Chuck Queener | Page 3 | FerrariChat

Chuck Queener

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Chuck Queener, Mar 3, 2008.

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  1. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    CH,

    Earle owned both cars. Steve and I put the GTO number list together in the days when it was thought that only 25 cars had been constructed. I later met Jess Pourret who had been working on his book and we compared notes and found he had numbers I didn’t and we had numbers he didn’t. A great friendship developed to this day. That’s me on the cover of his book in Earle’s GTO. Photo by Lamm.

    Hans worked for Petersen Publishing at that time and founded the Virginia City Hill climb.

    Chuck
     
  2. krasnavian

    krasnavian Formula 3

    Dec 24, 2003
    2,187
    Los Angeles/Paris
    Even this week, the subject of the discrepancy between the early and late count regarding GTOs came up in a private discussion I was having. Do you know why a lower number was presumed originally? Were the additional numbers (if I may put it that way) within the serial number range or supernumerary? I found that administration at the factory was not of prime concern when I needed to replace the limited slip on my GTO after a particularly hard day on the track at Willow Springs.

    I had the great pleasure of participating in the Virginia City hill climb event on two occasions
    --first with a Lusso that was oxygen starved at the elevation, next with a 454 c.i. Corvette.

    Ed Niles tells me that Hans, despite writing road tests for Petersen, didn't drive.
     
  3. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    Could it be the consideration of if the '64s are counted, as well as the identical (well, similar) but 4.0L 33LMBs?
     
  4. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Apr 6, 2004
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    CH
    Mr Queener: thank you for the interesting details. Mr Earle must have had an early USA Daytona as it had the silver painted nose.
    One Ferrari pictured in your article was the GTO prototype *2643* GT parked beside a hill. In that picture the car has the solid white stripe, from nose to tail. I had forgotten about that picture. It was noted the car suffered from excessive front end lift at LeMans. The nose was redesigned for better penetration.
    A couple of details from the 250 GTO specs: the series II car best weight was 2315 pounds and the oil capacity was 15 quarts. When the tank was full it could hold 35 gallons of gasoline. Also the series II version was 4 inches shorter than the Series I GTO.
    CH
     
  5. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Apr 6, 2004
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    CH
    The list indicated: Series I 0796 -engine number only.
    3223, 3387, 3505, 3607, 3647, 3705, 3729, 3757, 3767, 3769, 3869, 3987, 4219, 4293, 4757, 5095, 5111

    Series II 5571, 5573, 5575

    Series II, rebodied 1962-1963 3413, 4091, 4399, 4675
     
  6. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    Bob,

    That wasn't my California but we did give the corner workers and anyone else rides after the day was over. Say hello to the Conways. I have't seen them in years.

    CQ
     
  7. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145

    GTOs

    Gentleman,

    The manufactures championship had changed from sports-prototype to GT cars in 1962. The rules said at least 25 had to be constructed. That’s why we thought only 25 cars had been built.

    There were/are 36 GTOs. 33 Series I (1962-63) and three Series II (1964). Three of the '62-'63 cars were re-bodied with ’64-style bodies. All the cars are accounted for.

    Many fakes have been done and some major fraud cases are currently following a couple of cars (one in Italy). Seems, some are easily separated from their money.

    CQ
     
  8. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145

    Rick McBride was Topaz' partner. I worked with them for a summer and we all had Ferraris. McBride had a Lusso and then a Daytona. I think Topaz had a 275GTS but memory is faded and I had 330GTC that was on loan from a friend.

    McBride was the creator of the Decisions Decisions poster someone mentioned in one thread.

    CQ
     
  9. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145

    My mistake. The number of cars need for homologation was 100. A factory rep said only 25 cars were done. Hence the 25 number in my article.

    CQ
     
  10. krasnavian

    krasnavian Formula 3

    Dec 24, 2003
    2,187
    Los Angeles/Paris
    Quite right, though Bob ran a Daytona usually with Rukin in the passenger seat.

    And this underscores the manipulation of the rules by Ferrari who claimed the GTO was merely and extension of the SWB, whose production numbers met the requirement. Ferrari tried again with the LM but his representation that it was but an extension of the 250 line was rejected.
     
  11. VIZSLA

    VIZSLA Four Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2008
    41,690
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    David
    Unlike Porsche who later on built the requisite number of 917s only to disassemble some for parts.
     
  12. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    There was only one 4-liter GTO. The Le Mans and Nürburgring car are one and the same. 0796 motor was put in the car at the factory and sold to and Italian who ran it in hill climbs before selling it to Mario Tosi, the film director. In the mid-60s Tosi lived in the Hollywood hills and had befriended Rick Busenkell who then owned Phil Hill's 250MM. Rick had been asked by Tosi to do minor work on the GTO. Again this was in the days when not much was known about these cars. Rick and I would drive that thing all over L.A. Often in Griffith Park and Mullholand Drive. I was dating a woman who lived two blocks away from Mr. Hill, whom I had met, and suggested to Rick we take the GTO over to Phil's. Rick was thrilled, as he wanted to talk to Phil about his 250MM.

    The GTO was yellow and wouldn't fit in Tosi's garage. He once thought of closing the door only to have put a nice ding in the spoiler. The car was too much for Tosi, a large Falvio Briatore-type Italian, and he sold the car to Fred Leydorf and other FCA guy whose name escapes me. The car has been fully restored and sports the #7.

    To complicate matters there is a 4-liter GTO that was built for a private customer and is easily recognized by its huge unattractive hood blister. This was not a race car.

    I've been away from this for a long time. You have to remember there is life outside the world of Fazzaz.

    CQ
     
    miurasv likes this.
  13. krasnavian

    krasnavian Formula 3

    Dec 24, 2003
    2,187
    Los Angeles/Paris
    I almost bought that GTO from Mario before finally acquiring #3987. When Mario did sell it, the car was re-spayed red for the new buyer and, as I recall, shipped to Japan. We enjoyed a final goodbye to the car at Willow Springs Raceway where Mario took it into the dirt at turn 2 without doing it harm. Chris Cord and Peter Helm (and many others) were also in attendance that day.

    As a replacement for the GTO, Mario bought a beautiful Ghibli in black. I imagine the Maserati was a worse fit for his garage than was the GTO.
     
  14. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    Tanner was blind in one eye and depth perception was a problem. CQ
     
  15. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
    Staff Member Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 1, 2002
    18,043
    San Marino, CA
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    L. Wayne Ausbrooks
    Hey Chuck,

    I know your initial post was a search for more modern 2+2s but I'm tempted to move this thread into the 'Vintage' secition since it seems to have veered off in that direction. Any objections?

    El Wayne
     
  16. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    Peter Helm was an "actor" who had a TDF. It was being painted in Watts (LA) just before the riots so he went down to get it out of harms way. It was still in primer, and as I recall, he was stopped at traffic light when a German shepherd came up and bit the head light! When he got home he hand painted it in an Army camouflage motif and hung a canteen on the side. I just saw a photo somewhere of car. Very funny.

    Chuck Q
     
  17. krasnavian

    krasnavian Formula 3

    Dec 24, 2003
    2,187
    Los Angeles/Paris
    Peter's acting credits include The Longest Day and The Andromeda Strain. Today, he is an active volunteer in the maintenance of a World War II bomber hangered in the Ventura area. He was, and still is, one of the great characters of the Ferrari scene. Recently, he presented me with some 8mm footage he shot at Willow the day we were there with the GTOs and I'll be posting it to YouTube once I've cut it together and added a narration. Like the Mulholland film, I'd never seen the footage until now though it was shot in 1970.
     
  18. etceterini.com

    etceterini.com Karting

    May 26, 2008
    200
    St. Louis MO
    Full Name:
    Cliff Reuter
    #68 etceterini.com, Feb 27, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My Dad, Jack Reuter, bought 3765 from Tossi and later sold it to Leydorf who was the second FCA pres.
    In fact the car was damaged in the rear and had a quick fix without paint when my Dad
    picked it up from Tossi. He was not pleased and drove the car home to St. Louis looking like this:
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  19. Chuck Queener

    Chuck Queener Karting

    May 18, 2006
    145
    No.
    CQ
     
  20. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    I always wondered why the "330LMB" didn't have the hood bulge....
     
  21. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    I just discovered this thread after it was moved; thanks! I was able to find Chuck his 400 here in the left coast. Chuck was our best man when Phoebe and I got married almost 35 years ago, so he must have done something right! We had a lot of fun back in the day, before he decided to move to the East coast, where most of the publishing takes place. Chuck has probably driven more Ferraris owned by someone else than anyone, except dealers!
     
  22. krasnavian

    krasnavian Formula 3

    Dec 24, 2003
    2,187
    Los Angeles/Paris
    Very interesting! I didn't recall any damage being done that day, but I also remembered the car as being sent to Japan--so much for the accuracy of (my) memory.

    Thanks to Chuck for allowing the hijack of his thread!
     
  23. Jeff Kennedy

    Jeff Kennedy F1 Veteran
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    Oct 16, 2007
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    Edwardsville, IL
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    Jeff Kennedy
    Chuck,

    Hang out here more often! So the publication of the "day job" magazine is a little late; the old Sports Car Graphic (Petersen days) was notorious for that. Hey, every Gerry Rousch rarely makes a Friday distribution.

    Jeff
     
  24. 2GT

    2GT Formula 3

    Aug 25, 2008
    1,830
    Western NY
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    Fred
    I remember a GTO being advertised in R&T in 1971 (I think it was a series II) for the princely sum of $8,500! I believe that Henry N. Manney's signoff was yr. faithful servant (I don't recall the exact abbreviation). Fred
     
  25. VIZSLA

    VIZSLA Four Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jan 11, 2008
    41,690
    Sarasota
    Full Name:
    David
    Was that the one he offered with the original wire wheels "if you want even more understeer".
     

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