Q. is the breadvan part of Merritt's collection?

Gordon took me for a ride on Rt 270 in the Breadvan - fastest I ever went on normal roads.

 

Monte took me for a GREAT ride at "NO PROBLEM RACEWAY" in Donaldsonville, Louisiana at a Ferrari meet in 2004 before Katrina. We lapped the racecourse 4 times in full drift! Jim Spiro was also there with the 1963 Testarossa chassis 0808! I sat in that car but didn't ride. Monte did own several other race cars with 2 being Cooper open wheel mid 60s with Cosworth engines and a powder blue Chevron that looked like a 917 body. I was allowed to climb into the Chevron, and 1 of the Cooper cars, those Cooper's are so small with fuel tanks totally surrounding you, VERY TIGHT FIT! This was the visit of a lifetime seeing his cars, facility, & shifter Go-carts!!! Does anyone have verified info of crash restorations being made to the #2819 Breadvan?

 

My God what an old vague obsolete incorrect thread to dredge up...

As per numerous sources and my 2010 book Rebel rebel Breadvan (title chosen by publisher Tim Parker) and the numerous interviews therein, including Giorgio Neri himself the body was made by Neri & Bonacini so once and for all let us digest that, it was NOT Drogo.

The confusion arose as some Drogo employees helped out at Neri & Bonacini in the evening for cash, common in Italy's shadow economy.

2053GT received its (sadly short lived) body AFTER 2819 GT became the Breadvan and the appearance of 2053GT was inspired BY the Breadvan, NOT the contrary.

One of the interviewees (in person in Modena, 2007) was Umberto Marchesi (photo below) who is the one who modified the Breadvan chassis during its creation in 1962 to lower the engine and position it further back.

One owner is missing from those mentioned in this thread's earlier, truly ancient posts.

Robert Desmarais from the upper midwest, Wisconsin IIRC.

As he explained when I interviewed him (on the phone in around 2008), it is with his money that notorious convicted criminal, the late Gordon Tatum, went to England to buy the Breadvan.

Once he got there and met with the seller, inspected the car he called Desmarais and told him the car is a disaster you definitely don't want to buy that.

After agreeing with him Desmarais waited for Tatum's return to the USA and his money into his account....but he never heard from Tatum again and could never reach him...until a couple of months later someone, IIRC Richard Merrit, told Desmarais Tatum is at his workshop and the Breadvan is there!

Tatum had used Desmarais's money to buy the car without telling him and then shipped it to the US.

Desmarais went to Tatum's workshop and had an angry confrontation with him demanding the car or his money back, he got some money eventually. Tatum later got convicted for numerous crimes such as against the post office, collector Norm Silver and was nailed by the FBI in Belgium after racer Claude Dubois reported him scamming Bill Harrah with his own money in the purchase of some classics.

The car crashed at Le Mans Classic 2022 was the tool room copy, the clone, made for and owned by M.H. the current owner of the real Breadvan since 2013.

It was made to preserve the real car form just such accident damage and has been repaired long ago and been out in various events.

The question of whether it is right or wrong to do a clone (protecting the real car but deceiving the public) is an endless debate like the death penalty or abortion, better left untouched.

Jimtone: we were at the same 2002 event, I got to drive 0808 for a few gentle laps with the very kind Jim Spiro that day at that Louisiana road course, a wonderful event by John Houghtaling and "Don" Franco Valobra. To drive a Le Mans winner was breathtaking...

Driving the Breadvan for the fist time at the first edition of Concorso on the bayou two years earlier with Monte Shalett in remote Lousiana roads around Napoleonville was unforgettable...so light and fast, it jumped over the bumps and sugarcane trucks going the other way who would accidentally sprinkle some sugar cane branches on us as we roared by...I attach also a photo I took from upstairs at Madewood plantation where we were all staying that weekend.

-Oh and in other news I have finally figured out what happened to the original engine block of 2819 (it has had the block of 3111GT for decades) and know where it is...but I am keeping that story for another time.

It was NOT a theft/replacement by the Modena workshop who restored the car for Monte Shalett as was his own theory, they had nothing to do with it.

Let's just say that after doing a lot of research which yielded nothing...the answer came by pure luck, via someone I know, not the first time that has happened!

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Hello Marc, and thank you for the great story, and the most amazing book.

My humble opinion, if you have the 'minerals' and own the original, then take the tool room copy out for all too see as I did at Mugello,
and state clearly that it is the copy. Otherwise, as an owner you are lying to your family and the general public.

Period, only cojones, and character required.

Regards, Alberto

 

Ola Caballero!

Thank you and I agree on the dilemma.

The problem is event organisers are very uncomfortable about the whole situation, they don't want to talk about it, which is understandable...and the alternative is no car at all...

 

Le Mans Classic has no problem noting replicas in their entrylist, specified with "(C)". However there are replicas in the list without being specified as such. The Breadvan is entered without the "(C)". So I wonder who decides when to put the "(C)" with an entry. Are they going by the FIA papers?

 

Good question...

 

Without knowing much about rules and regulations, and fortunately or not, having been in a few rarefied circles, a few Shekels will do it always, or almost.

Regards, Alberto