Drogo-Bodied 250 GT | FerrariChat

Drogo-Bodied 250 GT

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by 134282, Mar 21, 2004.

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  1. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Carbon McCoy
    Saw a picture in a book today, of a Drogo-bodied 250 GT; the nose of the car was similar to that of The Breadvan, but the back of the car sloped down... Definitely reminiscent of The Breadvan, but different... Anyone have any idea how many of these cars were made...? If there's only one, does anyone know the serial number of it..? How about then history...?

    i'll take a picture of the picture in the book and post it tomorrow... Thanks...
     
  2. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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  3. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    By the way, the car you're referring to is s/n 2053 GT.
     
  4. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 134282, Mar 21, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2014
    Wayne, awesome stuff, thanks... i need to call you; want more information on this/these cars... Maybe in the next few days, i'll give you a buzz; of course, i have a long trip ahead of me in a few days, so maybe i'll give you a call then... Is that the only car of its kind in existence...? Lots of questions, lots of cool cars... And some very weird ones, too... Have a good night...


    PS... Is your location stolen from me, when i had it so long ago...? :D Hmmmmmmmm... :)
     
  5. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    I didn't know you'd used that one. The truth is that I actually do live on a dark desert highway. Okay, so maybe it's not so dark.
     
  6. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    #6 134282, Mar 22, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2014
    LOL... i used it way back when the software changed... No biggie, i was just looking to bust your chops... :)

    There's a lot of Drogo-bodied Ferraris; some of which are very, um, odd-looking, to say the least...
     
  7. LJH

    LJH Rookie

    Feb 2, 2004
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    I believe that one of the Drogo-bodied 250 GT's is/was owned by Hugh Ruthven of Illinois. Memory tells me that car looked like an elongated 275 GTB.
     
  8. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    Jack, the Ruthven car is s/n 0977 GT.

    By the way, here is a complete list of the Drogo rebodies as I have them:

    0147 E: 212 Inter Vignale Coupe rebodied in 1965 to resemble a California Spyder.

    0716 TR: Originally a pontoon-fendered TR. Rebodied by Drogo in 1964 as a berlinetta (very GTO-ish). Since converted back to original pontoon-fendered configuration (see 2493 GT below).

    0977 GT: 250 PF Coupe rebodied by Drogo. Has made many appearances in various magazines.

    1717 GT: 250 PF Coupe rebodied by Drogo.

    1965 GT/2445 GT: Two crashed cars, one Drogo body. You figure it out.

    2053 GT: 250 GT SWB rebodied by Drogo circa 1962-63. Car since destroyed?

    2065 GT: 250 PF Coupe rebodied once by Drogo and then later fitted with the Drogo body from 2209 GT.

    2067 GT: 250 GT SWB supposedly once rebodied by Drogo with a body similar to 2209 GT and then later rebodied again to look like a GTO. In 1992, it was restored to its original SWB configuration.

    2209 GT: 250 GT SWB rebodied by Drogo. Later restored to original SWB body (see 2065 GT above).

    Unknown/2423 GT: Unknown chassis (250 GTE?) fitted with the Drogo body from 3445 GT in 1987 and engine number 2423 GT. Chassis restamped as "2423 GT" to match engine.

    2493 GT: 250 GTE that received the Drogo bodywork from 0716 TR when that car was restored to original configuration.

    2735 GT: 250 GT SWB rebodied by Drogo following a crash in 1962. Later returned to original SWB configuration (see 3611 GT below).

    3405 GT: 250 GTE rebodied by Drogo circa 1979.

    3445 GT: 250 GTO rebodied by Drogo in 1965. Wrecked in 1976 and subsequently returned to original GTO configuration. Drogo body fitted onto 2433 GT.

    3611 GT: 250 GTE that received the Drogo bodywork from 2735 GT when that car was restored to original configuration.

    7979: The "Navarro Special" or "Golden Car." The oh-so-popular subject of many an F-Chat thread.

    Also, there was a Drogo creation called the "Cegga Ferrari Spyder," which utilized a Ferrari engine but not built on a Ferrari chassis and the famous "Nembo" cars designed by Neri & Bonacini were subcontracted out to Drogo for the actual coachwork. And, of course, Drogo legitimately bodied several of the "P" series cars as well as the Dino 206 S coupes and spyders. Drogo also updated several 250 LMs to "long-nose" configuartion.

    There have also been unsubstantiated claims that Drogo rebodied the following: 0726 TR and 0738 TR (both now back to original configuration), 1219 GT, and 3213 GT. As well, both 1257 GT and 4769 GT have been falsely described as being the recipients of the Drogo bodywork removed from 3445 GT (see "Unknown/2423 GT" above).
     
  9. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    So 2053 GT is destroyed...? Was it a one-off or were others made like it...? Is there a specific history on THAT car...? Inception, race history, ownership, location, etc....?
     
  10. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

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    Looking at creating something Carbon ;), I will be very suspicious if in the future a Carbon McCoy 'finds' the long lost 2053 GT ... :D

    BUT I suppose this is how many long lost cars are found ... ie. you have to start your research somewhere.

    Pete
     
  11. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    LOL, Pete... No, i'm not looking to rebuild something, but i saw a picture of the car for the first time a few days ago and instantly fell head over heels... It also helps me (and my "database") if i learn, concentratedly, about one thing at a time...

    Also, talking about Drogo & Nembo rebodies helps me to learn to separate cars from different carrozzeria... Little by little, i'll start to pick it up... :)
     
  12. miked

    miked Formula Junior

    Feb 7, 2001
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  13. Steve275

    Steve275 Formula Junior
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    #13 Steve275, Mar 23, 2004
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2014
    Wayne,

    Part of your posted information is incorrect,

    03405 GT is in fact a 250 GT SWB - Certainly re-bodied but not by Drogo,

    It's actually quite well known car, it wears the Rare Neri and Bonacini Coachwork on SWB Chassis, It's currently painted in Prugna and has a Beige (VM 3218) Leather interior, & it resides in the US somewhere near Seattle.

    Regards,

    Steve
     
  14. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    Steve, it sounds like you're referring to 3771 GT, not 3405 GT. Check out the photo I posted in this thread. Here are some photos of 3405 GT, courtesy of fellow F-Chatter Joop van der Meer. For more of his Drogo photos, see here.
     
  15. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    So, Wayne, is 2053 GT destroyed...? Was/is it the only one of its kind...?
     
  16. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    Steve, I see where you've posted in another thread that you're building an online 250 registry. I would suggest that you obtain copies of Hilary Raab's Ferrari Serial Number books, as I think they would make a great starting point. In the odd-numbered book, you will find that 3405 GT is, in fact, a 250 GTE 2+2 series II. Hil has the original owner listed as "Trois-Rois" and the Pininfarina job number as PF68113. Of course, there is also the Barchetta site (www.barchetta.cc), which, while often inaccurate, lists all of these cars with the same type of information that you plan to include in your registry. While it's by no means complete, here is what information they have on s/n 3405 GT:

    http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/3405GT.250GTE.htm

    I hope you find this helpful.
     
  17. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    As far as I know, the car was destroyed and its remains have yet to be uncovered. It was an important car, as it was once used as the GTO development car (see Boudewijn's scale model here) before being rebodied as a 250 SWB and then once again by Drogo, therefore, I wouldn't be surprised to see it turn up one day, reconstructed from a few recovered parts.
     
  18. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    I am now certain that the car you're referring to is 3771 GT. According to a previous post by Jeff B., it was listed for sale in the December 11, 1971 issue of Autoweek by William Dixon of Seattle, WA with the following description:

    ""Ferrari Spyder Special. Rare 1968 Neri and Bonacini coachwork on SWB Berlinetta chassis." Doesn't that description sound familiar?
     
  19. jhjvdm

    jhjvdm Formula Junior

    May 28, 2003
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    Gentlemen,

    It's about time to make things a bit complicated once more.

    The first picture attached shows 3213GT, the body of which was done by

    Terry Hoyle - in titanium with red stripe - on a 250 GTE chassis..

    The second one shows an advertisement from an old 'Classic & Sports Car'

    in which the car is offered for sale.

    (courtesy http://www.tybrainstorm.de/drogo/advert.html)

    Photo 3 shows 3213GT as it is now - in red - but the vents (front and

    rear) changed from 3 to 2. When and by whom was this done?

    Any clue, Wayne?

    Joop van de Meer
     
  20. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    Hi Joop, I don't know the answer to that one but do you think it's possible that one of those cars is actually 3213's sister car, 3881 GT, which received similar bodywork by Hoyle around the same time?
     
  21. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
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    Wayne: Of course I don't know anything about this, I just read magazines. But here is a quote from "Classic & Sportscar" 9/91, from their feature article about the Drogo rebody from 3445:

    "The donor SWB (2053GT) for the second car was used by the factory for GTO studies, then reclothed as a berlinetta (coupe) and sold to a customer of Jacques Swaters, of Ecurie Francorchamps, under whose banner it was crashed at Spa in 1962. Drogo then gave it an exquisitely lean body, its beauty marred only by the chevron shape of its larger radiator nostrils. The car raced through 1963 with mixed results before being badly damaged at Spa in 1964. The car was subsequently rebuilt and is still around today."

    So does this mean that 2053GT was NOT destroyed? Or that the Drogo body was destroyed? Or????? I dunno....
     
  22. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

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    But then again, it COULD be that the author of this article (Mark Hughes) was simply wrong about 2053 being rebuilt and "still around today" (13 years ago), but he may have been in contact with someone who knew something.....
     
  23. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
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    Whoa, whoa, whoa. The car is certainly not around today. At the time that it was destroyed (at Spa on May 17, 1964, not 1962), 2053 belonged to Jacques Swaters' Ecurie Francorchamps and Swaters has since confirmed that the car was never rebuilt.

    When I was late in responding to Carbon's question about this car, he shot an email off to Gerald Roush. Gerald's records also confirm this, so I'm fairly certain that C&SC are wrong on this one.
     
  24. t walgamuth

    t walgamuth Formula Junior

    Mar 13, 2005
    850
    Last night I read the nice article in cavallino 95 about the swb #2735 which moss won with in many great victories. The car was crashed heavily then rebuilt with the drogo body inspired by the newer GTO design and raced to more victories. The car was eventually retired from racing and driven on the road for a long while before crashing yet again and being reinstated to its original SWB form.

    The remaining drogo body was installed on GTE chassis 3611. I am wondering if anybody can direct me to some recent pictures of this car?

    I think its a wonderful story, and I'm glad the drogo body lives on with the conversion.

    BTW I think perhaps it could be debated whether putting it back to its original configuration (2735) was the correct thing to do.

    Tom W
     
  25. GIOTTO

    GIOTTO F1 Rookie
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    NO!!! It was NOT correct to do that. 2735GT has now a replica body. And what is 3611? A Ferrari?
     

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