Hi Everyone, I haven't posted in a while and shot a few photos while doing my only outing in the car last year. Unfortunately travel restrictions with COVID have been impossible. I have shared them on my private social media but thought some might enjoy them here. Hope you enjoy these shots! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login I'm particularly proud of the last shot. I did about 50 miles of B roads that day and she ran like a top.
Love this car. 1958 Le Mans winner, Works 250 Testa Rossa 0728TR. Happy New Year and thanks for posting.
At LM 58 the car had additional fog lights in the grille opening, the massive central hood bulge was closed, not opened*, car had side windows and mud flaps at the rear wheel arches. In front of the driver was a second windscreen, there was no lid on the headrest for the gas filler cap, position lamps on the white roundel for the race number on the right rear are missing, the LM ACO scrutineering stamp on the left front fender ahead of the Scuderia Ferrari shield has disappeared. (*this modification was done by Pierre Bardinon in 1985, against the suggestion of Jess G. Pourret) Marcel Massini
Wonderful shots. Are you saying that if it wasn’t for COVID, you’d use the car for travel more extensively ? If so, you’re my new hero.
The hood opening was done after Le Mans. Pedro Rodriguez in #0728 at Nassau in December 1958 (© RacingSportsCars.com). Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes, sure. But I was talking about the restoration at Bardinon's place in 1985, when Pourret recommended to have it closed (as per LM 58) and Bardinon disagreed. At the time the car was in very poor shape. Marcel Massini
Just to clarify, 0728 was built as a Works pontoon bodied 250 Testa Rossa. Converted to envelope body style for Nurburgring 1958. The carburettor air opening was closed at the front but open at the back for Le Mans 1958, so not totally closed.
So is this car’s current build configuration & livery exactly as it was at the start of LeMans or something else ? Just (mildly) curious.
0728 also had its carburettor air opening at the rear at the Nurburgring, 1958. Ferrari experimented with front and rear air openings due to the problem of getting differing amounts of air pressure between the front and rear carburettors which prevented the engine running cleanly.
The history of this car is incredibly significant, but it is still a car and if it doesn't get used on the road and track, then its not a very good car. Thats our feeling. We use it for Sunday drives, rallies, and the occasional track day. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login The first picture hangs on my office wall. All shot on the TR rally a few years back from Salt Lake City to Aspen. I think we had 15 TRs and a few Cal Spiders as back up. The third picture is my first magazine cover. It was used for the cover of the last issue of Enzo magazine.
These last shots that I'll share were shot by a friend when we took Castle Combe for a day. Pushed the limits with a few cars. Ran this, a Jaguar D-type, and a DB3S Aston Martin and it was clear that over the course of 24 hours the Ferrari was the most drivable package. The D-Type is faster, but permanently on a knife edge at speed. The DB3S didn't have the power and had to be driven through corners at 10/10ths to make the pace. The TR just has such a good chassis and all the linear power to correct for mistakes. Very drivable. Our car is still in its centre throttle configuration as well. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
0728 TR a little earlier. From the legendary Fuller Brush Magazine. Assistenza Clienti director engineer Gaetano Florini and Phil Hill. Marcel Massini Image Unavailable, Please Login
With perspex carburettor cover and different nose vent arrangement. Full Phil Hill Fuller brush article by Denise McCluggage in link here posted by El Wayne.
I believe pics 1, 3 and 11 could be 0726TR, the first of the Works '58 250TRs converted from pontoon to envelope bodywork, which, like this car, did not have external door hinges and became the prototype for the TR59, which this car has features of.
Fully agree on TR and D Type albeit with far less experience than you. I drove pontoon fendered TR 0748 260kms one afternoon in southern California during a 1990's road rally for a Cavallino article (issue 113 October November 1999 thank you Symbolic, Bill Noon and then owner CC) and loved every minute, was fantasizing about eloping over the Mexican border with it It was a *****cat to drive the understeer was fun to play with though out of respect I did not explore the oversteer. Whether on mountain roads or city traffic I loved it. In towns I would coast a lot to keep it cool so when I rolled next to someone at a traffic light and then turned on the engine when the light went green they jumped in their seats ! Following Bill in his TRC at a high rate of knots in a canyon on the way to the Torrey Pines hill climb early one morning that same week the two V12 sounds merged into one sound, fabulous, I had heard that while in the draft of another car in single seater racing but this sounded sooo much better! Then I delivered it to the person who was to drive it that day, a certain Phil Hill, surreal moment! He just drove it mellow with his wife. In contrast at 500 Ferraris against cancer in 2019 I had a ride as a passenger in a D Type brought by Jaguar Heritage and found it quite unpleasant, cramped, did not like the engine and how the driver interacted with it. That experience gave me zero desire to drive one.
The D-Type is not a car that you passenger in. It was never designed for that, it is an incredible car and one that you shouldn't write off for that experience.