I believe it was a R&T article on the 315/335 that quoted Phil Hill as saying it was his favorite Ferrari. The 412MI is cool I think, although it's kind of a mongrel.....LOL! Merry Christmas to all you smart guys! Thanks for all you share!! ttyl..............
Ed, Bubba - I had the unique opportunity to ride in, drive, and work on the 421 MI. To say that it was an amazing car is an understatement. Every bit of the car suggested an incredible combination of both beauty and raw performance. Since it had no flywheel, the throttle response seemed to be electric - no hesitation - just instant response. The gearbox was tranverse and thought to be from a Lancia D-50 but I do not know for sure. As I recall, unsynchronized. It had a chronometric tachometer - you old-timers know what that is! One of the best rides I ever had was around the Watkins track in the MI, driven by the owner. Even at substantial speeds, over enthusiast throttle application could produce wheel spin. At over 7,000 RPM, the sound was almost scary. I remember reading the engine dyno sheets - somewhere around 475 HP at 7,700 RPM - in a car that weighed around 2,000 lbs. Very fond memories. Where is the car now??????????????????? Bob Z.
In 1974(?) I went to the first Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca. Arriving late Friday afternoon my friend and I went to the track to see if anything was going on as it was a Saturday only event. There were two cars in the pits- a previously unraced J2X Allard and Steve Earle with his 412MI. I believe it was the first time Steve had driven the car on a racetrack and he was putting some time on it before the next day's event. I was standing next to the pit wall when he pulled in after a few laps and stopped right in front of me. He looked up, I pointed to the passenger's seat and then to myself, he nodded and I jumped in. We did a few laps at probably 7 tenths and it was a ride I'll never forget.I remember the starter being right next to my hip, the chronometric tach with it's jerky movements and the incredibly noisy, wonderful sounds of the gearbox, intake roar and exhaust megaphones. One of the 3 best rides of my life, the others being a ride up the old Virginia City hillclimb with Chuck Queener(thanks Chuck, wherever you are) in Steve Earle's GTO and 3 laps around Mas du Clos in a T35 Bug with a Mr. Novo, a Bugatti restorer from Paris. Anton
I took the photos posted on the barchetta page, of 0700 with the pontoon fenders ala Testa Rossa. The car was sitting in John Hunholz' garage, in Kenmore, Washington. John has quite an assortment of vehicles that he purchased over the years at quite opportune times. He said that when he bought 0700, it had a Ford engine, as the Lampredi V-12 had broken the crank. He said the price was extremely attractive. At the time of the pic, it was fully operable in the original mechanical format. The nose had been changed by a previous owner, and Peter Sachs changed it back to original, from what I was told. On one occasion, John took the car by carrier, to the "Apker Affair" in Zenith, Wa. This was an invitation only car show, for the benefit of Children's Hospital. John, while loading the car back into the trailer afterwards managed to cook the multiplate clutch. He was not happy. I believe this was around 1990. Now you can make the connection between the pictures on the barchetta site.... Cliff Bisch
