Porfirio Rubirosa | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Porfirio Rubirosa

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by matumorales, Sep 23, 2013.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    What Ferrari models were #0464MD and #0644MDTR?
     
  2. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    Were these ever raced?
     
  3. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    LOL! My questions are being answered even before I ask them!!
     
  4. Boudewijn

    Boudewijn F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    May 15, 2003
    4,133
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Boudewijn Berkhoff
    Short-time owner of 0438MD.
     
  5. Boudewijn

    Boudewijn F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    May 15, 2003
    4,133
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Boudewijn Berkhoff
    Drove 0440MD at Sebring 1957.
     
  6. BIRA

    BIRA Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2007
    950
    * 166MM/53 (#0328M) - Raced at 12 Hours Reims 1953. Picture taken with Zsa Zsa Gabor. Unknown current status


    Are you talking of her or of the car?She actually lived in my great grand parents house, in Budapest, in the previous century. My late father actually remembered the 3 sisters when they departed to the US! A real monument!

    Incidentally I a pretty sure Rubirosa had also plenty of other non Ferrari cars, I believe I remember a yellow 300SL discovered few years ago and now restored?
     
  7. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    #32 matumorales, Sep 23, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Hello, Bira!

    Actually, I'm just talking about the car; on a previous post, this photo was uploaded and it was later captioned as showing chassis #0328M.

    I'm sticking to Ferrari cars on this list, but I supposed that he might have owned other cars; was this 300SL you mentioned his car (Rubirosa's), or was it the car of Rafael Trujillo's son, that was a close friend of him?
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  8. Boudewijn

    Boudewijn F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    May 15, 2003
    4,133
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Boudewijn Berkhoff
    300SL: 198.040.4500087 owned by Porfirio Rubirosa.
     
  9. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Mar 4, 2005
    8,826
    So most of all his cars are...lost (?) today?
     
  10. BIRA

    BIRA Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2007
    950
    Sic transit Gloria mundi..
     
  11. readplays

    readplays Formula 3

    Aug 22, 2008
    2,344
    New York City
    Full Name:
    Dave Powers
    0050 alive and well with a long term owner in the US. Not listing the name for privacy reasons. Anyone on this board is savvy enough to go somewhere else ;) and find that info if needed to satisfy their own curiosity. Thanks.
     
  12. Pass

    Pass F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 29, 2008
    12,440
    Salida Colorado
    Full Name:
    Mark Passarelli
    It is believed he owned a 1955 Mercedes 300SL gullwing also.. I will find the chassis number.
     
  13. Boudewijn

    Boudewijn F1 Rookie
    Lifetime Rossa

    May 15, 2003
    4,133
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Boudewijn Berkhoff
    Post #33 shows the SN of his W198 series car, the gullwing...............
     
  14. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Mar 4, 2005
    8,826
    Ita, mergi deinde .. Summa vivo ego sum
     
  15. 275GTBSaran

    275GTBSaran Formula Junior

    Mar 5, 2012
    966
    Zurich, Switzerland
    Full Name:
    Le Monde Edmond
    Indeed very true. Well said.
     
  16. HistoryBuff

    HistoryBuff Karting
    BANNED

    Jul 1, 2013
    133
    I was surprised so many of the famous Ferraris he raced are unknown but then I haven't checked that site of pure SN listings yet either.

    But his gullwing I found in 30 seconds via the net. It's owned by Hans Kleissl who owns HK Engineering in Germany specializing in 300SLs.

    Does anybody know what Rubirosa sold his gullwing for, way back when? I imagine it was probably under $10,000 because, if he sold it in the '50s or '60s, it was just an old used car back then, before the collector boom in sports cars started (I know, I bought my first one for $4000 in '66 and my second for $8000 in the early '80s).

    Also going by the crash pictures, that crash doesn't look that hard on the driver if it was LHD but maybe he was speared by the steering column? Besides the pepper grinder, isn't there some flaming drink or gourmet dish called "Rubirosa?" That's what originally made me think he died in a flaming wreck but the pictures show no burned area on the car.
     
  17. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    I used to work as a turn marshal at all SoCal venues, and remember seeing Rubi race in what I think was a 500 Mondial (I wasn't yet into Ferraris). He had an odd way of making it through a corner: He would saw away at the wheel so that he made a series of small straights. Obviously not the fastest driver on the course, but he was certainly enthusiastic.
     
  18. 275GTBSaran

    275GTBSaran Formula Junior

    Mar 5, 2012
    966
    Zurich, Switzerland
    Full Name:
    Le Monde Edmond
    #43 275GTBSaran, Sep 24, 2013
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2013
    I can confirm 100% that Hans Kleissl owns the Rubirosa car. Please see the interview I did on the worlds foremost expert in the world for 300SL. He didn't know Rubirosa owned the car until recently.

    HK: The master of the 300SL » Le Monde Edmond

    And yes Rubirosa died because the wheel speared him after celebrating a Polo match victory late until the morning.
     
  19. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    #44 matumorales, Sep 24, 2013
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2013
    New update to the list:

    Road Cars:

    * 250 GT Cabriolet Series II (#1561GT) - Car in which he died. Destroyed.
    * 250 GT PF Cabriolet SI (#0783GT) - Gift from Doris Duke? Now owned by Joe Hayes.

    Race Cars:

    * 166MM (#0050) - Raced at LeMans 1950. Alive and well with a long term owner. Named not disclosed for privacy issues.
    * 375MM PF Berlinetta (#0380AM) - Raced at LeMans 1954. Presumed to be destroyed.
    * 500 Mondial Series II (#0556MD) - Raced at Nassau 1955 and Sebring 1956. Now owned by Bryanp.
    * 166MM/53 (#0328M) - Raced at 12 Hours Reims 1953. Picture taken with Zsa Zsa Gabor. Unknown current status
    * 500 TRC Spyder Scaglietti (#0660 MDTR) - Raced at 12 Hours Sebring 1958. Unknown current status.
    * 500 TRC Spyder Scaglietti (#0706 MDTR) - Raced at Cuba GP 1958. Unknown current status.
    * 500 Mondial Spyder Scaglietti (#0464MD) - Gift from Barbara Hutton. Raced at Carrera Panamericana. Unknown current status.
    * 625 LM Spyder Touring (#0644MDTR) - Raced at GP of Venezuela 1956. Unknown current status.
    * 500 Mondial Spyder PF (#0438MD) - Owned by a short period of time. Raced at Santa Barbara Now owned by Dr. Ulrich Schumacher - in Germany
    * 750 Monza Spyder Scaglietti (#0440MD) - Raced at Sebring 1957. Now owned by Robert Brooks.

    Non-Ferrari cars:

    * 1955 Mercedes 300SL W198 "Gullwing" (#198.040.4500087) - Now owned by Hans Kleissl who owns HK Engineering in Germany.
     
  20. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Mar 4, 2005
    8,826
    Not true!
    Kleissl had sold the car some about 7 or 8 years ago to a member of this forum who lives in Munich, Germany.
    I remember the car in a pale yellow color. So its not true that he did not know the Rubirosa-ownership until "recently"....!

    And - Hans Kleissl is very very good on 300SLs but he is not the only one with this quality amongst the "worlds foremost expert(s)"....! At least there are3 other "worlds foremost experts" in Germany and one or two in the USA.
     
  21. Drive550PFB

    Drive550PFB Two Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    My wife says I have a Rubriosa.
     
  22. matumorales

    matumorales Formula Junior

    Jun 8, 2011
    470
    Asunción, Paraguay
    Full Name:
    Daniel Morales
    I just KNEW somebody would eventually come up with something like this!!! LOL!!
     
  23. BIRA

    BIRA Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2007
    950
    Is that the gourmet dish?
     
  24. BIRA

    BIRA Formula Junior

    Jun 15, 2007
    950
    I also remember the car as found in yellow I think in an underground parking lot in Paris. Saw some pictures in a classic car magazine at some point in the last 25 years..
     
  25. wbaeumer

    wbaeumer F1 Veteran
    Consultant

    Mar 4, 2005
    8,826
    Yep, the person in Munich owned the car when still in yellow and unrestored. He owned it briefly and probably sold it back to Kleissl....
    I saw the car this year at Kleissl`s stand on the Schloss DYck-event. It was now in bare metal.
     

Share This Page