First Stratos for rallyes I think. Later 308 but I think he used young students for developing his cars in Misano possible? I know he had a good relation with Antonio Zanini for Gr IV. Here a great link to know more Giuliano Michelotto: https://girardo.com/features/girardo-co-s-guide-to-the-ferrari-308-gtb-michelotto-group-iv-and-group-b-rally-cars/
Forty years ago I was made aware of the phenominal mechanical shop "Sport Auto Modena" which was Silingardi and Diena, both masters at their craft. Enzo allowed them to use the Prancing Horse as part of their company logo and they had his blessings and support. Here is Aldo pictured with Carroll Shelby I beleive at Sebring. I was fortunate to meet and know Aldo howeever Diena passed before I had an opportunity to know him. The son's of Diena & Silingardi now continue in their father's footsteps. Image Unavailable, Please Login
From post #10323 in this thread here. Timothy, You are very knowledgeable on this era of cars. May I ask which chassis number 375 F1 did Gonzales achieve the first WDC win for Ferrari at Silverstone in 1951?
Jeez Steve, talk about asking something easy! Excuse the lengthy reply For 70+ years it has been believed it is #02. And this is what I know. Feel free to poke flaws in everything as this is very much a lot of guesswork. Ferrari built 10ish 375F1s, loosely summarized as - 375-1 (50/1) 12 plug. Launched at '50 Italian GP. Some believe this was later rebuilt as #10. - 375-2 (50/2) 12 plug. Launched at '50 Italian GP. Should be the car Gonzales used to win the '51 British GP, Ascari the '51 German GP (Bill Boddy and Doug Nye certainly believe so). Believed sold to Louis Rosier - 125-C-02. N/A. 12 plug. Thinwall special #3 '50/51. First seen (in 375F1 form) at the '51 International Trophy at Silverstone. - 375-3 (51/1?) 24 plug. Launched at '51 San Remo GP. Rebuilt as a Indy type and renumbered #4 - 375-4 (51/2?) 24 plug. Launched at '51 Swiss GP. Later became #0566?. Believed sold to South America - 375-5 (51/3?) 24 plug. Launched at '51 Belgian GP. Used by Ascari to win the Italian GP. Believed sold to Chico Landi and shipped to South America - 375-6 (51/4?) 24 plug. Launched at '51 German GP. Rebuilt as a Indy car? - 375-7 (51/5?) 24 plug. Launched at '51 Italian GP.. Rebuilt as a Indy car? - 375-8 - unknown (never built?). Built up as a Indy car? - 375-9 - unknown (never built?) - 375-10. N/A. 24 plug. Thinwall special #4 '52. Launched at Ulster Trophy '52. Built around engine #10 in an unknown chassis. Indy cars -#1 - (rebuilt from?). Launched at the '52 Indy 500 where it was raced by Ascari. Rebuilt at the works as #0388 for Chinetti to run at Indy in '54 -#2 - (rebuilt from?). Launched by Johnny Parsons at the '52 Indy 500. -#3 - (rebuilt from?). Launched by Johnny Mauro at the '52 Indy 500. -#4 - rebuilt from 375-3. Launched by Howard Keck at the '52 Indy 500 Surviving 375s can be summarized as follows #375-2 - Was this 51/2 or 50/2?. Some sources say 24 plug engine was fitted before sale to Rosier, won the '52 and '53 Albi GPs. Rebodied by Scaglietti as a centre seat sportscar, raced at the '55 Buenos Aires 1000km. Sold to NZ for Ron Roycroft, rebodied in NZ as a monoposto, won several races, Ernie Nunn (so the engine could be removed for a boat), Ferris de Joux, rebuilt as a GTO replica with Jaguar power, Gavin Bain '70s, restored with original engine, Giorgio Perfetti '90s #375-4 or 5 (C?) - Believed by some to be the Chico Landi car but some debate whether it used chassis #4 or 5 originally or more realistically #125-C-04. Believed fitted with a 340MM or 375MM engine numbered #0566 which is very, very late for either. Raced with Scaglietti Spider bodywork at Buenos Aires 1000km '56. Later fitted with South American monoposto coachwork and Chev V8 engine for the Carrera series. Found by Colin Crabbe in Brazil c 1976, sold to Fries van der Lof in the '80s as a chassis with a few parts and still with his family #375-5 - Also believed to be the Chico Landi car, thence to Barberis, as per above, found by Colin Crabbe '70s, sold to Albert Obrist, restored by Fantuzzi, sold to Bernie Ecclestone '96, for sale at Tom Hartley Junior #375-5 (B) - Unknown car raced by Fritz d'Orey. Here things get truly weird, apparently Ferrari built up a 1952 chassis which may have been either a 500F2 or 375F1 tipo for Gonzalez in '56 and this could/ should be the d'Orey car. Gonzalez ghostwriter claimed it was actually 500/625F1 0482 but then that car was in Oceania although again maybe it was just another time a carnet reused, as they reused #5 several times. So we know d'Orey is reported to have raced a 375F1 in '58 with 375F1 and Chev V8 power and this Ferrari-Chevrolet was one of a minimum two Ferrari-Chevrolet raced through the 1960s in South America. Colin Crabbe reports finding three 375F1s stamped #5 in South America so it fits. No mention in Crabbes book what happened to this car but this could be where Robert Sutherlands 500F2 #0482 chassus came from since it definitely didn't teleport from New Zealand to Argentina in the late '50s. Plenty of sources state this #375-5 wasn't even a Ferrari chassis but a locally built chassis. Who knows really. #125-C-02 - The first 375F1 built by Ferrari for Tony Vandervell, aka Thinwall Special #2 & 3. Believed broken up, replaced by a Indy length chassis for '52 and fitted with engine #010. Jenks & Posthumus originally said #125-C-02 was scrapped but it actually appears the chassis sat at Vandervells workshop and was eventually rescued by Wheatcroft who restored it. Later sold to Ecclestone and today for sale with Tom Hartley #375-010 - Thinwall Special #4. A new '52 chassis to Indy length and 24 plug engine #010. Believed to be in the Monbouan Arts and Cars Collection, Brittany, France but I have zero proof of this Indy #01/0388 - Raced right through the '60s, by Chinetti and Ferrari. Sold to Dieter Holtebosch, then to a certain Hong Kong based collector and finally to Austrian collector in the '00s and restored by Ferrari classiche. Indy #02 - Soon sold to Lindley Bothwell, Carl Bross '60s, various owners, finally to Carlos Monteverde in the '90s, and then the Louwmann Collection in '00. Indy #03 - Donated to the Indy Museum in '65, on display at the Saratoga Museum in the '20s Indy #04 - Later to Tom Barrett and then to Anthony Wang So the beginnings are easily tracked and the cars we know to exist today are generally easy to understand but how they intersect is the question. It all fits quite nicely with 9 or 10 known to exist at any one time in '52 and nine existing today but early Ferrari history is never that easy!
Here's some fun. Three different chassis tags on one and the same car. Numbers "3", "2" and "0482". Marcel Massini Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you very much for your info on these cars. I got a bit confused as I thought you were saying in your previous post that Doug Nye later said the Gonzales 1st Ferrari win in the WDC was not 375 F1 Number 2. I have the 90s Cavalleria book, that Doug Nye contributed to, that stetes the 51 Silverstone winner as 375 F1 number 2. Barchetta here states it was 375 F1 number 5.
Reading the posts about the 375 Formula 1 cars causes me to tip my hat to you guys. Your dedication and research is outstanding. It is well beyond my pay grade!
Barchetta here also 375 F1 number 2 as the Ascari 1951 Italian GP Monza winner, as well as number 5. Also states that the 24 plug engine was fitted after Monza. Whatever car the winner was at Monza, it already had a 24 plug engine. Most probably number 5 was the Monza 51 winner and the entry as the Monza 51 winner on the number 2 375 F1 Barchetta page just needs removing, and then it will read right.
Image Unavailable, Please Login I think Barchetta is incorrect concerning 375-2. This picture shows 375-2 at the 1951 Italian GP, still with the 12 plug engine, driven by Landi. The winning car, driven by Ascari, was new at Monza, 375-5. It is the car owned by B Ecclestone. Cheers Allan
A number of sources have Piero Taruffi in 375 F1 number 5 coming 5th at the German GP, Nurburgring on 29th July, 1951 including here which was before Monza on 16th September, 1951. Barchetta here has number 5's first race at the Swiss GP, Bremgarten on the 27th May, 1951. Perhaps @Marcel Massini has the Ferrari Classiche Red Book for number 5 and may be able to divulge its full official race history according to Ferrari?
I have Taruffi driving 375-3 at the 1951 German GP. OldRacingCars and Barchetta have a lot of errors regarding the 375s. Cheers, Allan
The Revs Institute and Motorsportimages online archives are the two best. By identifying each 375 at the 1950-52 grand prix it is possible to establish the individual race history of the 375s Cheers Allan
Of course this is fully correct. However, after the 1952 GP season most of the cars were either converted into 375 Indy cars (renumbered so NOT keeping their 375 F1 identity) or renumbered into the customer car series and sold of to customers mostly in South-America (where is is extremely difficult to track cars as most were modified beyond recognition). Basically the early beginnings are known as is the story after their recovery in recent times. The problematic bit is the time in between, when cars were converted and renumbered (and sometimes renumbered again) so which factory F1 car became which Indy or customer car? Of course nobody at the factory at that time considered converting 375 F1 chassis 3 into 375 Indy chassis 3, that would have been far too easy for later historians
