290 MM ch. #0628

I am trying to find out some detailed history on this car; it was a factory car for much of 1956-57, then went to private hands and then became a NART entry in 1958. Moss won in it at Nassau in 1957, and Gurney finished 2nd in late 1958 at Watkins Glen. It was originally red, but I cannot find photos from that era to figure out when/if it was changed from red to blue (the usual NART colors?). I would really like to find something that shows how it looked when Gurney drove it. I have found some current photos and it is painted blue. Any help would be most welcome...

 

Thanks. Do you or Butch or Jon have any info on when it went from red to blue, and which color was on the car when Gurney drove it in Sept. 1958?

 

Do you have an e-mail address or phone number for Dennison? Is it still in business? Thanks.

 

Does anyone know where I can locate a picture of how the car looked in 1958 when owned by NART and driven at Watkins Glen by Gurney or Lime Rock by Kessler?

 

Thanks to Miltonian for the photos.

I had brought this question up on another forum several months ago (as to whether the Gurney/Watkins Glen car is 0628 or 0700) and was told that the official entry and finish results say it is 0628, and entered by Chinetti/NART. Other websites had info that it was 0700, but I guess the official entry info swings things in 0628's favor.

Unfortunately, I am not well-versed in identifying a 290MM (0628) from a 335 (0700). I also still wonder if the car in the photos is blue and white, like many NART machines, or red? I know it eventually was changed from red to blue (and now back to red in its current beauty), but when, and when did it get the color change and pontoon look?

 

According to the following results based on a review of the lap charts and entry info compiled by Don Capps of The Nostalgia Forum, here are the results from Watkins Glen 1958:

1st Joakim Bonnier
No. 11, Joakim Bonnier, Maserati 250F ‘2529’
81 laps, 1 hr 54 min 10.00 sec, 97.910 mph, $2,000

2nd Dan Gurney
No. 3, Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari 335S ‘0628’
81 laps, 1 hr 55 min 27 sec, 95.60 mph, $1,200

3rd Bruce Kessler
No. 4, Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari 315S
77 laps, 1 hr 55 min 19 sec, 92.15 mph, $800

4th Vic Meinhardt
No. 71, Porsche 550 RS
74 laps, 1 hr 56 min 09 sec, $500

5th Robert Kuhn
No. 12, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Kuhn, Maserati 200SI
71 laps, 1 hr 58 min 11 sec, $300

6th Bill Rutan
No. 32, W.K. Rutan, Porsche Special
70 laps, 1 hr 55 min 19 sec, $200

7th Phil Hill
No. 2, Ferrari Representatives of California, Ferrari 412MI ‘0744 MI’
60 laps, 1 min 28 min 49 sec, driveshaft

8th George Constantine
No. 49, Elisha Walker, Aston Martin DBR2 ‘DBR2/1’ (Lagonda ‘DP166/1’)
47 laps, 1 hr 10 min 00 sec, blown head gasket

9th Allen Markelson
No. 35, Ferrari Testa Rosa 500TR
40 laps, 1 hr 04 min 00 sec, split exhaust pipe

10th Loyal Katskee
No. 17, Jack Finley, Jaguar Corvette
23 laps, 39 min 00 sec, differential

11th Bob Said
No. 22, Bob Said, Nisonger KLG Special Sadler Chevrolet
23 laps, 38 min 00 sec, cracked radiator

12th Lloyd Ruby
No. 112, Maserati Corvette
11 laps, 18 min 58 sec, engine – cylinder block

13th Ray Saidel
No. 36, Raymond Saidel, Jomar 1100 Mark 11
11 laps, 23 min 00 sec, clutch

14th Herb Swan
No. 24, Ferrari
0 laps, 2 min 36 sec, engine

A subsequent posting on that forum clarifies that Kessler was in 0602 which was an 860 Monza (3.5 4C).

 

So it's a boring Saturday night and I find myself rehashing some of my old FChat quests, and one that has remained elusive for more than two decades is...finding a good quality photo of the Gurney #3 car, chassis 0628, from the Watkins Glen USAC race in October 1958. Back 20 years ago, when this thread was new, some photos came close, but nothing ever fit the bill. So does anyone have the magic bullet of a good quality photo, color or black & white, of 0628 at that race? Thanks in advance.

 

Steve-
Thanks but yes that was actually one of the first I ever found as I am quite familiar with the BARC Boys, having grown up not far from their Watkins Glen stomping grounds. One of my queries about the car, which this photo would have answered if it had been snapped moments later, is how the white stripe appeared at the tail. Did it go straight back or did it dip down and around at the tail. Silly question that, but critical to a rivet-counting model builder.