Glickenhaus Is Famous!

Ken · Jun 5, 2005

Nice article in today's Chicago Tribune that was picked up from The New York Times, mainly about how his wonderful cars are all diven on public roads regularly. I love when the public spotlight lands on such a misunderstood aspect of our little universe: for the most part we DRIVE our toy cars even if they're worth millions!

Ken

judge4re · Jun 5, 2005

Its about the drive, not the money. Life is too short to drive boring cars.

Willis360 · Jun 5, 2005

Link to the article?

2000YELLOW360 · Jun 5, 2005

Jim is a true sportsman. Despite the huge value of the vehicles, he enjoys them, rather than sitting around counting his toys. When I see Ferraris, 10 years old, with less than 5k on them, makes you wonder why people buy them in the first place. Jim should be the post child for all Ferrari owners.

Art

SrfCity · Jun 5, 2005

Wtg, Jim. Drive on!

Here it is:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/chi-0506050158jun05,1,1057838.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

FerrariTifoisi#1 · Jun 5, 2005

SrfCity said:

Wtg, Jim. Drive on!

Here it is:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/chi-0506050158jun05,1,1057838.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
Click to expand...

Can't read cause it asks for a member login

taber · Jun 5, 2005

FerrariTifoisi#1 said:

Can't read cause it asks for a member login
Click to expand...

I found a way to get around most of the member logins for online newspapers by going through Google News.

In this case, typing in "Glickenhaus" doesn't turn up anything (yet). I just typed in Chicago Tribune, scrolled down until there was some article from the tribune and I got in their website then used their search for Glickenhaus and the article turned up.

BUT to save you time. Here is the article copy and pasted.

Collectors keep their passion for vintage racecars on track

By Nick Kurczewski
New York Times News Service
Published June 5, 2005

Many vintage racecars spend decades hidden from the world, condemned to exist as four-wheel paperweights because of their immense value--historical as well as monetary--and raucous road manners.

Some collectors, though, view their racecars as living historiesand exercise them on the road and track as often as possible.

Jim Glickenhaus, an investment portfolio manager from Rye, N.Y., has a collection that includes a Duesenberg from the 1930s and a Ferrari built in 1947. But he spends much of his free time with racing sports cars from the mid-1960s.

The cars are insured and licensed for road use, and driven regularly. Each car undergoes an annual safety inspection as required by New York state, though they are exempt from emissions tests because of their age.

At his workshop in Danbury, Conn., Glickenhaus explained the history of each car. First was a yellow Ford GT40 Mk IV, a car that qualified on the pole for the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1967 and was driven to a fourth-place finish by Mark Donohue and Bruce McLaren.

Glickenhaus has put some 25,000 miles on it in the 15 years he has owned it, using it for Sunday drives and weekend treks, including one to Vermont, where he was caught in a snowstorm. "It got a little squirrelly," he said. "But it kept going."

Then there is a red Ferrari 330 P3/4. Glickenhaus believes this Ferrari is also a veteran of the 1967 Le Mans race, a car thought to have been destroyed in a fire. He pulled out pages of documentation as his mechanic, Salvatore Barone, tended to the car's extensive maintenance.

Glickenhaus beamed when he described driving the onetime-Le Mans competitors.

"You start 'em up, strap yourself in and it's just like you're at Le Mans," he said. "You don't have to drive like an idiot because at legal speeds they feel so cool."

Surprisingly few modifications are necessary to drive these cars on the street. Until the late 1960s, the rules for premier sports-car events such as Le Mans dictated modest concessions for use on public roads (and a handful of road-legal GT40s were produced in the 1960s). The requirements included a passenger seat, room for luggage and a spare tire and jack. Beyond the legal necessities of mufflers and lighting equipment, Glickenhaus' GT40 needed additional cooling fans and a higher-capacity electrical system for the switch from pit lane to toll plaza.

Value becomes a four-letter word to some collectors. But Glickenhaus has no reservations when asked, estimating that $4 million to $6 million would put a GT40 with a similar competition history in your driveway. The Ferrari, if authenticated as a Le Mans competitor, would be worth more.

But he quickly makes it clear that his cars are a permanent collection. "I've never sold a collector car I've owned," he said.

Jon A. Shirley, president of Microsoft until his retirement in 1990, also owns vintage racecars adapted for public roads, including Ferraris such as a 1949 166MM roadster and a 1962 250 GTO. The lithe 166 series was the first Ferrari produced in appreciable quantities and a car that helped to establish the company's racing heritage with victories at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia road race in Italy. Many enthusiasts consider the GTO to be unrivaled in beauty.

"We take the cars on the street whenever the Seattle weather lets us," Shirley wrote in an e-mail message.

"These were racecars--loud, sprung very hard, no insulation or heaters--and are hot when it is hot outside and cold when it is cold outside," he said. "It is the kind of thing you look back on with pride."

Shirley estimates the value of the 166MM at $2 million. The 250 GTO could bring $12 million to $15 million at auction.

For years the mindset of driving such valuable vintage cars seemed to belong to European collectors. An American obsession for restoring cars to better-than-new condition led to cosmetically perfect cars that were never driven. In recent years, organized tours such as the Colorado Grand and Mille Miglia Retrospective, and track events such as the Challenge series, have provided opportunities for owners to enjoy their cars.

What does a past champion think about driving irreplaceable vintage racecars on public roads?

Phil Hill, the 1961 Formula One champion, who at 77 is still the pragmatic racer, sums everything up in the first minute on the phone. "If it is worth that much," he said, "then it is worth fixing if something happens to it."
Click to expand...

thecarreaper · Jun 5, 2005

Taber, thanks for sharing that.

FerrariTifoisi#1 · Jun 5, 2005

yes, thanks for posting th article. Thats cool to here that Jim keeps his cars in Danbury, CT. My aunt lives over in Danbury by the winery. When i am there in 2 weeks I will keep a look out for him and his cars and if i see him i will be sure to take some pics.

Jason

coolestkidever · Jun 5, 2005

something must be wrong with me for the 12 years i lived in rye/bronxville, ny i never saw the P4, ever.

DieCast MotorSports · Jun 5, 2005

That same article has been in many newspapers across the country. Quite alot of exposure for Jim's cars.

Ross

MarkPDX · Jun 5, 2005

coolestkidever said:

something must be wrong with me for the 12 years i lived in rye/bronxville, ny i never saw the P4, ever.
Click to expand...

He only finished putting in back together last year.

coolestkidever · Jun 6, 2005

MarkPDX said:

He only finished putting in back together last year.
Click to expand...

ok phew, i thought i was blind

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