The return of the Breadvan...

Wonderful!!!

 

One fine day for sure.

 

The beast is looking great.

 

Beautiful! Can't wait to run one of ours in this event, too.

CW

 

Pardon my ignorance, but could someone please point me to somewhere I could learn more about the breadvan and it's significance and history? Yes, I searched...

 

It is a pseudo GTO built on a 250SWB chassis, I believe.

There was a fairly extensive discussion of it and others here recently, I believe. There were at least two pseudo GTOs built. One of them had a lovely GTO like body by Drogo which was recently removed and an original SWB type body reconstructed on the chassis. The Drogo Body has been put on a GTE? chassis in recent years and survives in that configuration, I believe.

Someone more knowledgable will chime in with chassis numbers, I am sure.

IIRC, the breadvan was the most successful pseudo GTO in its racing career.

I am old enough to remember the breadvan when it first raced. I always thought (WTF?) back then when I saw a picture of it. It is sort of the most extreme example of a Kamm tail ever built.

Tom W

 

Check this! http://www.coachbuild.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=38

 

Hi

My days of running in anger are over but the ACO has invited me to Parade the 24 with 0846 and J6 and some day I'll bring them over.

Best

 

Napolis,

Will likely be taking one car over for the '09 running. I have a few names already for support, but if you have any recommendations I'd be happy to hear them.

CW

 

That's a great link!

Thanks very much.

Tom W

 

The Breadvan has got to be one of the ugliest Ferrari ever built. Sure it is a great track car, fantastic history, but just plain ugly.

 

You should see her in real life.
In pictures the Breadvan looks quite strange, but in the metal she looks very very impressive.

Remember this car was not styled to be beautiful, she just had to go fast. And she did.
Therefore, I think, she is beautiful.

 

Congrats to Klaus and Max Werner for repatriating "le camion du pain" back to its spiritual European home.

The last time it saw this much race activity was in the late '70's in UK with John Harper at the wheel when owned by Martin Johnson.

I hope Max and Claudia Huertgen make it to the winners enclosure at the Goodwood Revival in September.

E

 

I know the usual suspects such as David/DK and would recommend him:

http://www.dkeng.com/

There is also a local garage that is a dealer for GT 40 Kit cars who is a enthusiast and supports a lot of the GT 40 guys.

http://www.gt40s.com/forum/gt40-enthusiasts-club/25578-technical-support-le-mans-classic.html

 

Great moment indeed for this 4th edition (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008)

... and great pics Etienne (comme toujours)

 

When you consider the haste with which the body was constructed, and the fact that the chassis was the less developed, older SWB chassis compared to the newer GTO chassis, and that the roofline on the breadvan is some four inches lower than a GTO and the car was some 100+ Kilos llighter than the GTO (They had to find speed somewhere) the fact that it ended up being faster than the GTO is a miracle.

In looking at the details of the car, the details that were able to be "normal details" are quite elegant. (Headlight treatment, front fender, windshield, hood latches,etc) The details that had to be done immediately to solve functional problems, like the radiator inlets, and the vents behind the wheels were done simply and quickly without the usual elegance that the Italians achieved.

The roofline is so functional aerodynamically, clearly a successful solution to the back of the car creating lift with a normal sloping roof, without the drag inducing ducktail, but its just so unconventional in its appearance. But it is so startlingly unconventional and the rear window as a solution to rear visibility is just so pitiful, it just does not fit any conventional parameters of good looking design.

I have not had the opportunity to see her in person. I would love to. I cannot in good conscience call her beautiful, but considering the success of the design (FAST) one has to admire the overall audacity of it all, to think you could out GTO the Ferrari factory effort in a one of a kind car such as this on an older chassis, it surely must stand out as a very very rare success at that idea.

And that is truly a beautiful thing.

Tom W

 

I'm not sure the above photos are in the right thread, but I don't remember seeing transparent (fibreglass/ perspex?) inlet trumpets before. Interesting! What year was that photo taken?

 

Here two of my pictures of the Breadvan at Le Mans Classic. Is that Mermaid original Max??

Best regards

-Kevin
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Thanks for the recommendations.

Much appreciated!

CW