Flexible Flyer

I'm taxing my memory a bit but maybe some of you can shed some light.

In the late 70s/early 80s. I was quite involved with tech inspection at many FCA events, in particular Watkins and Lime Rock.

A fellow once showed up with what appeared to be a prototype race car with a single cam engine, a 365 I was told.

In further conversation, the car was supposedly a replica built to be extremely light. Someone mentioned that it was constructed with very thin tubing.

One gentleman, possibly Carle Conway, referred to the car as the "Flexible Flyer" because the frame was not rigid enough to serve in a race car.

Anyone remember it?
Who built it?
If so, is it still around?

Just some old memories! I have a box of old photos somewhere - I will try and find it and see if there are any shots of the car.
Bob Z.

 

312 P s/n 0872

See bottom. Car still shows up regularly at historic events. No longer has anything to do with 0872

http://www.sportscardigest.com/hawk-at-road-america-2015-report-and-photos/

Third page of photos...

 

John Goodman, 1972 Ferrari 312 Sparling Special?

 

Yes.

 

Thanks for the info and satisfying my "way-back" curiosity!
Appears that this is the same car.
As I recall, it had a single-cam engine and another thing of note: The alternator was exposed and above the bodywork.
When I tech-inspected the car, I recall that the overall workmanship was very impressive.

Also, I was with Carle Conway when he picked up the parts from the 312P, then owned by François.
It had a strange "bubble" on the driver's side roof.
Last I heard, Peter Sachs owned it.

Bob Z.

 

TTBOMK the flying shingle is owned by John Goodman in Seattle, WA.
The real 0872 (312 P) is in Zurich, Switzerland (ex-Peter Sachs) and regularly campaigned in vintage racing all over Europe, usually piloted by David Franklin.

Marcel Massini

 

The car (the flying shingle) was at the Portland Historics in 2009. The placard next to the car claimed it was 0872. Somewhere I have a picture, but finding it might take some time.

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vintage-thru-365-gtc4-sponsored-vintage-driving-machines/109337-sparling-ferrari-special.html

 

1970/1, after a short life, some races, modification, crashes and fires, the remains of #0872 got completely disassembled. The parts were spread, traded and used elsewhere. Herewith the car was given up and – as I feel – definitely stopped to exist in this form. 1971, Wayne Sparling’s ‘Flying Shingle’ took over some parts and #0872’s identity and Chinetti officially entered this very car 1974 as Ferrari 312P #0872 in Le Mans (#1 Andruet/Zeccoli, 9th OA and 6th IC). And this historic car and frame with chassis number 0872 still exists today and is racing in the US.

Do two Ferraris with chassis number #0872 exist nowadays? And what exactly was ‘resurrected’ and finally restored after 1997 and recently Classiche certified as #0872?

 

Utter bull. This story requires such a leap of faith as to be suitable for the Olympics. 0872 never ceased to exist as a chassis. The engine and suspension was used in the new chassis for a period of time. Both chassis were purchased by Carl Conway and the pieces seperated back into an original pile and the other pile. The original chassis, body, engine, suspension and gearbox was purchased and then restored over many years by Peter Sachs. The NART Flyer chassis was sold to the Bryan brothers who with the assistance of John Danials made it a running car with a GT Ferrari motor and a Hewland gearbox. It is a cool car with great NART history, but it is not 0872. The correct thing was done to restore the original 0872 and to make the NART flyer a running car. To post the comment above is intentionally misleading and to feign ignorance of what actually happened is irresponsible. I am sure there will be others who will weigh in on this...

 

When I saw the car in Seattle in the 1990's it had what looked to me to be a 330GT motor.

I vaguely remember a placard that implied that it was a real Ferrari, but I may well be
wrong about this.

 

Well, could you kindly explain what car was entered Le Mans in 1974 and what "the NART-Flyer's" frame number is today? And how can you switch chassis numbers back and forth?

 

The flying shingle, when I last saw it, had a engine from a 365 GT 2+2.

Marcel Massini

 

If I march out to The Indianopolis museum and borrow the shift knob and steering wheel from Ferrari LM 5893, put it on a my home built chassis and enter it in a race as "Ferrari LM 5893", regardless of how my new car finished, it will never be considered the 1965 LeMans winner. The museum would still have the original car. When I return the shift knob and steering wheel to the museum, their original car is whole. My home built chassis does not magically inherit the history and identity of their car. Essentially the same thing happened here. What was stated on entry papers does not change the physical existence of the original chassis, engine gearbox etc.

The NART Flyer is a neat car in its own right that used the identity of 0872 for two races. It is an important part of NART history. It has a Ferrari GT based engine. That doesn't make it Ferrari 312P 0872.

 

All this is very interesting and probably important. But again: what car with what chassis number was entered 1974 in Le Mans and what chassis number has this car today?

 

To me, it is the NART Flyer 001, 1 of 1. It is a unique one off car. It has evolved over time to be a very different car than what was entered at Daytona both in terms of mechanicals and bodywork. The Chassis was built by Wayne Sparling for the Chinettis' and NART. When racing, that new chassis used the engine, gearbox and suspension from 0872. All of those components have been returned back to the original 0872 chassis and the NART Flyer now uses a Ferrari engine (I do not know the serial number of that engine), Hewland gearbox and, I believe, Lola suspension and BBS wheels. That the car wears a Ferrari badge is something for Ferrari to worry about. I have no problem with it as NART was racing as a Ferrari dealer.

Photos show development of the bodywork. 1971 top row, 1974 lower left and current lower right. The shape of the tub was changed from rounded to square (typical change for the time), the rear wing was added and the headlight opening enlarged and reshaped. Styling-wise the car transformed from 312 P to 312 Pb to a 312Pb/512 M combination

I don't post any of this to denigrate either car, but to merely reflect what happened accurately. I am please to see 0872 back to original and racing in Europe and I am happy to see the NART Flyer out at events as well. The are two separate cars that share some history.
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A “NART Flyer 001” or whatever else is pure fantasy of 2015. In period, Chinetti officially entered Ferrari 312P #0872 (1971 ‘Daytona 6 Hours’ and 1974 the ’24 Hours of Le Mans’). And from 1971-97, there was a pile of disassembled and spread parts, but no other car with chassis number #0872. This shows the very point, considering that this historic and very interesting car and frame still exists today with chassis number #0872. No simple history for certification and authenticity.

 

Gary:
0872 is factory certified since about 2009.

Marcel Massini

 

You can argue semantics and opinions all you want and even in this your argument fails. The facts are well documented and known and you gloss over many of those facts to see what you want to see.

Yes, Chinetti entered and raced Ferrari 312P #0872 at 1971 Daytona 24 Hour....it was still the original chassis with cut down bodywork. The car entered in the 1972 Daytona 6 Hours was the NART Flyer chassis with Ferrari engine 0872 and Ferrari suspension and Ferrari gearbox of 0872. The same occurred at the 1974 LeMans 24 Hour - NART Flyer chassis with Ferrari 0872 engine and running gear. During this time the original 312 Ferrari chassis 0872 was unused, but remained an intact chassis. It was not thrown away, scrapped, destroyed or any other term that is used. Francois Sicard should be credited with saving and storing away the original chassis initially.

I explained above that the original 0872 chassis and the Flyer chassis with engine 0872 and 0872 running gear were both purchased by Carl Conway and the original components placed together as a project. This left the body and chassis of the NART Flyer to be sold separately, with no original components from Ferrari 312 P 0872. By your own semantic argument, the NART Flyer's connection to 0872 ceased in 1981 and it too was a collection of parts, namely chassis and body. No engine, gearbox or suspension. There is a gap of some 10 years before the Flyer reappeared as a running car.

For some 15 years, that collection of original chassis, engine, gearbox and even body panels of 0872 remained in storage until a huge effort over many years was able to see it returned to a complete, accurate and running car with original chassis, engine, gearbox and suspension.

The NART Flyer's connection to Ferrari 312 P 0872 was through the running gear. You can call it whatever you want, even chassis "0872", but it is not, nor will it ever be, Ferrari 312 P 0872. At this point to even call it a “312” is simply inaccurate as it has either a 4.0 or a 4.4 liter V12 2+2 engine. That is likely the only significant component of the car today that has any direct connection to Ferrari as a manufacturer. None of the components present with the car today, except the chassis and the bodywork raced with the car in 1974. It can be NART Flyer 0872 if you want. To me, its chassis number really doesn't matter, as it is its own unique car manufactured by NART.

I have shown the differences in the tubs and bodywork in photos above. They are easily distinguishable. They are two separate and distinct cars, one a Factory designed, built and Ferrari Team car that was later modified. The other was a NART built and raced chassis that used Ferrari components when raced in period, none of which are with the car today. Ferrari Classiche has made some errors in the past....the Certification of Ferrari 312 P 0872 is not one of them.

Lastly, and just my opinion, the NART Flyer is an interesting car with Daytona and LeMans history. It should stand on its own and for what it was. To try and muddy the waters and claim a history and identity only diminishes the cars image and value, likely the exact opposite of what you are hoping for. I have no direct involvement in either car, so their respective values are not my concern. Accuracy in the historical record is of interest to me and many others, having followed many of these cars since I watched them race in period. I have stated before, I am happy that BOTH cars exist and that their shared time in history is reflected and understood for what it was, an effort by NART and Chinetti to utilize Ferrari components that they had on hand to go out and race against other manufacturers in the World Championship.

 

Any car that was given up in period and based on it another car was built, is no easy task for certification and authenticity, especially if the second car still exists and the ‘resurrection’ of the first car was done some decades later and not in period. This is a simple fact and no “muddy the waters”.