Made by NEMBO this big block Bizzarrini was built and went missing early in life, does anyone know where it is? Image Unavailable, Please Login
The genie just showed up at my house and I asked for it to be in a barn close to me. That is a bloody cool car.
The same picture is in Automobile Year #14 (1966). According to the caption, the engine in this car is a 7-liter Holman/Moody Ford V8. "Bizzarrini started the project for an American client and that is the reason for its basic similarity to the Bizzarrini 5300 Strada. However, Neri and Bonacini, the small Modenese specialist coachbuilding firm, completed the final work on this project."
It looks like the car sits a bit higher to accommodate the big block. I know on Iso Grifo's there are some cars where they raised the body rather than the hood, or both. A big block in a Bizzarrini is wild. Bizzarrini entered one at LeMans but the French never allowed it to the grid.
The Nembo and the LeMans car are two different cars, or did i get it wrong? Was it the LeMans car that for sale at Christie's back in 2003?
I was just looking through an old "Auto World" catalog from 1970, and on page 7 there is a full-page advertisement for "Jack Deren Racing Enterprises" in Scranton, Pa. Among the pictures in the ad there appears to be one of this particular car, although it is not EXACTLY 100% the same, I'd be willing to bet that it IS the same. A quick Google search indicates that this company is still in business - there may be a chance that they could fill in some of the missing history. My scanner isn't hooked up at the moment, but I can attach an image later today if requested.
I doubt if Jack Deren picked this car at random to illustrate his ad. Perhaps he was engaged by the owner to add the fender flares, and do other modifications??? Sorry for the picture quality, it was cheaply done 40+ years ago. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dear Miltonian, This is great news! The first time I have evidence the car reached the US indeed. Would be great to find out more about its history. Many thanks again, Ciao, Jack
Jack Deren is a wonderful man. He spent many of his early years working on cars for Oscar Koveleski (Auto World, the toy catalog that kept many kids up at night). I've not seen Jack since 2007 but we are currently finishing Bondurant's King Cobra that Oscar had been involved with and while doing the historical archives for the car we called Oscar with questions. Oscar said to call Jack. When we showed up at Jack's shop it turned into one of those days you only dream about. Jack has kept every photo he or his wife ever took. We were blessed with full access and did not leave till long after the sun went down. The day ended with an exceptional twist. Jack had realized he not seen the car (which we had in the trailer) and asked if it was missing the drivers door. I told him it was, we went out to look at the car for only a brief minute (it was cold). Jack asked me to come back to the shop before we left, he disappeared for a few minutes and showed up with a door for the car, perspex window and all. I just about fell to the floor and asked what I owed him, he basically said that the smile on my face was payment enough. I can't say enough about Jack, he is a jewel.
Do you really think that the car in the ad is the Nembo? See post #450 here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166418&highlight=bizzarrini+barn+find&page=23
All I can say about the ad in the Auto World catalog is that the catalog is copyright 1969. I'm probably wrong about the "Jack Deren" car being the Nembo Bizzarrini, I'm certainly not an expert on the subject, I just saw the ad and thought it might be the same one. While looking through some old Autoweeks last night, I found this, in the issue of May 13, 1972. If I had to guess, I would think it's likely that the "Jack Deren" car and the "Gary Ford" car are the same, and the "Gary Ford" car is apparently NOT the Nembo. Has no one ever identified the American who originally ordered the car with the Ford engine? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sorry guys, I have to admit I was wrong. The car definitely is Iso A3C #B*0202. So no trace of the Nembe yet .... Ciao, Jack
Just today I was cleaning up old stuff and found two pictures of a customized yellow Bizzarrini that I think was based in New Jersey. It was customized in an amateur way with flares and such and I believe the entire rear body was the shape of a Porsche 908. One of the custom touches was chrome lettering that said P538 on the B pillars, maybe a ref. to the mid-engined Bizzarrini race cars. I recall the owner was very sensitive about the pictures being posted but if it's the same car it was in the U.S. within the last 20 years or so.So if the car in question was yellow it could be the same car. I doubt if it's the 7-liter 427 as that car was built by a Bizzarrini supplier who was miffed at not getting paid so built his own car. I think it was scheduled to be auctioned about 20 years ago in the UK when vintage car auctions were just getting rolling with postwar cars. That car shown also had a different rear end than regular Stradas, sort of an upswept rear with two taillights on either side whereas the 908 style I described just had one taillight per side.
So, the NEMBO is still hiding. The question remains, did it ever make it to America? Image Unavailable, Please Login
