example. This is a one-of-a-kind car, right? If it were me, I'd get it running and then preserve it. Then again, it's not up to me is it?

BTW, whatever did happen to this car? Did the buyer end up getting to keep it.

Dale

 

The bunnies are still dead...........I think the Doc back east kept it.

Phil Spector got suddenly busy with more pressing things.

 

Wayne
Agree totally.

Tex
u B a FUnnY guY!

Chris
Now that one. THE ONLY CAR MADE IN AMERICA TO WIN THE FIA CUP.
The car that made good that Chicken Farmer's boast: "Ferrari you're as s is mine."
The history that Tex talked about.

That car is now owned by a friend and it was designed by a friend who I'll be seeing next week at the Canadian International Auto Show where 0846 and J6 will be and he will be speaking.

WE'RE TALKING MAJOR HISTORY.

It's being treated real well. Cleaned up but still as wicked as they come.
If you want to see it its now at the Sarasota Auto Museum for a while.
The current owner also owns J8 and MANY MANY other great pieces of history.

Terry

This June Sal and I are taking 0846 and 002C back to Italy to run the historic Targa Floria. Nino, who's now a bit older will be driving with me. I do hope we keep her between the lines this time.

Best To All

 

Some of them were definitely swapping paint. In a later race for later and much faster cars, a GT-40 was well and truely smashed. Sad to see, but I am sure the owner will have the car fixed and it will be back out there next year..... as it should be.

I know many will disagree, but to me a quarter panel smashed while racing and subsequently fixed in 1965 is no different than the same thing happening today.

Anyone who has watched the Goodwood Revival races understands that those guys are RACING. It was great when one of the announcers asked Jackie Stewart why he was not out there. He said "When I stepped out of my last racing car, I said I would never race again, and make no mistake, those guys out there are racing as hard as they ever did, most of them should know better!". Well, I disagree about knowing better and I take huge joy in watching them go at it!

Racing cars are for racing. Vintage racing cars should race against other vintage racing cars and I understand and have no issue with the fact that most vintage racing is 9/10ths..... but when they really do go at it 100%, its a beautiful thing and the best racing on the planet today!


Terry

 

This thread was in a lurid slide.....

You gathered it up real well!

Best wishes, shake his hand for me.......I have a little diorama of your car against that rock wall.....at 1:43. Don't recall where I got the darn thing.

 

Sounds like TONS of fun! Shoot video! Take lots of pics! Put the right foot on the floor, flog the piss out of her, keep her between the lines and enjoy every resulting rock chip as a memory of great times past.

Still..... Amon..... Goodwood......




Terry

 

Its only original once. By the way, the body is made out of aluminium and won't rust.

Freeman

 

NEWS FLASH: Smithsonian Institution officials announced today that the "Spirit of America" Ryan monoplane, which was used by Charles Lindburg to make the first solo transatlantic flight, will be dusted off, refueled, fired up, and flown around the country on a national tour. "These planes were meant to fly and that's what they're going to do" said Amelio Patina, curator for the National Air and Space Museum which is home to the nation's historic aircraft. "If the tour goes well, we plan to fire up the Enola Gay and take her on a tour of Japan as well. Forget about the value of these artifacts and what they might mean to future generations. They belong to us and we're going to use them as they were intended to be used. Restoration is much overated. Museums are boring. Fuel 'em up, fly the wings off them, and remember the good old days. Who cares if we destroy them in the process. The present is far more important than the future."

 

I'm glad it's being looked after and not getting a 101-point rapestoration.

I'll keep an eye out for it, but please feel free to post any pics you might be sitting on.. I really enjoyed finally seeing the Mclaren dent on J6; I don't know if it's just me, but that is a great representation of how an inperfection can make an automobile 'perfect'. Thank you for sharing it with us!

-Chris

 

FWIW, I also ran into RL one day (figuratively), driving up in the Bedford area near Rt. 22.
I was rolling down Rt.35 (for those who know the area) when i saw a 360 spider cross 35 and continue south down Rt 22. At this time, there were very few 360 spiders on the road. I had recently taken delivery of my black barchetta, and decided to go Ferrari-hunting. It did not take me long to speed up, hang a right, and zoom down 22, to catch up with the yellow spider. As soon as the driver saw me in his mirrors, he stepped on it. I was not trying to race, just figured a friendly howdy. So, i pulled up parallel with him, screamed "hello, just wanted to say hi!" He made a motion to turn off up ahead (we were right at the intersection where Martha's farm is), so i pulled over, and so did he. This petite man, well-dressed, very recognizable get's out- says "hi- I'm Ralph Lauren" and offered his hand. I, of course, needed no introduction, but introduced myself anyway. He was quite friendly, eyed the barchetta and commented that it looked better in the flesh and in black than he thought it would, having declined to purchase one himself. We kicked tires and chatted cars for another minute or so, and said "Tra-la."

As to overrestoration, wasn't Ralph more responsible than anybody for putting the big money into the resto of that Bugatti, and essentially upping the ante at Pebble for "richest guy to throw the most money at a car" wins?

No malice intended toward anyone, least of all, RL. Who was ok in my book.

 

Whart shed some light on this with his post, but I'm curious: does RL also have daily driver Ferraris, or other interesting daily driver type cars?

 

out of town now but will try to post a few RL pics when I get home.

I have 20-30 pics of the cars. I spent sometime helping in the restoration of the black/tan Daytona spider ( originally red/blk) drove it at WPB show in 86, and the red/grey (buffalo hides) 275Nart ( originally yellow/blk i think), drove at Watkins Glen 87.
I also have a few of the 61 TRC and 250 GTO's--think he at one time had 3 gto's.
There is another Daytona spider not pictured (white car) in Jamiaca that I know of.

 

One of a kind historic aircraft are a different thing. When a plane suffers a major crash, often all that is left is a smoking hole in the ground. There is no subsequent "restoration". Thus, flying a one of a kind plane like the "Spirit of St. Louis" is not a smart thing.

But lots of very valuable and historic planes are indeed flown. The EAA has a huge collection of historic vintage planes, they maintain them in flyable condition and they actually do fly them for display. So do lots of other flying museams. Kermit Weeks in FL has a massive collection of WWII aircraft and he flies them all!


Terry

 

What about driving "one of a kind" Ferraris? Like maybe 0856; 0846(?), etc.?

Why can we "restore" a rare Ferrari out of nothing more than a scrap of frame, yet we couldn't "restore" a rare aircraft the same way? Not all air crashes end in total destruction. I smell a double standard cooking in the "crock" pot!!!

 

My point was simply: RL's cars, over-restored though they may be, will most likely be around a whole lot longer for future Ferrari enthusiasts to enjoy than will be those cars that are restored to strictly original condition and raced in vintage events. The analogy to vintage aircraft is on target. While airshows allow aircraft buffs to actually experience the aircraft as they were, those same airshows are also the scenes of numerous crashes that destroy those very aircraft so revered by the aircraft buffs. The only true way to preserve any object for future enthusiasts is to use it with care and reverance; NOT doing aerial acrobatics in a vintage aircraft or racing around the track in a million dollar Ferrari. As has happened many times, one brief lapse of concentration and "bye bye" million dollar car or airplane. The ravages of competition and time have already whittled away at the numbers of surviving rare automobiles. Why would you deliberately put a race veteran car back out on the track where it can risk being totally destroyed beyond salvaging? As I said, it makes about as much sense as taking the Spirit of St.Louis out for a few loops and barrel rolls. More power to RL for keeping those rare "birds" warm and comfy in his five star garage. They'll probably be around for a long time.

 

I've been driving cars like these around in the sun,in the rain and in the case of J6 once in the sleet and snow, for over 34 years. I've driven them at speed in the US, shipped them to Europe and driven them there. I think it's safe to say that I have put as many miles on sports racing cars as anyone in the world;over 125,000.
I've shown them at Pebble and I've shown them at local cruise nights.
Last time I checked they seemed fine.

 

After all of that FYI Arlie here's what Pete Brock wrote to me about J6.

James
Your understanding of the true meaning of these ol' cars is really appreciated-thanks for keeping a car as a bit of History so that future generations will understand why this stuff is so wonderfull.