27 Years On: 250GT SWB 2735GT Revisited and a 166MM. The Drive of a Lifetime!!!

Since my youth, I have loved the Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinettas, largely due to their looks to be honest, but also respecting their race history and the high praise and reverence lavished on them by the press as the definitive dual purpose road-race car. However, since actually seeing the ex Rob Walker/Stirling Moss 1961 Competizione chassis number 2735GT SEFAC Hot Rod on the road very near to my home town in South Wales 27 years ago I’ve had a fascination for the car and this model due to the beauty I saw with my eyes and the sounds that it made that I heard, which no article, book, picture or video can ever duplicate. I wrote about it in F-Chat last year. See the link here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vintage-thru-365-gtc4-sponsored-redline-restorations/383058-best-gt-car-world-stirling-moss-250-gt-swb-berlinetta-competizione-2735gt.html

As I wrote about the car it brought to the fore in my mind the sense of “missed opportunity” that I have always felt since seeing this great, historic car for not actually turning around on my motor bike and following it to see and hear the car close up. Late last year fate was to deliver what I thought may be a helping hand. Very fortuitously, I was to make a chance connection with Clive Beecham, the owner of the car, and in our correspondence, asked him if he would be kind enough to take me for a short ride/spin in her should I come to London. Knowing that he is well known in Ferrari circles, and that he must get many requests similar to this as well as being a very busy man I did not expect a positive reply. I mean this is a man who has met and done business with Enzo Ferrari himself! He remembered being in Wales in the car when I saw it in 1986 with Ian Fraser of Supercar Classics who was to write a well known article about the car. He went on to explain that the car was on display at the Maranello Museum until May, 2013 and that he would be in touch when he got it back. I was really hoping that he would remember, and that that would not have been the end of that, as you may appreciate.

Well, let me tell you that Clive Beecham is a man of his word and he did remember. He sent me a message around 2 months ago asking when I could come to London to see the car. But not only that he said that if I would be prepared to wait until after the end of June, I could not only see the Stirling Moss SWB but also the ex Gianni Agnelli of Fiat, Ferrari 166MM Barchetta 0064M that was successfully raced by Olivier Gendebien. Naturally, I was amazed, and of course very excited. It was going to be a long 2 months!!!

ONE DAY LAST WEEK.

The day had finally arrived that I was going to see these wonderful cars that are so idolised and to meet Clive too. I was so excited I didn’t get a wink of sleep the night before. I was quite nervous to be honest and had also been wondering on the train journey if these cars in the flesh, that I have spent most of my life since boyhood dreaming about, would meet my very high expectations? They say that you shouldn’t meet your idols. Will they live up to the hype? Are they worthy of the reverence bestowed upon them? Are they really worth the incredible amounts of money they command? I was about to find out.

Clive very kindly picked me up from Paddington Station on this very hot day and we went to Clive’s house where he briefly showed me 5 huge volumes of history and articles relating to 2735 that he has collated in his 30 odd years of owning her. I’d read about the history files that Clive had in the September, 2011 edition of Motor Sport and I was really looking forward to seeing these. The correspondence from Stirling Moss and Ferrari is really something to see. It is very interesting and you would need days of solid study (which for me would be heaven), to get through it all. We then went to a very secure, guarded garage where the cars are stored. The garage door came up and there they were facing forward in the garage with their rear ends in view. The beauty of these two historic cars took my breath away!!!

FIRSTLY THE MOSS' CAR.

Before going on the spin we had to check the fluid levels in the car so Clive opened the leather strap that secured the bonnet and the beautiful 3 litre Colombo engine was revealed. It was amazing. Those 2 crackle black single overhead cam covers and the 3 twin choke big barrel Webers surrounded by the cold air ram induction air box are a wondrous sight. With the levels checked Clive went through the procedure of priming the Webers and then the music began with the whirring sound of the starter motor turning those 12 cylinders of 250cc each. I just love that particular sound of the Colombo engine turning over. The engine quickly caught and burst into life. This is an extremely loud car indeed and the sharp rasp coming through the 33% bigger bore than standard Competizione exhaust very distinct. As the engine is warming the carbs were popping which is quite normal before reaching operating temperature. The mechanical noises heard were just fabulous. After a few minutes of warming the engine Clive reversed the car out of the garage and the beauty of the car was plain to see with its open headlights at the end of the curvaceous drooping front fenders like long powerful torches, air scooped bonnet shouting “hungry and potent engine beneath”, wraparound low windscreen which is slightly taller for ’61 with a lower flatter roof line, gaping radiator grille, curved rear haunches and fastback rump. It’s coloured in the distinctive Rob Walker Blue with contrasting white noseband and roundels with Stirling’s Goodwood TT entry number 7, and all suspended on painted, 15” Borrani wheels shod with Dunlop racing tyres. The Pininfarina design, which is the 5th evolution of the SWB body, looked absolutely gorgeous from every angle, front, back, side and top. Uniquely, there is no Ferrari script on the rear of 2735GT. It’s a very aggressive but beautiful looking car.

Clive told me to get in. The doors are extremely light, very small and don’t open very far outwards, so one has to be extremely careful entering the car to ensure you don’t scratch, mark or bend the lightweight alloy bodywork or the interior. The Le Mans type starts must have been more challenging than they looked. Not so much for the diminutive Stirling, but very challenging for someone very tall like Mike Parkes. I was in and off we went. There was an aroma of petrol and oil. Clive was concerned about the traffic and bumps and humps in London on this very hot day. Don’t forget this is a racing engine with Testa Rossa cylinder heads, and much harder to drive in traffic. This car needs an open road where its full rev range and savage power can be exploited. It’s built to go flat out and win races, which it did so well with Moss at the wheel with 5 wins in it, including the 1961 Goodwood TT. In the hands of Moss, 2735GT proved to be the fastest GT car in its day.

Regarding the interior the blue leather surrounded bucket seats with cord inserts are very comfortable indeed and really do look fabulous. The black crackle dash with the speedometer and tachometer lie directly in front of the driver with the all important oil pressure gauge in the middle. To the left of these, on this RHD car, in the middle of the dash are 4 gauges for the oil temperature, water temperature, fuel level and clock. Stirling Moss has signed the dash in indelible ink on the passenger side “Best GT Car”. The insides of the doors have leather straps to hold the vertical sliding Perspex windows in place and open door cards have the cable pulleys to open the doors like the first Austin Minis. The rear window, more wraparound on later cars such as 2735, is also Perspex. Concessions to comfort do remain such as the blue leather clad gearbox tunnel and matching leather gaiter enclosing the tall gearstick with aluminium gear knob atop. There are colour matched carpets in the car which cover the aluminium floor which were a surprise to see as I had read that the interiors were stripped out on these SEFAC Hot Rods. There is even a glove box. I get the impression that Rob Walker wanted Stirling to be comfortable whilst doing his job, though no radio, as was installed in 2119GT, for full concentration. I’m sure it would have been impossible to hear anyway with the sound proofing having been stripped out, and the engine on full cry. There’s a great feeling sitting in the car looking down that wonderful bonnet and wings.

Back to the ride: There is traffic but not as bad as we suspected. It’s very hot at 30 degrees C. The sound of the car is just absolutely incredible. It really is much louder than I thought it would be. This car does not like being in traffic and the big barrel Webers are popping in protest. Not far into the journey we do come across some open stretches of road and some freedom for the car and the engine to breathe and for it to be let off its leash. Ed Niles has said that SWB 2689GT, that he once owned, which has the same spec engine, takes off like a scolded cat after 4500 rpm and keeps pulling to 7500 rpm. Clive opens her out and the sounds coming from this car are just beyond words. It really is a beautiful sound.

Further into the journey as we head out of London we encounter some longer stretches of road and dual carriageway with long sweeping bends. Clive is able to rev the car higher and the sounds emanating from this howling engine are reaching higher decibels and notes. I’m hearing the best music an internal combustion engine could possibly make and I’ve heard some fantastic engines in my life having been a salesman of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Jaguar etc, both classic and modern, for a number of years previously. Of the many articles and books I’ve read and videos on Youtube I’ve watched on this car and model over the years, they have not prepared me for the sound levels and the beauty of those sounds.

We encounter some sharper corners and 2735 handles them very well with good retardation provided by the 4 disc brakes. This is a fast, exciting car, and depending on which of 7 final drive ratios are fitted, is capable of around 155 mph, at which point the SWB hits a brick wall aerodynamically, a limitation which engineer Giotto Bizzarrini overcame in his next creation, the 250 GTO. Clive used the 4 speed synchromesh gearbox, which is alloy cased on the Competizione SWBs, to make the best of the road situations and keep the car in the power band, which I’ve read is in full force after 5500 rpm on this Comp./61 unit. Changes sounded very fluid and smooth. From the passenger seat I could feel the chassis and suspension communicating exactly how the car connects with the road through the Dunlop racing tyres. I wasn’t actually expecting to get much more than a ride around the block in the car and I would have been extremely grateful and considered myself very lucky for that, but we ended up going on quite a long drive. It was absolutely fantastic. When the engine is allowed to breathe it really is amazing and well worth putting up with its low down inflexibility. This was the finest engine in the world in 1961 and one of the finest engines ever. There is a great sense of excitement about the whole car. Of course cars today are faster, but I get the feeling that if I was driving I’d have to be going at warp speeds in them to achieve the same levels of excitement, which is impossible on public roads today. Alain de Cadenet did say that a full fat SWB was the most excting GT Competition car that Ferrari ever made. It was very exciting as the passenger too hearing those wonderful musical engine sounds. I must confess to being a little frightened on a number of occasions, but in the best possible way. It was a truly fabulous ride in an amazing, very special car and one that I will remember for the rest of my life.

With the ride over Clive again left me with the history files of the car that I was looking forward to reading. Now normally I would have absorbed the information in them like a sponge absorbs water, but I felt so high and I was still buzzing from the drive that I just couldn’t take it in. I remember seeing the correspondence from Stirling Moss and the Ferrari Factory, pictures of the car when it was painted silver in Chris Kerrison’s ownership and of the car crashed at the 1962 Goodwood TT that resulted in the car being rebodied by Drogo, but not much else. It was like I wasn’t there and very surreal.

NOW THE EX GIANNI AGNELLI' 166MM BARCHETTA 0064M:

Again a very beautiful, historic car designed and bodied by Carlo Anderloni of Carrozzeria Touring. When Clive started it up I was amazed by the sheer volume of sound that this tiny 2 litre Colombo V12 was making. It’s a jewel like looking car and you just don’t expect it to sound so powerful and beastly. It’s a great sound!!! I can believe what they say about this car having the measure of racing cars with much bigger engines. The car may look cute but it really was a serious and successful racing car. Clive reversed it out of the garage and it is drop dead gorgeous. The colours are stunning in its 2 tone blue and green brought out perfectly by the sunlight. The Borrani wire wheels this time are glistening chrome. My favourite part is the nose with the big radiator grille. The shape was the inspiration for the AC Ace which was developed into the Cobra. The curved rear end is fabulous too.

I got in after opening the very small door. It was a perfect sunny day for this totally 'open' car. Off we went and I’m thinking of the Ferrari Royalty connections to this very car that I am being driven in. Gianni Agnelli had originally owned it. In the ownership of Viscomte Gery d’Hendecourt, the very famous ‘50s and ‘60s gentleman racer and multiple Le Mans, Tour de France and Targa Florio winner for Ferrari Olivier Gendebien, had raced this car to success early in his career. Highlights included winning the 1953 Coupes du Spa. This 1950 produced 166MM remained competitive for a long time and is very rare, being one of 25 examples built. Jacques Swaters of Garage Francorchamps owned it for 46 years during which it was displayed in famous places such as the 1990 L’Idea Ferrari in Florence, and the New York Museum of Modern Art ‘93-‘94. Luigi Chinetti drove the car at the 1989 Spa Ferrari Days. In 2013 it won Best of Show at Lo Stile, Mille Miglia and was driven in this year’s Mille Miglia by Clive Beecham and Christos Vlahos of the Musee Ferrari.

Back to the ride: I can’t believe how loud the car is. The engine seems very torquey and flexible and seems to pull like a train from low down, even in the higher gears of the 5 speed partly non synchromesh gearbox. Double de-clutching is essential for gear changes. Also surprising is how comfortable it is. Acceleration is very fast. We drive through nearby Regent’s Park where we had a bit of space to open it out and it’s amazing. We stop the car and just look at it and take some time to appreciate the beauty of it and the unique details such as the Agnelli specced rear lights.

0064M is quite luxuriously equipped for a road racer with light tan leather bucket seats and a beautiful flat wooden riveted steering wheel. Elegantly set in the body coloured blue painted dashboard are the instruments. Offset to the left in front of the driver, on this RHD car, as all 166MMs are, is the large tachometer calibrated to 8500 rpm. In the middle of the dash inside a circle are three round gauges for the oil, water and petrol. To the left of this, almost on the passenger’s side is the speedometer which is calibrated to 200 km/h and the same size as the tachometer. There is a toggle switch for the indicators mounted on the left of the dash.

As we drive through London the Barchetta receives lots of attention, which must be due to the fabulous sounds it’s making as well as its looks. With the ride over we headed back to Clive’s house and he showed me the wonderful pictures of 0064M taken during the Mille Miglia that he entered with her in June of this year.

In conclusion, the cars were even more exciting than I thought and exceeded my expectations, which were high to start. I have to say that that was one of the very best days of my life. The cars were fantastic, as was their owner who I will never be able to thank enough and to whom I will always be grateful for his kindness and hospitality in taking the time to demonstrate these two truly iconic and wonderful Ferraris to me. Thank you very much, Clive Beecham.

 

Finned alloy cased on the Competizione SWBs and cast iron on the steel bodied "street" SWBs which were quieter. The SEFAC Hot Rods like 2735GT, which used the hot Tipo 168 Comp./61 engine, also had elektron alloy cam covers and oil sumps and elektron or silumin timing chain covers.

 

I am sure that you are correct, and as you have posted previously, that there are many anomalies. Some steel bodied cars had competition engines and wasn't it you that sold an alloy bodied car with a "street" engine? One of the SWBs that Eric Clapton owned. Yes, I confess what I posted is only what I have read, in 250 GT books by Jess Pourret and Ken Gross, and not from experience, from where your greater knowledge is gained.