06885: LMC phone interview with Harley Cluxton about "Marcello".

This is a wonderful video and many thanks for those who realized it and posted it.

First we don’t realize but the 50 years between the mid fifties and beginning of 2000, will remain forever, the defining period of petrol engine motor cars. With new technology, new material, new aerodynamics, and this influenced racing that evolved into Formula 1, Endurance racing and Rallyes world championship. There will still be cars in the future, and car events, but is clear that this will be very different from what we have seen in the last 50 years which will be a very specific unique period.

Second is , witnesses will gradually disappear. And we have a duty for generations (of car enthusiasts, but not only) to come , to get the first hand comments from those who were the actors. We can no longer interview Fangio, but we can still interview and record the statements of Jacky Ick, Mario Andretti, or Harley Cluxton ( which whom I had a chance to chat several years ago during the Gooding auction at PB) and we should do it systematically. And we should be very grateful to people like LMC for conducting such interviews to be preserved for future generations and we ( they) should do this systematically. I had a chance to meet John Surtees ( during the 275 Ferrari Tour, more on that later) and Sterling Moss ( who inspected my car, second in class at Pebble Beach) but we will have less and less of them with us ( if we are still there!).

Now back to Preston Henn. He was a big racer of his own and competed in the mid late seventies in real races, Sebring and Daytona in particular , and of course Le Mans. He was the reals stuff, not like us competing in 45 minutes races at Le Mans Classic, which is nice but nothing compared to a real 24 hours shared with 2 pilots ( before becoming 3!).
I followed his 275 during the 2004 Ferrari 275 Tour in Tuscany, and this was the loudest car I ever heard. I made this picture while driving behind it,,
And he loved loud cars, I had the opportunity later to buy and race the Daytona Group4 that he and his daughter raced in the late seventies, which was also a very loud car, and one of the few cars he ever sold. Pictured in front of the swap shop when he put it up for sale! We raced back to Le Mans and again I had a chance to meet and talk at length to two of the original drivers of this period, Gurdjian and Mignot, and sadly Philippe is no longer with us.

Preston was a shrewd businessman, very successful , notoriously difficult à la Caroll Shelby, prompt to legal battles if need be, a first class private driver, and a collector with impeccable taste in particular for race cars. And he kept this 275 most of his life, while not hesitating to take it out and show it to us for our pleasure. I wish we had more of those real car enthusiasts among ourselves!!
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Bira, you should know that I am finishing a book about the cars and people I have met, titled "Adventures in Ferrari Land." I don't claim to be an expert, and I don't like my writing style. But there will be lots of pix, and I hope that you and my friends on F-Chat will find it of interest. Maybe in a few months? Cheers!

 

(Raises hand for a copy)

 

I’ve sent a link to this thread to Al Roberts who maintained many of Preston’s cars including 06885 for many years. Al is in the car in Biro’s photo above in the 2004 275 tour. Henn’s codriver was to have been Bill Shearer, but at the last minute he was unable to participate. Coincidentally, Harley Cluxton and I attended college together.

 

Henn made waves in offshore powerboat racing as well. Many firsts and at least as many DNF's.

 

Ed, I definitely want a copy signed by you! I only had 18 classic Ferrari’s to date,,nothing compared to your total,,,including 3 GTBs ( in fact 4 as I owned #7781 in which I was in the 2004 Ferrari 275 Tour twice! And I know that you owned some of your cars more than once! Or,even more than twice!
So this will be “ a book from car nut for car nuts!”.
Please hurry up, I can’t wait reading it!

 

My father saw him at a race in Florida in the mid 80s IIRC and he said Henn had an entire tractor trailer truck with spare motors for the times “something broke.” Not surprised by your DNF line.

 

Do we know if it is still owned by the Henn estate?

 

Yes.

Marcel Massini