Funny Ferrari factory letter about 250 LM, 275 GTB/S, 330 GT

That is hysterical!

 

Wonder who signed the letter...

 

I would rather like to see the entire letter including the letterhead.
Is it really a Ferrari factory Maranello letter? I doubt it. They usually wrote in Italian with an English translation on a second page without letterhead.

Marcel Massini

 

Yes, this is not from the factory. Must be from some dealer.
Title is mis-leading. No factory involved here.

Marcel Massini

 

It has been discussed before:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vintage-thru-365-gtc4/513270-interesting-dealer-letter-discussing-330gt-257gtb-period-purchase-logistics.html

Paul

 

I emailed the seller. Here is his reply:

"Hi,
Thanks for your inquiry. The letter is written from Viviano Corradini to Angelo Saruibbi. It is not on Ferrari stationary.
Thanks again,
Peter"

 

Corradini was a major used Ferrari dealer and sold lots of cars into the states in the 1960s.

 

And the same picture!

A little fishy...

We need to see the whole letter, letterhead and signature.

Matt

 

The eBay seller is Forza Motorsports in Connecticut.

 

I guess he caught hell from Mr. Chinetti on a few occasions

 

From the letter it seems Corradini would have also been able to supply new Ferraris from the factory which is why there would have been hell to pay with Chinetti.

 

The factory would sell cars to anybody with money. There were a number of years in the 1970s in which Joe Marchetti was the largest new Ferrari seller in the U.S., even though he was not a "dealer".

 

My wild guess is this: Of course no factory statement. The Milanese broker Viviano Corradini offered for Italian 'dumping’ prices Angelo Sarubbi in New York (the Mayor of Hudson County later sentenced for corruption?) the new Ferrari range for parallel, direct import. He asks 1000$ for handling. But Corradini does not want that Luigi Chinetti finds out, because his profit loss could provoke ‘hell’ on Corradini and his ongoing parallel business. The attempt finally failed and Sarubbi bought directly from Chinetti (275 GTB #8901), paying the much higher US-price.

 

I'm doing some research on a 195 Inter for an upcoming Forza article. www.barchetta.cc (see below) has Corradini owning this car around 1951-53 and racing it it three times in New Jersey. Considering that barchetta.cc got the spelling of Zumbach's wrong, I have to delve a little deeper. You guys are talking about Corradini working out of Milan, but his customer, Sarubbi is in New Jersey and it appears that Corradino is racing in New Jersey, and this letter is in English and he's not saying he can "pick up the car HERE, in Milan." So is it possible Corradino was working just across the Hudson from Chinetti, who himself had just opened up shop right next door to Werner Maeder's shop and likely very aware that used Ferraris were already being sold ALL AROUND him?

Experts-Above-My-Pay-Grade cordially invited to comment. I find this stuff great fun.

Much love to all - miss hanging out here.

Quasimotor


0097S 50
195 Inter Coupe Vignale, RHD

Date Result Event Driver # Reference
50 - Franco Cornacchia, Milano, I
51 - Zumbuch's Garage, NY, NY, USA
51 - Alfred Ducato, Hillsborough, CA, USA
5. - Viviano Corradini, NJ, USA
53/may/23 race stopped after 8 laps Bridgehampton Sports Car Races, Bridgehampton & Hampton Cup Viviano Corradini #34 Finn p137
NO
52/aug/03 ... Allentown, Convair Airport, Novice race Viviano Corradini #11
52/aug/03 dna Allentown, Convair Airport, race 1 Viviano Corradini #11

 

0097 S was never with Cornacchia, Ducato or Corradini.
The early history in my book "Ferrari by Vignale" unfortunately is not correct (the book was researched in the mid-/late 1980s and published 1992). Unfortunately some websites just copied it with all the errors and mistakes.
6 March 1951 the car (0097 S) was sold by Ferrari to A.I.C.A.R. S.r.l. (Agenzia Internazionale Commercio Automobili e Ricambi) domiciled in Milan, Italy (International Agency for Automobile and Spare Parts Trading), a company which was later renamed into WI.PU.CO. S.r.l.
The same day it was re-sold to the first private owner Federico Munz in Milan, and registered on Italian plates "MI 165913". April 15, 1951, 0097 S was raced at the Coppa Intereuropa at Monza by Federico Munz on race #112.
See also page 14 of Angelo Tito Anselmi and Gianni Rogliatti's book "Ferrari Tipo 166", published by Libreria dell'Automobile.
0097 S was later sold to André Canonica in Geneva, Switzerland, who had it re-registered on Swiss license plates "GE 16352". Canonica raced it in Switzerland. The car was lightblue with dark blue roof. Not red with black.
In 1953 it was exported to USA. Zumbach's garage got it in 1954.
The rest of the history is well known (destroyed in fire when with Don Lee, remnants to Baker/UK, Francis, Heuff).
Brocket installed the Vignale Coupé body coming from 0024 M onto chassis #0097 S and fitted engine 0087 S. Later to various owners in Germany, then to CA, to MA and back to CA/USA.

Marcel Massini

 

Okay - a bit more on Viviano's New Jersey residence: https://www.conceptcarz.com/profile/21273,11104/1963-ferrari-250-gt-lusso.aspx
"Eat, eat my children!"

 

Viviano Corradini was a well known Italian car dealer and broker, acting both in Italy and U.S. East Coast.

Marcel Massini

 

Wow! Marcel, that is quite impressive and I thank you a thousand times, because my draft article would have had a lot of story wrong. However, AFTER it went through Zumbach's, did Viviano Corradino (whom I have living in both Milan and Maplewood, NJ) race it at Corvair Airport and at the last race at Bridgehampton (5/23/53)? If so, there would have been two events where he'd have raced it beside Briggs Cunningham, who later, it is reported, ordered the same design from Michelotti for the C5 that now resides in Leno's garage. After that, the story merges with what we both agree on all counts. (Except, I'm still trying to find who showed the car at the Ferrari 50th and the Ferrari Museum. Was that Schaefer?)

In any event, it is a great joy to share with you these fine points of history that make our work so fascinating.

Best wishes Sir,

George Avgerakis (Quasimotor)

 

The man who showed 0097 S at the 50th Anniversary in Rome and Maranello May 1997 was not Schäfer. It was the owner AFTER Schäfer, a Danish citizen resident in Hamburg, Germany.
Also, I strongly recommend that you talk to the current owner of this car. And forget about Corradini. See also post #21.

Marcel Massini