I visited the 815 Avio with Phil Hill.....

Vincent:
Thanks so much for the wonderful pictures and story, wow what a fine collection. Is the red car that Phil is examining an Alfa?

Phil must be in his 70s now, approaching 80? He looks pretty good. I met him at Pebble Beach about 20 years ago, so it is good to see him still up and about. I am a great admirer. He was a judge at Pebble Beach when we approached him to shake hands and chat and he was very giving of his time while he was busy doing his judging thing.

Thanks again, wonderful!

Ed
250 Pf coupe

 

For those that are not already aware, Phil is a specialist in classic and antique cars too; especially Packards. For a number of years he and Ken Vaughn owned Hill & Vaughn a restoration shop in Santa Monica. They were considered to be the finest Packard restoration shop in the western US. Prior to the creation of Hill & Vaugn each had won Pebble Beach with their own restoration of a Packard. Phil's was a 1938 Brunn bodied V12 limosine. [Sorry, can't remember what Ken Vaughn's winning car was] Phil also owned a Model 30 Packard from around 1912/13 that Automobile Quarterly at one time called one of the finest restord Packards in the US.

Back in the mid-70's visited Phil at his house and his shop and looked at all the various cars. His personal collection was comprised of antiques and classics - nothing post war. He drove us from the house to the shop and back in the Model 30 doing clutchless shifting and activating the exhaust cut-out.

One of the amazing cars at the house was an unrestored Packard Twin Six formal limosine of the 19 teens that had been his grandmothers. This was the car that Phil went home in from the hospital when he was born. The car had always been in the family.

I originally met Phil at the Riverside Raceway track test of Harley Cluxton's 312 B3 that made the cover of Road & Track (November '76 or '77?). There were maybe 20 people or less total at the track for this private session. Phil drove the B3 and also a 312P or 312PB that Harley brought and was used as the camera car for a lot of the magazine photos. The late Henry Manney was at the session and it was interesting to watch some of the repartee between them [found out the real reason that Henry stopped being the European correspondent]

Does anyone know the current situation on Phil's heath? I've heard reports that it is not very good.

Jeff Kennedy

 

Amazing story, and amazing pics to go along with it!

 

very nice - i love the 500 Mondial 0410MD - but why did they put a scuderia-shield on the fuel filler ?

 

I believe Phil is not very well, suffering from Parkinson's - he was the guest of honour at Goodwood in September 2006, but was only able to drive a couple of parade laps,slowly and carefully, in the '58 250TR, and sounded very frail when interviewed on the p.a.


Paul M

 

Great thread....

Question: What's the white car next to the Stratos?

 

Great story and pics thanks for posting.

The styling of 815 is very similar to this Alfa 6C 2500 which I grabbed this (cameraphone) snap of at a Goodwood breakfast in the summer.
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Already noted above, it is a Lamborghini 350 or 400 GT

 

IMO, the Auto Avio 815 is far more of a Nardi than a Ferrari. All Ferrari did was provide the finances. A virtually identical motor (two 4 cylinder Fiat 1100 motors modified and bolted together crank end to crank end) and chassis (tubular) was built by Nardi at least 3-4 years BEFORE the 815!

 

I'd like to hear the Henry Manney story.

My friend Jim Sitz talks to Phil at least once a week or so. Phil's Parkinson's is getting worse, but he is still very functional.

 

I believe that car is a replica, based on real pre-war Alfa 6c2500SS components..

 

I'd like to hear the Henry Manney story.


dretceterini:

Check for PM.

Jeff

 

Merci Vincent pour vos photos de la visite de la collection Righini

 

Thanks for the bump. I'd missed the thread first time around.

 

Thanks much for bringing this thead back. I have most of it from 2005. So much great provenance. tongascrew

 

I have seen the Righini collection 3 times over the past 12 years. The cars and bikes are amazing and the setting in the 1st floor of the castle is what gives it the special feel. Brick columns, arches and groin vaults make up much of the structure. No car covers, ropes, stanchions. Photos ARE allowed.....very unlike many car collections/museums. Sr. Righini let us sit in the cars. Somewhere I have a pic of me sitting in the 815.

There are many other unique cars in the collection. One of Karl Benz very first motorized vehicles.....1894 I believe. How about a V-16 Cadillac gifted to the Pope? One of Mussolini's staff cars. I also remember a huge early 20s Fiat Limousine that had an 8 liter 4 cylinder engine. Pistons must be the size of a wash buckets. It was interesting to see the engineering and technical advances made back in the 20s....multiple valves per cylinder, double overhead cams.. and more.

Mario is a fine and gracious host of this amazing collection.

Double this Modena collection tour with the Pannini [Maserati and motorcycle] collection at the Hombre cheese farm and you will have had an ultimate car guy day. And try out and buy some of Pannini's aged Parmasian Reggiano cheese......fantastico

Unfortunately like many things in Italy [and elsewhere] you have to have a "connection" to get to see these collections.

 

Can you be my connection, Steve? I want to see the groin vaults.

 

Nice Stratos btw.!