Ferrari 500 Mondial Scaglietti Spider #0404MD 13thOA 5thIC Parma-Poggio di Berceto 12 June 1955 Gilberto Cornacchia
Ref post 10222 and car #182. I believe this is the prototype 500 Mondial, recognisable by the unique arrangement of 4 bonnet (hood) catches. My latest review of the various conflicting information on this car has the chassis as POSSIBLY 0404MD, 0428MD and some others. At the Mille Miglia 1954 the car had acquired a headrest fairing which doesn't appear in this photo. My conclusion then is that photo is from an earlier time than stated. Can anyone shed further light.
Definitively not 0428/MD as the Scaglietti prototype (#182 on the pic, #523 at the Mille Miglia etc etc) was still raced in South America with exactly the same body in late 50's, completely different from the 0428/MD Scaglietti body in 1954...
Thank you Cyril. I think the consensus is falling toward 0404MD for the prototype in the posted photo. I have pictures from S America as late as 1959 and the head rest fairing was still on the car. The car ran as #26 at Agadir with this nose arrangement and then again in the Torricello mountains but I have no photos of the latter.Perhaps that is where the car is seen as #182
Consensus is wrong. It clearly is one of the 0302/0304/0306TF prototypes. Very complicated to know which car carried which number at which time, as they were renumbered for I don't know for how many times for the usual reason.
I think we all agree that the car in the photo is the prototype and I also understand that there is no agreement on what chassis number it started with and what chassis number it may have gained later in life. My point is still that the photo must be before May 1954 as it clearly does not have a headrest fairing. I just wondered if anybody had any knowledge of where the photo may have been taken as no records have been seen by me of this car racing with number 182. I have now seen that it ran #284 in the Torrecelli mountains in late March 1954, clearly still without the headrest fairing. Thanks for everybody's input on this.
#182 = Parma Poggio di Berceto, June 1955. Headrest removed after 1954 Mille Miglia. Looks like it may have been a temporary add on attched with straps and hooks.
Yes, Mondial carrying serial number 0404/MD only existed briefly in April-May of 1954. The serial number was then reused briefly on another car, then forgotten. The rotation of numbers performed on factory cars at this time are very complicated as they seem not to have been documented at all - or as I've stated before the obsolete documents were always shredded and only the valid ones kept. People are often aware of the four renumbered 375 MMs but completely miss the fact that the same practise was applied to all racing cars being maintained by factory, including 500 Mondiali which were brand new at the time. This is why Classiche certifies the car as it LAST left the factory, with very few exceptions. For me this sort of proves they really don't have any other choise - or any other documents.
This writing comes from the December 2012 Ferrari publication "Le Grande Sfide Ferrari-Maserati". Image Unavailable, Please Login
I hope this is the correct place to post these photos. I recently purchased a box of slides from a Ferrari gathering in Atlanta from 1978. I thought I would share them and also maybe the experts can identify what is pictured as I am not that educated on the older cars. looks like it was a great turnout, I have a couple wide shots too that need to be rescanned at a higher resolution. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Road Atlanta photo #3 is easy. That is my wife Sue pulling on to the track in our 275 GTS #7543. She did over 80 laps that day, burned a whole tank of gas through the car. Still have it, and she still enjoys it.
The Road Atlanta 250 TR is Paul Papplardos #0774. The 212 Export is Joe Pendergast in 0158ED. The pontoon fendered car is 500 TR #0600 of Greg ? (brain fade).
I'm going to guess the 250 P (left side, photo 2) is 0810 with Don Fong before it was sold in boxes ten years later to Anthony Wang.
Readplays: Thank you, old age is terrible. By the way, Greg just passed a few months ago. Ney: Correct, it was Paul's car.
thats great! I was hoping some owners would spot their cars. If you want to pm me your address I'll send you a print.