Hi again I'm getting a bit of paint work done on my car s/n 1463 and have discovered that the trunk lid is aluminum and the hood is fibreglass. Anyone else have one like this? Regards, Les
Leslie and Glassman: 1747 does not have headrests and there are no signs of them having been fit to the car, nor does it have the clips for luggage. I have seen photos on this thread of some cars with these clips on the rear parcel shelf, not on the floor. 1747 has a single shoulder belt for each seat, and a curious armrest aft of the shifter. The holes for the ash tray are there, but now underneath the armrest. Ed Image Unavailable, Please Login
Leslie: 1747 has an aluminum trunk lid. We discovered this at the paint shop, when repainting the inside of the lid. I am not sure what the hood is made of, my guess is that it is aluminum too. Ed
The clips for the luggage straps are on the rear shelf and also there is a clip on the floor on both sides for the straps to attach to. Your arm rest is most unusual. The headrest clips missing is also strange. Your interior looks original, but is there a chance it has been replaced long ago?
Another thing that is unusual about this car is the extra bolster in the cushion in the middle of the two seats. I looks like an original feature judging from the patina. john
That armrest thingy is freeking me out! Is there any other unusual accessories on your car. How about a picture of the dash?
John and Glassman: Gees, please don't freak out on us here! Kerry Chesbro came to visit last month and was amused with the armrest as well. The car was sold to the first owner directly from the factory, so I doubt that it was a dealer option or add-on. But, the screw holes for the ashtray are clearly there, so it could have been added on later, no way of knowing for sure. It fits the gearbox console perfectly and the leather is exactly the same as on the seats. There is no serial number on the underside. It is made of an aluminum shell with the cushion and leather on top of it. I am not sure what you mean by the extra bolster in the seat cushions? And it is unusual to have a pull handle for the inside of the doors? How else would you pull the door closed? With the door armrest? Kerry also was amused to see a sun visor over the driver side door, then he found the grip that had been there, but now is in a box of miscellaneous stuff in the trunk. So, somebody swapped the grip out for a visor that flips up and down. The dashboard, I assure you, is like everybody elses, but did not come with a radio. I shall see if I can get a picture of it. As for the color, we like it too! Thanks! But my wife and I are debating whether to restore the seats and upholstery or not. It clearly has what Marcel refers to as some patina, well, maybe a lot of patina, after having been sat in for 46 years. I would prefer to restore it so it would look nicer, but we have no desire to make this old girl into a showcar. We like to drive it instead. My wife likes the authentic way it looks now. What is the vote out there?
I say keep it original as long as you can. My car is scruffy but has that special character that only a well used car can have.
Ed Long, I wouldn't touch anything that is not totally unsightly, and judging from your picture, everything is fine with your interior just as is. I am a big fan of that blue interior for an obvious reason Actually, this picture is a little overexposed. The Lusso interior is that exact shade of blue as in your photo. john Image Unavailable, Please Login
These photos show the customized body of a 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina rotting in a shop in Austria. This body was formerly seen at Carrozzeria Allegretti in Modena in 1987, see photo #4. COPYRIGHT MARCEL MASSINI Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here's some more patina if I can post the pictures. This is 1471, one of the 1959 Frankfurt show cars. Originally white with silver roof. The original owner was Prince Bertil. A 5 owner car from new, I've met all the owners except the Prince. The car came to me with all original service records, except for work done at Ferrari of Monterey that was misplaced by the previous owner. Original tools, wallet, and owners manual in French included. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Engine #128-D Type #508-D Pininfarina Job #22915 Body Number #195 Body White MM 10319 Roof MM 16003 Interior VM 3171 Internal Engine #502-D Overdrive #6126-6 Rear End #7X32 Fiberglass Trunk Lid Began construction on May 19, 1959. Delivered new to Tore Bjurstrom for the Frankfurt Salon in 1959. Shortly afterward, sold to Prince Bertil of Sweden. Sold to either another private party first, or directly to Langdon "Bill" Proctor (self-described as a "Hell-raising playboy"). Proctor, now about 100 years old, states that he bought the car from "some count or other royal person" but can't remember exactly who it was. He says that, at that time, he rubbed shoulders with the very rich and famous so, buying a car from royalty was no big deal to him. Engine rebuilt in 1966 by Garage Pesa in Lausanne. Odometer reading: 67,787 km. Sold to Jon Lindsay, a young dental student living in Proctor's guest house at the time. Given to Jon's father, Hamlin Lindsay. Imported in to the U.S. in 1970 via P.I.E. Transport Service, sailing on the "SS Atlantic Crown" to New York at a total shipping cost of US$ 255. Odometer reading: 97,541km. Following Hamlin's death, the car fell back into the hands of Jon Lindsay, who was, by then, practising dentistry in the Monterey/Carmel area. Engine rebuilt in 1982 by Ferrari of Monterey. Odometer reading: 9448 km. Sold to Mark Wilcoxen (an engineer living in the San Fransico Bay area) on March 14, 1983. Sold to W. T. in July, 1999. T. states the the car is currently solid silver, as re-painted by Langdon Proctor. Has photos of 1471 GT taken in Villars-sur-Ollon (close to Lausanne) in 1969 with this color and sporting the dual front fender rear view mirrors, that it is still equipped with. Current odometer reading: 9,495 km. According to T., the speedometer was disconnected shortly after the rebuild in Monterey, 1982). The car is described as being original, with the tool roll, jack, owners manual and sales brochure (in French), as well as most service records dating back to 1966. Marcel Massini
Now there is a man I'd like to meet. Not many playboys make it to 100. What's his secret, I must know!! T308
Marcel, You missed the part about the car being pushed off the dock in New York by some workers with a Ford Station Wagon right in front of Mr. Lindsay. Some damage was done to the rear bumper. I have the letters that went back and forth between Mr. Lindsay and the insurance co. Quite intesting to read today. He got the same old song and dance and the kiss off.
The last time I spoke to Langdon he told me some stories about driving into Paris to "play". He said that sometimes when traffic was bad he would just drive up on the sidewalk and honk the horn to get people out of the way. He said this is a Ferrari and they damn well better get the hell out of my way.
Here's a photo showing Battista Pinin Farina with a 250 GT PF Coupé which also has such a chrome strip on the hood. The dedication on top of the photo says: "Ecco la macchina che adoro" which means "Here's the machine I adore". Marcel Massini Image Unavailable, Please Login
does anyone have more pics of the Prince bertil car please? As a modelcarfreak, this is one of my favorite pieces in my collection: Image Unavailable, Please Login
a pair of recent high-rez photos can be seen here: http://hln.ath.cx/gallery2/v/maserati/2006-04-05-stockholms_bilsalong/?g2_page=5
I posted several current color photos of this car much earlier in this very same thread. Check out old posts. Marcel Massini
