My white FF

That Ferrari belonged to the american Gordon Pennington Jr. In 1960. After Sebring of that year I don't know what Gordon did with it...

 

It was the first 250GT SWB as you can see in this list of the magnificent The Journal of Ferrari History CAVALLINO.
That same first SWB was showed at the Paris Auto Show of 1959.
This aluminum racing SWB #1539 was very fast, much faster than my 1957 250GT TDF #0787.
We didn't win or at least got overall second because at the last 1/2 hour of the 1960 12 hours of Sebring the battery died and it took 8 minutes to change it.
Luigi Chinneti's mechanics had to dismantle the top of each of the 3 Weber carburetors to get to the battery.
The SWB Ferraris after this problem were built with a better location of battery.
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I wonder if the experts over at the Vintage Forum will have a lead on the location of SWB #1539. Some of those guys keep track of this kind of thing.

 

I google Ferrari #1539 and found lots of things.
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The battery was hidden under this carburators cover as you can see in this picture:
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Interesting and heartening but it doesn't say who owns it now and where it is.

 

Yes, I am the real Fritz d'Orey, now 75 years old, but for almost all this years a Ferrarista in love with each one of the Ferraris that I owned and now driving the fantastic FF day to day.

Since I got my absolutely delicious Ferrari FF in June 2012 drove 16'000kms around Europe from north to south with everyday pleasure.

Not a single problem or defect. Am amazed at the quality Ferrari has achieved...

Thank you for your kindness!!!

 

I have just subscribed to EVO for my iPad and am amazed. Its the best car magazine I ever saw. Here's one of the many pages as example:
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I'm calling suspect on your posts man.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIiZLBUA_yM]FERRARI FF Supercars MegaFactory - Factory Tour, See How its Made. FULL HQ EPISODE - YouTube[/ame]

 

What do you mean by that?

 

I insist, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SUSPECT?

 

As I replied to your PM. Your EVO post looks like an advertisement.

 

Just read your PM. You say "I am sorry"...
Thats better!!!

 

How so?

 

There are many fans of EVO. This neighboring thread is an example. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ff-f12/403219-evo-magazine-test-f12.html

Let's get back to the FF and racing experiences from the Ferrari past. This is a great thread.

 

Happy you are enjoying it. I am having a new agréable experience: remembering forgotton moments...

Maybe crinoid could amuse us with stories about his Ferraris and races?

 

Thank you for your kindness !!!!

 

Thank you Ryan!!!
Something special at least for me: picture of my favorite racing car.
It was the oldest and I had the chance to race it for almost 2 years (about 10 races).
It was the most stable and this Ferrari F1 375 1951 (with '58 Corvette engine) was the fastest in 1958 with record laps at São Paulo Interlagos, Buenos Aires and also at Rio de Janeiro..
I don't forget the pleasure I enjoyed racing it at the time. No seat belts, no guard-rails, no electronics..
Here's a photo that year in Rio's track:
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>> '58 Corvette engine

5 million purists are wailing and gnashing their teeth! Hee Hee!

Thank you Fritz for reminding us all what this sport is really all about - the joy of driving!!

 

I raced it with the original 12 cyllinders 4.5 litters for a short time because it ate a few valves. At 18 I didn't have money to send it to Italy so a friend had imported a small block Corvette V8 engine with Iskinderian special racing camshafts and we fitted to the car. We used the Webber carburaters from the Ferrari broken engine and to my surprise, testing in Interlagos in 1957, it was 10 seconds faster than my best time.

When my dear friend José Froilan Gonzales came to Interlagos in 1958 with a similar car... You can read it in a newspaper I posted in a previous page!!!

Well for the purists joy my 1951 Ferrari 375 F1 and the original engine was years later joined and rebuilt as new. From what I was told it now belongs to the collection of Eclestone.
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Wasn't really that interested in the White FF thread and then bored thought I would just check.

Amazing thread, almost surreal to be taken back in time by someone who participated at that time at the very top with remarks like "my dear friend JF Gonzales" - as I said surreal! Thank you for sharing with us.

 

Thank you... I am having lots of pleasure remembering the sensations of driving in that "belle époque" of racing !!
No seat belts, no eletronics, no guard-rails and lots of adrenalin.

Unhappily lost quite a few friends... Myself am alive by miracle: 18 days in coma and 8 months at Le Mans hospital in 1960. And a new Ferrari 250Gt SWB completelly destroyed.

If doesn't tire you members of this wonderful chat I will keep posting pictures and stories from more than 50 years ago.

 

Please keep posting! I'm one of the many (I'm sure) that reads your stories with great pleasure.
It is a pleasure and a privilege!

 

It is a privilege to read your stories Fritz!

Thanks for posting them.

Best regards,

Randy Lee