Pierre Bardinon collection

^ so wonderful to see. who is in control of estate? family endeavor?

 

ça fait plaisir de revoir cela...

nice to see this again...

 

Holy ground

 

Is that Pescarolo?

 

Yes.

 

I think this is a 1908 Grand Prix car but neither a Panhard et Levassor nor Mors. I'm curious to find out what in fact it is.

 

Wow

 

Had no idea there were plans afoot to make it serviceable again. Wonderful to see.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Another pic if you are speaking of these cars...

 

Berliet 1908.

 

Merci beaucoup!

 

Very happy to see it's still there, and now back in "business".

What about the neighbors? I thought MdC had a big neighbor problem with the noise...

 

One source says it is the Berliet of Jean Porporato that finished fourth at the 1908 Targa Florio, another says it is similar to that car! There are no more than ten genuine 1903-1908 Grand Prix cars extant, most of them only saved by being converted to road car use pre WW1. Another ten or so 1912-14 Grand Prix cars exist, mainly Peugeots and Mercedes while plenty of replicas have been built and they are basic enough it isn't that hard to do. IF it is Porporatos Berliet, it is pictured below!

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

All

Following that re opening, which is frankly an extremely good but fragile news after many years of issues with associations, some locals etc... does anyone of you know if the collection can still be visited ? Are there any updates on the cars present within ?

Kind regards.

 

As far as I know the collection is still under legal seal, impounded on site until the legal case between the Bardinon siblings regarding the sale of 250 GTO 5573GT is sorted out. Yes the trials are over but the fallout is not.
One French classic car magazine had a multi page article very recently about the reopening of the circuit, interviewing Alexandre Bardinon (grandson of Pierre and son of Patrick, in charge of the track and originator of the rebirth, he can be seen with Pescarolo in the ribbon cutting photo on the previous page) but there was absolutely no mention of the collection and its status and you can tell it had been required ahead of time.
I believe that once the legal locks come off most cars will be sold. Until then zero access for anyone. If anyone has more up to date news please share.

 

I have exactly the same information and can add that several firms have lately been trying to purchase some of the cars, completely unsuccessful.

Marcel Massini

 

These purchase attempts reminded me of a story that one formerly very prominent and quite aggressive US dealer told me years ago.

He was visiting Bardinon (in the late 1990's IIRC) with a view to buying one or several cars from him, he had a leg in a cast having broken it in Thailand I think so it was not an easy time to head to the remote middle of France far from any airports. When he got there Bardinon gave him the grand tour of the house, of the collection and the circuit but did not seem in a hurry at all to engage in negotiations...A bit of a culture shock to say the least for our man used to immediate quick deals.

It is only in the evening, after dinner, after he had plied our American with lots of great wines, fine Cognac etc, when his visitor was well imbibed and deemed ready, that Bardinon consented to talk shop.

 

Did they make a deal?

 

Even a brief look at the collection as it stands, it must be $150mm worth of Ferraris. At least. However at its peak Bardinons collection must have a 2023 value of around half a billion, an insane sum!

_ 375 MM Berlinetta PF 1954 #0368
_ 375 Plus 1954 #0396 (1954 Le Mans winner)
_ 250 GT-SWB "Paso-Corto" 1961 #2737GT (1961 "Tour de France" winner
_ 250 LM 1964 (red with babyblue stripes) #5841GT
_ 330 P4 1967 #0860
_ 312 P CanAm 1969 (now as a coupé) #0870
_ 312 PB barchetta 1972 #0884
_ 125/166 F2 Corsa 1948-1950 #06C
_ 312 F1 1970 #001
_ 312 B2 1971 #007

 

SWB is 2937GT

 

This is not what Maurice Trintignant was thinking. I remember he was saying the numbers of several 375 Plus had been swapped...

 

Well I believe they did but they also organized for one of my favorite cars, 268SP V8 0798 to be consigned by Bardinon-not sold- to that dealership. I first rode in it with their salesman in the US, but they did not find a buyer because it is really a car that requires extensive knowledge to appreciate.

Then later after it had been shipped back to Mas du Clos and eventually sold by Bardinon I test drove it on the roads near Silverstone in May of 1998 with its generous owner BC and restorer Terry Hoyle following me in a modern car. That V8 sounds better than any V12; an incredible sound that seems to come straight out of a Disney movie soundtrack! That was a fantastic two part article to do, a privilege, and the research was very satisfying.

 

Excuse me, Tim, but what please is a 312 P CanAm 1969? Never heard of that before. You probably mean 312 P Berlinetta #870, but that car has very little to do with the Can Am (except Bridgehampton 09/14/1969).
#0884 I'd rather describe as a 312 P (or PB if you like), a Spider, but certainly not a Barchetta (not every open car is automatically a Barchetta, and in the Ferrari world it is usually the ones bodied by Carrozzeria Touring/or perhaps a 550 Barchetta).
Also, the 312 B2 #007 is looooong loooooong gone from Bardinon, 30 years ago already, and currently lives in Germany.

Marcel Massini

 

I cheated and simply copied the post from page one of this thread minus the cars that have gone. All fair points though.

 

I saw the car race at Sebring in 1963. That race had what must have been one of the most incredible Ferrari entries ever, at least in the U.S. In order of finish:
250P
250P
330TRI/LM
GTO
GTO
GTO
GTO
GTO
GTO
246SP
330LMB (DNF)

Those first six were also the official finishing order; also fastest lap to winner Surtees; Ferrari 1,2,3,4 in Index of Performance. Enzo must have been happy to take the call.