More GTO chat

Taken at Willow Springs Raceway near Rosamond and north of Lancaster (Kern County), CA/USA, in April 1979. I always loved Willow Springs as it reminds me of Riverside. Basically in the middle of nowhere.
The GTO was just 15 years old, this was 46 years ago.

Marcel Massini

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I have the same exact trailer. Found abandoned in a field. The wood planking was rotted,
but with some TLC, it is back in business. It is a rare version, as it is impossible to open car doors.
A distinctive feature in engineering.

Now, back to GTO.

 

Was 4399 GT in France for the 10° Rallye du Mas du Clos organized by the Club Ferrari France?

 

Yes.

Marcel Massini

 

Someone asked me today which GTO is seen the least and which has been owned the longest now. Thanks in advance!

 

3869 GT is a candidate for being seen the least. I would say 4399 GT has been owned the longest followed by 3767 GT by the same owner, both bought for around a total of £4,750 GBP.

All 3 are RHD.

 

See post #1372.

Marcel Massini

 

@Ferraripilot Thinking about it, the late James McNeil's length of ownership of 3647 GT, another RHD 250 GTO, before being sold after his passing, still pips Lord B's ownership of 3767 GT, but probably not quite 4399 GT, but it's very close.

 

Hi Marcel,

I must say I always enjoy the photos you took yourself back in those days. And they always seem so crisp, compared to what I see from that period. What camera did you use back then? And how did you digitalize them? Any post-processing?

 

Some Canon and/or Nikon. Cannot remember exact models. Those were pre-digital days. I always took color slides/transparencies (Kodachrome) and at the same time also black-white negatives.
The scanner I currently use is an Epson Perfection V850 Pro with Epson software and also Silverfast 9 software. But I do not enhance/manipulate/correct my pix due to lack of time and skills.
I have many hundred thousands of Ferrari slides and negatives as well and in total 1.5 Million Ferrari photos.

Marcel Massini

 

3705 GT near Elkhart Lake 1981.

Marcel Massini

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5575 GT at Moroso 25 January 2002.

Marcel Massini

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3987 GT at Palm Beach 26 January 2002.

Marcel Massini

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Willow Springs - do not leave the paved track as any run-off area isn't hospitable.

Head east from the track and end up at Edwards Air Force Base.

The entire area is pretty desolate. Made Riverside look civilized. But, as a friend once said about Riverside - only place he knew where one could chip a tooth by breathing the air.

Which GTO is this one? It isn't 4091 which Epstien should have still had at that time (and he would have driven it to the event anyway).

 

Epstien. What a blast from the past.

 

Crazy Bob. Had 4091 and 5909 at the same time and was having a hard time finalizing which one he was going to keep. That was in late 1977 and early 1978.

 

One of them he blew up the motor real bad in a vintage race. I understand the tach telltale was somewhere it shouldn't be.
At the Ferrari dealer his 427SC Cobra pulled in the driveway driven by someone I did not know followed by Bob in his McLaren M6B GT street car followed by a California Highway Patrolman with his lights on. It was a true Kodak Moment.

 

I don't know about the GTO but the LM would do occasional mis shifts and over rev. My over revs were always less than Bob's. Tell tale was straight down as I remember it.

 

Currently available on eBay. Does anyone know which GTO?
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A Cox decal on a GTO? Into model planes? Cox, was the 'monster' of 'control line' airplanes.

If you were ever a kid, and had a childhood, without a 'smart' phone, you would go to the school field to fly them...and more often than not...crash.
Plenty of spare parts available at the Hobby Shop ( huh?).

Also had a few prop cuts on your fingers. A proven flyer.

Regards, Alberto

 

Cox was a Chaparral sponsor for awhile.

 

Definitely, and one of the best models. But not in '66, until the 'winged Chaparrals' came out.
Tether racing, it was great.

I wonder if Roy Cox ever owned a GTO? That sticker is puzzling.

 

Don't know, but Jim Russell owner of American Russkit owned one of the Cobra Daytona coupes for awhile. I think that it is the one in the Simeone collection.

 

the Daytona in the Simeone was owned by Phil Specter. Phil gave it to his body guard but when values went up he demanded it back. Body guard stored it at a local storage locker near my home town. Body guards daughter inherits Daytona, has mental issues and sets herself on fire(half a mile from my home). Simeone buys Daytona but im not sure if he bought it from daughter before she offs herself but i think he did.