Embrittlement | FerrariChat

Embrittlement

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by 134282, Mar 2, 2004.

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  1. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    One man's trash is another man's treasure. From junkyard to warehouse, from country to country, from one man to another, one person's leftovers became another person's passion. The long and winding road that is the story of 0846 is riddled with bumps and potholes and detours. Age, time, wear and tear have taken their toll. However, even more fragile than this '60s legend is the truth behind it. Embrittled by a suspect history, a lot of so-called facts surrounding this car are murky at best. But nothing is clouding the owner; his passion lies not with the past, but with the present.

    Late Friday morning on February 20th, I received a private message from James Glickenhaus. The short, unsolicited query humbly asked if I was busy the following day. Below that was a phone number. The message was titled P4. I was excited, yet at the same time, hesitant to call; I was the only one in the office and the phones were ringing off the hook. The thought of having to put Mr. G. on hold wasn't one I wanted to entertain. I returned a few calls, then, when things seemed quiet, I nervously dialed his number.

    "Glickenhaus…"
    "…uh… James…? Hi, it's Carbon…"

    The conversation went very well.

    Later, in the afternoon, I got a call from Bruce.

    "You comin' out or what…?"

    "I'll be there; let me ask you a question… I spoke with James Glickenhaus earlier; he invited me out to see his P4… Said I could bring a friend; you wanna come…?"

    "Absolutely!"

    "Great; see you tonight…"

    After work, I went to Bruce's house. We hung out but ended the night conservatively. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

    The next morning, we were up by 11 and out by Noon. A quick stop for go juice (and a cherry Coke) and we were on our way. By 2:30 we pulled up to the address James gave me over the phone the day before. As we exited the car, we were approached by a man.

    "Can I help you gentleman?"

    "Yeah, we're here to see James Glickenhaus."

    "Oh, ok… go down there and through that door."

    Bruce and I walked toward a very nondescript door. There was no indication of what would be inside; no indication of what we anticipated. When I opened the door, my eyes quickly surveyed the room; my brain barely had time to register what I was looking at before my heart rate quickly doubled. I couldn't believe I was here. I walked in and Bruce followed behind.

    "Hey, you made it!" James said as he warmly greeted Bruce and I. From there, the conversation just took off. Mr. G. was more than happy to answer all of our questions. Every time I saw something and didn't know what it was or what it was for, he was only too happy to explain it to me.

    I couldn't stand still in the shop. After being there for about 10-15 minutes, I had a headache from sheer excitement. I kept pacing around the shell of the P4. A hollow body, motionless, was waiting to join its counterparts. It was truly breathtaking. Every line, every curve, every angle of that body had a purpose. James showed us a book of pictures of 0846, at different stages of its lifetime. This car, this magnificent Ferrari racecar, had seen so much history and created that much more. My eyes darted back and forth, from the pictures in the book, to the car, right next to me. I was in awe. Although the body was propped up, it wasn't hard to realize how low to the ground it would be once completed. The distance from the bottom of the car to its dome left very little room for anything, let alone a twelve cylinder engine, a driver, a spare tire and other racing essentials. Trying to imagine exceeding 200mph in this tiny, exotic creation was more than I could fathom. I had to take it all in doses. I'd ogle the body for a few minutes, then re-direct my attention to something else.

    Only a few feet away was the chassis. Hollow, steel tubes symmetrically running in every direction. A skeletal body that was nakedly incomplete. Looking at the mass as a whole, it was easy to get confused and overwhelmed. However, if you looked closely, paying attention to each section, separately, you could almost understand it all. Various shapes in various places told me where the gas, clutch and brake pedals would go. Further up, thin, metal tubes carved invisible nothingness into shapes where the gauges would be. It was obvious where the seat would go once it was put in. What became even more obvious, though, was just how much work goes into a restoration of this magnitude. Speaking with Sal & James, I realized just how much time, effort, attention to detail, blood, sweat, tears and research goes into a project like this. After 4 years, it's almost done.

    Towards the corner of the room was the engine. It was huge! Twelve cylinders of vintage Ferrari voracity and pipes that urged the vociferous personality therein, had a presence all its own. The proper definitions and terminology that go along with describing such a thing are beyond me, so just do this: think about the fiercest, loudest, most fear-invoking thunder you've ever heard in your life and imagine standing mere inches away from what makes that thunder. I've never heard a P4 in person or seen one in motion but the sound clips I've heard are only a fractional indication of the audible wonders this engine must symphonize. There was more detail than my poor, overworked memory could retain; I tried to comprehend but my mind just went blank. Bruce threw questions at James and James threw answers right back. I was only half listening though, as the rest of my concentration was hell bent on keeping up with my eyes as they traced every wire, angle, curve, hole and indent of the engine before me. It was a huge pile of intricately pieced-together materials that compelled itself into the history books. And it was all right in front of me.

    Bruce and I spent an hour and a half at Mr. G.'s shop. James pointed out different parts and different pieces of parts to us, explaining what their purpose is. How they worked, what their function was and so on. In a P4, nothing is for show; everything has a purpose.

    The best part of this whole thing was that it wasn't mapped out. Bruce and I were not two of many invitations, blindly sent out; nor did we submit applications "for a viewing". Mr. G. invited us out, privately, to check out his racecar merely because he knew we like it. He didn't tell us to look around as we pleased while he ran off to tend to something else; he showed us around; he tended to us. This wasn't a club event or a museum show, it was three friends, hanging out and shooting the breeze. About a ridiculously awesome car.

    Next to that, the purest thing in that room was James' obvious passion for his P4. He showed us the original wheels, the slicks, the street tires and the spare body. This car isn't going to sit in his living room; it will soon see the road, once again. James has not concerned himself with the trivial suppositions surrounding his car. He bought it, with no idea, hint, inclination or hope that it might be 0846. He purchased it for the sole reason of wanting a P4 to restore and, one day, drive on the street. In the course of restoration he came to believe that parts of the original chassis of 0846, the 1966-built Ferrari P3 that was converted to a P3/4 in 1967 before going on to win Daytona, are incorporated into his chassis.

    I could go on and on about the extensive, catalogued records that Mr. G. opened up to Bruce and I. Invoices, registrations, confirmations, correspondence, names, numbers, people, places, etcetera. I could explain to you, in detail, the various minutiae that James physically showed us. Points that Bruce and I wouldn't even know to look for; things we would've otherwise missed. But then I would just entangle all of us in a twisty skein of misinformation and half-truth circuitry, rewiring the entire point of James' hard work. His effort lies not within proof of what he has, his time and passion are a coupled, laborious union of what he wants. He hasn't shown us what we think WE WANT; he's shown us what he knows HE HAS. And the passion that we all know quickly becomes embrittled by a hunt for something that's not there.

    In his own words: "I don't care; when I'm gone, my kids'll get it and then my grandkids will get it. Let THEM deal with it. I just wanna enjoy the damn thing."




    My deepest thanks and appreciation go out to you, Mr. G. That day is a day forever burned into my memory.
     
  2. jordan747_400

    jordan747_400 F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 9, 2002
    6,928
    Houston, TX
    Full Name:
    Jordan
    brilliant stuff :)
     
  3. bert308

    bert308 Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 30, 2002
    1,776
    Roermond Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Bert Kanters
    No more pictures? :)
     
  4. JSinNOLA

    JSinNOLA F1 World Champ
    Sponsor Lifetime Rossa

    Mar 18, 2002
    18,776
    Denver, CO
    Thread of the month? I think yes!
     
  5. Chiaro_Slag

    Chiaro_Slag F1 Veteran

    Oct 31, 2003
    7,789
    CA
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    Very cool - Thanks for sharing!
     
  6. BWS550

    BWS550 Wants to be a mod

    Apr 1, 2002
    8,933
    NEW JERSEY
    Full Name:
    BRUCE WELLINGTON
    DIGITAL PICTURES BY CARBON

    BATTERIES BY BRUCE


    GREAT STORY AND GREAT DAY!!!

    BRUCE
     
  7. darth550

    darth550 Six Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jul 14, 2003
    60,788
    In front of you
    Full Name:
    BCHC
    Awesome! You paint and take a fantastic picture!

    DL
     
  8. AJS328

    AJS328 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Apr 23, 2003
    7,520
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Augustine Staino
    Very cool!
     
  9. Tyler

    Tyler F1 Rookie

    Dec 19, 2001
    4,274
    dusty old farm town
    Full Name:
    Tyler
    OMG!!:)

    Fantastic writing and fantastic pictures! Thanks Carbon.

    In all seriousness you have a great gift for storytelling. It's not a small thing to be a storyteller, it's a gift and you should use/share it as much as possible.

    Mr. G, I am truly in awe of your passion.
     
  10. PSk

    PSk F1 World Champ

    Nov 20, 2002
    17,673
    Tauranga, NZ
    Full Name:
    Pete
    DIGITAL blurry PICTURES BY CARBON

    BATTERIES BY BRUCE

    GREAT STORY AND GREAT DAY!!!

    BRUCE

    I guess we have proof that Carbon was really excited :D. Interesting how you focus appeared to be the body ;) ... it would have taken years for Jim to get me away from exploring the chassis.

    I must say that Jim needs a kick up the arse, as that engine should have been re-united with that chassis days ago. What gives?, is real work getting in the way? ... tell them to bugger off and to leave your team alone!!! ;);)

    Thanks Carbon, BRUCE and Jim.
    Pete
     
  11. beast

    beast F1 World Champ

    May 31, 2003
    11,479
    Lewisville, TX
    Full Name:
    Rob Guess
    Awsome story and pictures Carbon.

    BTW lay off the Cherry Coke it is giving you the shakes!! :D
     
  12. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
    10,213
    San Antonio
    Full Name:
    Russ Turner
    Even with the few blurs, those are some of the best photos seen to date on Ferrari Chat, ever.

    Thanks ever so much everyone.
     
  13. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    stunning. to meet MR G. ...." AND " get to see 0846 in person as it opens its eyes is a great thing, thanks guys for making my week!!!! Carbon, after having the pleasure of speaking with you on the phone, i can really enjoy this with a inside scoop . your voice and enthusiasm have captured MR G's passion and the spirit of the car. thanks to you, BruCe AND MR G. FOR LETTING ALL OF US ENJOY THIS. michael
     
  14. Victory

    Victory Formula Junior

    Jan 28, 2004
    412
    OMG!!! I wish I was involved with the project.
     
  15. 348 Turbo

    348 Turbo Formula 3

    Jul 17, 2002
    1,837
    great post. THIS is what this board is all about. You're a credit to the group. Thanks for sharing!
     
  16. Norm512TR

    Norm512TR Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2001
    894
    Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Full Name:
    Norm
    There's so much that could be said; "well done" pretty much covers it.

    Just great.
     
  17. Enzo

    Enzo F1 Rookie

    Feb 14, 2002
    4,088
    MinneSOta
    Full Name:
    Pat Pasqualini
    That is awesome. Looks like you 3 had some fun. An experience to be remembered for a lifetime. Way to go Jim.


    Pat
     
  18. formula1joe

    formula1joe Formula Junior

    Nov 3, 2003
    436
    Atlanta, GA
    Full Name:
    Joe Bennett
    You are one lucky person. Not only is the car gorgeous, but the shop it is in so clean. I am glad to see others taking pride in their work.
     
  19. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
    Nice car; awesome engine! I can't wait to see it all together. To think he'll actually drive it on the street too....!!!!! That's the one thing about hot rods I can't stand: they are just for show in spite of huge engines, etc. James actually DRIVES his toys!

    Ken
     
  20. Gman

    Gman Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Jul 15, 2003
    918
    York, PA
    The pictures of the car were great however I found myself being drawn to the garage scenes in the background. Seeing how clean and organized it was is conducive to the type of work that appears to being done on the car. A great story with incredible pictures! Thanks for sharing your experience.
     
  21. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Aug 3, 2002
    40,647
    California
    Full Name:
    Carbon McCoy
    Jordan, John, Jerry, Bruce, Darth, Gus, PSK- thank you.


    Bert, LOL...!


    Tyler, thank you; i try to share it here, with every new experience...


    Beast, i left the Cherry Coke in the car... until Bruce got my camera... :)


    Michael, it's my pleasure, really... Give me a call sometime soon; i've been really busy lately, but always have time to chat at night, especially with a fellow enthusiast...


    Norm, great is just one of many words...


    Pat, it's definitely a life-long memory...


    Gman, i'm only too happy to share it with everyone... i'm the one who should be thanking all of you.


    Thanks again, Mr. G. :)
     
  22. Clax

    Clax Formula 3

    Oct 3, 2002
    1,611
    Needs more photos...
     
  23. Napolis

    Napolis Three Time F1 World Champ
    Honorary Owner

    Oct 23, 2002
    32,118
    Full Name:
    Jim Glickenhaus
    If you look closely you can see a NOS 427 LeMans Block.
     
  24. Greg G

    Greg G F1 Rookie

    Carbon... outstanding as usual! As I was reading, I felt like I was there with you guys. Its been said so many times, but you do have a gift.

    JG - very gracious of you to open up shop for these guys. This project impresses me to no limit. I truly look fwd to seeing the P4 very soon.

    Bruce - I better not see an Energizer cell in the P4.

    Thank you very much for sharing this experience!!!
     
  25. Ron328

    Ron328 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Mar 10, 2003
    2,615
    Willamette Valley, Oregon
    Full Name:
    Ron
    Great thread. You guys are lucky. Just being nosy...who's 360 spyder is that?
     

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