Happy New Year

Love this car. 1958 Le Mans winner, Works 250 Testa Rossa 0728TR. Happy New Year and thanks for posting.

 

At LM 58 the car had additional fog lights in the grille opening, the massive central hood bulge was closed, not opened*, car had side windows and mud flaps at the rear wheel arches. In front of the driver was a second windscreen, there was no lid on the headrest for the gas filler cap, position lamps on the white roundel for the race number on the right rear are missing, the LM ACO scrutineering stamp on the left front fender ahead of the Scuderia Ferrari shield has disappeared.

(*this modification was done by Pierre Bardinon in 1985, against the suggestion of Jess G. Pourret)

Marcel Massini

 

Wonderful shots.
Are you saying that if it wasn’t for COVID, you’d use the car for travel more extensively ?
If so, you’re my new hero.

 

Absolutely amazing.

Thanks for sharing.

 

A Le Mans winner Now that's a way to start the year. Happy New Year!

 

The hood opening was done after Le Mans. Pedro Rodriguez in #0728 at Nassau in December 1958 (© RacingSportsCars.com).

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Yes, sure. But I was talking about the restoration at Bardinon's place in 1985, when Pourret recommended to have it closed (as per LM 58) and Bardinon disagreed.
At the time the car was in very poor shape.

Marcel Massini

 

Just to clarify, 0728 was built as a Works pontoon bodied 250 Testa Rossa. Converted to envelope body style for Nurburgring 1958. The carburettor air opening was closed at the front but open at the back for Le Mans 1958, so not totally closed.

 

So is this car’s current build configuration & livery exactly as it was at the start of LeMans or something else ?
Just (mildly) curious.

 

Le Mans 1958 rear hood opening.

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No.
See post #3.

Marcel Massini

 

0728 also had its carburettor air opening at the rear at the Nurburgring, 1958. Ferrari experimented with front and rear air openings due to the problem of getting differing amounts of air pressure between the front and rear carburettors which prevented the engine running cleanly.

 

I particularly like this great picture of 0728TR by Peter Singhof.

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0728 TR a little earlier.
From the legendary Fuller Brush Magazine.
Assistenza Clienti director engineer Gaetano Florini and Phil Hill.

Marcel Massini

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With perspex carburettor cover and different nose vent arrangement.

Full Phil Hill Fuller brush article by Denise McCluggage in link here posted by El Wayne.

 

Sure makes you want to get some good house cleaning products.

 

I believe pics 1, 3 and 11 could be 0726TR, the first of the Works '58 250TRs converted from pontoon to envelope bodywork, which, like this car, did not have external door hinges and became the prototype for the TR59, which this car has features of.

 

Pic #2 is absolutely perfect!

 

Different tail lamps at that time as well

 

Fully agree on TR and D Type albeit with far less experience than you.

I drove pontoon fendered TR 0748 260kms one afternoon in southern California during a 1990's road rally for a Cavallino article (issue 113 October November 1999 thank you Symbolic, Bill Noon and then owner CC) and loved every minute, was fantasizing about eloping over the Mexican border with it It was a *****cat to drive the understeer was fun to play with though out of respect I did not explore the oversteer. Whether on mountain roads or city traffic I loved it. In towns I would coast a lot to keep it cool so when I rolled next to someone at a traffic light and then turned on the engine when the light went green they jumped in their seats ! Following Bill in his TRC at a high rate of knots in a canyon on the way to the Torrey Pines hill climb early one morning that same week the two V12 sounds merged into one sound, fabulous, I had heard that while in the draft of another car in single seater racing but this sounded sooo much better! Then I delivered it to the person who was to drive it that day, a certain Phil Hill, surreal moment! He just drove it mellow with his wife.

In contrast at 500 Ferraris against cancer in 2019 I had a ride as a passenger in a D Type brought by Jaguar Heritage and found it quite unpleasant, cramped, did not like the engine and how the driver interacted with it. That experience gave me zero desire to drive one.