Dominic, Very cool stuff. How is the car described in the customs documents, does it include a mileage declaration? Thanks.
Me and my wife on monday took a ride to R.I and we got to meet Mr Ch------ and his wife thy bought the 275 gtb 08125 from my dad in1975 we exchanged storie memories it was plesure to finally meet them if it wasen't for this story i would still be searching thy did restore it at one point
That is a great story Domenic, thanks for sharing it. So can we conclude that the indicated mileage is not actual, and the car is not totally original?
HI, My name is Jack Champney the 3rd owner of 8125. Let me start by telling a small tail ........... A few days ago on a late afternoon I heard a knock on the front door. Opening the door a man, probably in his mid-fifties introduced himself. “Are you Jack? My name is Domenic Fabrizio Jr.” and held out his hand. “Did you ever own 8125?” I knew that last name, but that was many years ago. This certainly wasn’t the same person I had known. He was considerably younger, but there was a likeness. “8125” … Do you remember that number?” He asked again. Let me digress a bit: When I was in my early thirties I happened to come across a Ferrari 275 GTB parked in front of a motorcycle shop on the outskirts of Boston. At the time I was driving a ‘72 Porsche. Out of curiosity I stopped to take a look. After all it was somewhat unique and its PininFarina design had major influences on later Corvettes and Datsuns. It was also the first production vehicle (manufacturing total was under 300 vehicles) with its transmission in the rear. A rare bird indeed and worth a glance. After about fifteen minutes of pocking around the proprietor of the cycle shop stepped outside and approached me asking if I was interested in the car. “Does it run?” I asked. The older Ferrari was all there, but needed a lot of cosmetic work. His response …. “Sure! Want to take it for a spin?” To make a long story short I offered him my newer Porsche for his “67 Ferrari. No deal! He wanted cash and was looking for $4500. I thought I was crazy at the time, but I negotiated $4300 with a $100 deposit pending the sale of my Porsche. He agreed and we went inside to draw up our agreement. His name …. by the way was Domenic Frabrizio. I ended up selling the Porsche a few weeks later for $7300 so a had a little money left over for a decent restoration (at that time). “Fred”, as the Ferrari was later known was now part of our family. When I finally got the car home my first task was to figure out what I just purchased which included buying a book on the history of Ferrari's. “The Complete Ferrari” by Godfrey Eaton was my choice and at the time was the bible on the subject. Researching 275’s I found that the factory made short and long nose versions as well as two and four cam variances. The good book also mentioned that 14 “specials” long nose twin cam's were made of aluminum. So what did do? I immediately grabbed my magnet and rushed out to the garage and guess what? The magnet never stuck to VIN# 8125. Foolishly I sold Fred five years later in order to purchase a sailboat. Fast forwarding to about two years ago: I asked Tom Papadopoulos, the person I purchased my DB9 Aston from and owner of AutoSport Design, if he could find out what ever happened to my old Ferrari. By this time “Fred” had increased in value and I have always had a soft spot for that car. Tom reported back that the vehicle had changed hands several times but the trail went cold in the early ‘90’s … most likely ending up in Japan. As mentioned earlier, last Monday, Domenic Fabrizio Jr. was standing at my from door step. He too remembered his Dad’s car. At the time he was 10 or 11 years of age when “Fred” was sold to me but never forgot 8125. In fact he spent most of his adult life trying to find out where the old Ferrari ended up. Around the third week in February of this year was when he finally hit pay dirt on the internet. On the Hagerty web (https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/02/06/barn-find-cobra-and-ferrari-head-to-auction) there’s a video describing a “barn find” in South Carolina. Two of several vehicles stored in a condemned and soon to be demolished garage were a 427 Cobra and a 275 GTB. Domenic, driven by his quest, called hoping the 275 might be 8125. As all good stories turn out the old Ferrari was indeed to be the one. Domenic spent about two hours with me reminiscing about his Dad, “Fred” and how he managed to track me down. It certainly brought back some memories. I thanked him for all his efforts and we parted promising to keep in touch. Fred is now on his way to Amelia Island, FL to be auctioned off by Gooding & Co. on March 9th. I hope and pray they find a good home for him. I'd like to add one more item before I leave: I dropped Tom Papadopoulos an email yesterday letting him know the Fred had finally been found. His reply nearly floored me. "I'm on a plane now headed for Amelia Island to do some buying and selling. Dave Gooding will be there to pick me up. I'll make sure the new buyer gets in touch with you when the auction is done." Jack PS: The millage on the clock is definitely not right.
Jack, as noted earlier in this thread and in the Gooding & Co. auction listing, my friend Dan Rischenole was the next owner 08125 having bought it in 1981 through Mark Tauber who was associated with The Stable.. However, the end date for Dan's ownership should be 1984, not "shortly after" 1981 as indicated in the auction listing.
Thanks for sharing the above. The 14 "specials" as you called them that Godfrey Eaton wrote about were the Speciale Competition 275 GTBs and the Cliente Competizione 275 GTBs with Short Nose. He wrote about the Long Nose alloy 275 GTB/C Competizione cars in a separate paragraph. 08125 is not a Competition car but is one of about 80 alloy bodied road versions of the Long Nose 275 GTB. Do you remember the actual mileage of the car when you sold it?
Good Morning, First, let me say that I did not mean to imply that "Fred" was a competition vehicle .... which it was not. (For starters the filler cap was not on the outside.) The number "14", in addition to Godfrey, was provided to me by the Ferrari Club of America at that time when I was a member. Immediately that figure could or may be wrong, but not by too much. Please keep in mind that I'm referring to the production of long nose, non completion, twin cam cars. At that time I don't think even Enzo could tell you how many 275's were produced because of their poor record keeping. As I recall, when I sold 8125, it had about 35k (miles) on the clock. The 2nd gear synchronize was a little weak and it had the typical valve guide issue. Other than that the car was in excellent shape and presented itself well. Jack
Thanks again for your reply. Some sources state 60 Alloy Long Nose Street 275 GTBs were made and some state 80. Of the 12 Long Nose 275 GTB/C Competition cars I believe only 09079 had an outside fuel filler cap.
Good Afternoon, I no longer wish to debate meaningless numbers because I thinks the facts a very clear. “Fred” and the others of his breed are true milestones and have had a major impact on the automotive industry. The sweeping lines and advanced engineering have been mimicked for nearly four generations. His DNA is now deeply seeded in my current DB9. I was deeply saddened to learn that 8125 had been abandoned for nearly 30 years. This was a car that brought joy and, yes ... even profit to its owners as he changed hands. I can only surmise something catastrophic happened in the life of the current owner to take such action and had no choice. It is my sincere hope that tomorrow the new owner realizes the caretaking responsibility he or she is taking on and preserves 8125 for future generations. Jack
well said Jack 08125 has brought joy and memories and that's why I searched for so long hope that the new owner truly realizes the history (fred) has
Just saw this thread. This car was found in a dilapidated garage in my neighborhood, Myers Park in Charlotte, NC. Specifically Queens Rd East. I believe the gentleman’s mechanic died in a motorcycle crash 30 years ago and he didn’t trust anyone else to work on his cars. Thus they sat.
Now that all the festivities have now come to an end and the gavel put aside, I have a slight smile on my face. I’m thinking of the impact “Fred” and the others of his kind had at the auction. Try to envision all the finders, transporters, mechanics, photographers, security, organizers, ticket collectors, reporters, buyers, sellers and god know who else that all benefited in some small way. I can’t help wonder what 8125, with all his dirt and grime, could have accomplished if he hadn’t been abandoned for so long. Prosperity and joy to “Fred” and his new owner, Jack
Thank you very much Mr. Champney, for sharing your recollections and current impressions of this car. I personally find the detail calling the car "Fred" intriguing, since it is a third vintage car and second out of two Ferraris I've heard nicknamed as such. The "third" one is a nearly 60 year old non-Ferrari I flipped a coin with my best friend 30+ years ago for a chance to buy it (That day and subsequent two would make a great/long story by themselves or at least a chapter in book or movie). I lost, but I'm happy because he still has the car today while I would've likely sold it two days later, after an acquaintance of ours (a wealthy European collector) offered 5 times the purchase price over the phone without even seeing it. That car had been named as "Fred" by previous, long term (about 2 decades ?), owner who even had it registered with personalized plates "FRED" and had a special key ring made with that name on it. All these items are still with the car, though the plates only on the garage wall next to it.
It appears there are several unforgettable "Fred's" in this world. So, who is this non-Ferrari you spoke of? Jack
Thank you for your interest. The "Fred" in question is a 1960 Chrysler New Yorker convertible, now living in Europe under the care of its 3rd (long term) custodian and the 4th has been pre-arranged to be my friends first born daughter. Hopefully, when the time comes, she's able to carry on the tradition and enjoy the car.
Good to hear that “Fred C” is doing well and all the other Fred’s, both mechanical or otherwise, flourish in this world as well. This entire barn find event brought me back a few years ago when I picked up a book written by Peter Egan, a journalist for Road and Track. The book, “Cobra in a Barn”, is a collection of articles he pinned for the magazine about some of his automotive experiences, including (of course) a Cobra barn find as well as a cross country journey in a 246 Dino. A book I personally had trouble putting it down and would highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already done so. In nearly every chapter he describes the abuse and neglect of our dear friends, the automobile. It also should be noted that, despite the caretakers best efforts, the vehicles managed to survive in the end and most probably are doing well today. I believe my “Fred” has turned to a new chapter and he is now on the road to recovery. Jack
The Cobra in the Barn was written by Tom Cotter who also did the Barnfind videos featuring the two cars.
The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive ... - Kobo.com https://www.kobo.com/.../the-cobra-in-the-barn-great-stories-of-automotive-archaeolo... Read The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology by Tom Cotter,Peter Egan with Rakuten Kobo. Now in paperback for the first time, here is the classic version of a car lover's fairy tale: Sorry not to have included Tom's name. Jack
The Peter Egan story on driving the Dino cross country is worth the price of the book to any Fcar fan.