Each morning when my wife opens her facebook account she is presented with "Memories" from this date in some earlier year. Today the following appeared from 2016. Thought some of you might enjoy the memory trip as well. Best regards, Robert The first two are of me telling sea stories at the Cavallino Symposium. The next is of the little blue car at the Classic Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago. The last shot is of the Finest Competition car award and the Excellence in Class award, and the gift of John Barnes name tag which as we finally noticed has the background of the little blue car from 2009. . Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Dear Dinosaur followers, The following is a repost of some traffic from the "I"m honored" thread, moved here as the basic repository of the little blue car thread. Texas Forever posted: "My only request is you old guys, and I’m an old guys, need to tell some more campfire stories. How did you get involved with Ferraris? What captivated you? What got you involved with prancing ponies. The hour is getting late. Why not tell your story?" Dear Dale, Ask and ye shall receive, standby for a true sea story. It was a superb party! The mid-May 1960 weather in San Leandro was perfect in the early evening as we sat around the apartment pool swapping stories of the day's events at the gimmick rally. The timed section over the Crow Canyon Road was impossible to make, but the Concord to Vallejo run was easy and the view was great from the MGA on a beautiful top down day. Leaving Vallejo, the rally master teased us with views of San Francisco across the bay as we wound through Richmond, then Berkeley and then through the hills of Oakland before dropping back to San Leandro. Talk inevitably turned to the hot newspaper story of the previous week with much speculation as to the make of the bright red sports car which had eluded California's finest White Eagles in a high speed chase which paralleled our Vallejo to San Leandro rally segment. We also got into one of the typical arguments about the segregated "class" mentality among different sports car owners. Clearly MG, Alfa and Triumph drivers waved at each other and to any other sports car, while Porsche and Jaguar owners seemed to suffer eyesight problems when offered a wave by the lower "class." Although we each professed satisfaction with our current sports cars, there was a certain air of wistfulness when talking about quicker, more powerful machines. One could always wander through the BMC showrooms on Van Ness in chilly (or so it always seemed) San Francisco, or go past Charlie Rezzaghi's La Scuderia Rossa where there was always something exciting from Italy. As we discussed our various pipe dreams, the inevitable mention of Ferrari came up. I noted that on my meager monthly pay of $291 plus $47.88 for food as a Navy Lieutenant (Junior Grade) (equivalent to 1st Lieutenant for those of you of Army or Air Force persuasion), there was no possible way to come up with the money to think about acquiring even a used Ferrari from the occasional ads in Road & Track. At this point someone mentioned that a girl in the second floor apartment overlooking the pool had said something about a Ferrari for sale earlier in the week, but she wasn't at the party. Obviously the next step was to go knock at the unknown apartment door and find out more about this rumor. The results were very sketchy. She thought that the car was located at some Rambler dealer in Richmond. After a simple scan of the Yellow Pages it was easy to spot the only Rambler dealer in Richmond which quickly became the target for a visit on my next free afternoon. Once there, a quick look around confirmed that there was no sports car of any kind in either the lot or the showroom, so I asked the lady behind the counter if in fact they had a Ferrari. Almost with a look of scorn she replied “ Sonny we are a Rambler dealer, we don’t sell Ferraris!” At that point a fellow at the end of the counter said "I think there may be one out back in the shop, go ahead and look." On the first round of the shop, I almost missed an unsightly mess in the back corner. Upon second look, there clearly was a sports car but it was really in sad shape. It sat on jack stands with no wheels in sight. Under the rear end was a large wooden box full of strange looking gears and pieces of metal that were twisted and scored with streaks of blue shading from obvious overheating. There were no seats nor windscreen, and the hood and metal tonneau were stacked upright in the cockpit. The rear bodywork was crushed in, with slabs of broken white bondo showing under the mud covered blue paint. The sides showed the evidence of random paint gun spray pattern testing in at least three colors. The open engine compartment was filled with an oil, mud and grime covered assemblage resembling a V-8. I thought to myself, this is not a Ferrari, it is a Devin. I wonder what motor they used, so I grabbed a rag and wiped across one of the valve covers which revealed those hypnotic letters FERRARI ! That did it, I’ve got to save it! I was hooked and I would have to find a way to give this forlorn pile of junk a more proper home and to get started right away on the rescue mission. Within three weeks I had found the owner, the wheels and the seats, agreed upon a purchase price of $2,225, secured a loan from my bank (for nearly one half of one year's salary at the time) and wonder of wonders, I had become a FERRARI owner. Next order on the agenda was to write to the factory and obtain a shop manual just as I had for the MGA, after all, with a shop manual one could figure out how to fix anything. The reply was forever in coming. Both letters, one in Italian and the other a translation in English had the prancing horse letterhead, and that was the only good news. I quote segments "The number 510 means that the car belongs to 'Series II'. Being a competition model, we built only a few of these cars, and therefore we have not available any technical description, sufficient for its maintenance, since all the repairs were usually carried out by our own staff. At present, however, there is a skilled mechanic, with our California Importers, and no doubt he will be able to help you a great deal. With this opportunity, please accept our best regards. P. S. - This car was originally sold to Mr. François Picard of Nice, France." So began my 58 year saga with the little blue car. Best regards, Robert In time I will post more about the initial challenges I faced in getting the car back i presentable and running condition.
Great story and amazing car! Truly made my week to learn all about this car and its legacy. I just watched the Jay Leno video, twice, and it's the first time I have seen Jay so rapt with attention and hanging on every word.
Dear Dinosaurs, Just came across an old New Years greeting which I thought I would post. Best regards, Robert Image Unavailable, Please Login
Alternatively a later New Years greeting from many years ago. This was just after earning the Finest Competition Ferrari and the Vintage Spirit Award at the Classic Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago and the day after earning the Best of Show - Competition Ferrari, Four Cylinder Cup and Platinum Award for 100 point car at Cavallino Classic XVIII Concorso d'Elegance. The judges must have liked the car! Have a Happy and healthy New Year to all! Best regards, Robert Image Unavailable, Please Login
Admiral, flipping through this old thread made me realize that you and that car are probably responsible for making more people aware and exposed more people to Ferraris history in early sports car racing than any other single custodian of these cars. Good job and thank you.
Brian - I don't know if you have ever seen this thread, because I started it in the Mid-Atlantic forum in 2008 in the lead up to finishing the car and taking it to Pebble. It's the motherload of the resto pics. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/500-mondial-s-ii-0556-0446-md.195295/
No I had not. I have seen some of the pictures though. Many in them are friends. Great shots in a few of David Carte and Mike Dunne. Leslie and I were friends with both. Many go to the time, trouble and expense to preserve these cars and that is great but so few are out and about so much so that the rest of us get to enjoy them and for that your father gets a great deal of credit. We have all benefited from his commitment to bring that car back to life. I remember Ed Gilbertson sharing a story of being very selective about who he sold his Barchetta to because he wanted it to go to someone who valued its originality and would likewise use it in public events so it was appreciated by all. Turns out not long after it changed hands it went to get totally restored and is for the most part sitting in storage with the rest of the collection. He was very sad about that I gathered. Will you or your mother go on the trip with your father this summer? If so Leslie and I look forward to seeing you both.
hey Brian; yes, my parents as well as my wife and I will be at Elkhart in September. As you know, it will be a special event for my father.
Terrific. Looking forward to seeing you all. We have had a good response from some of his old clients. There should be a good display as a tribute.
Dear Dinosaurs, This showed up in the mail yesterday. Suspect this is certification of dinosaur status. Best regards, Robert Ferrari Club of America 60 year membership emblem Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is a repost from the “Resale Red” thread simply to have all my photos and stories contained in this thread. Dear Dinosaurs, Shockingly I must admit that 64 years ago I repainted my new acquisition "resale red" because "all Ferraris were red"! When I bought it, the dark blue color was the fourth repaint job. During the 2000 to 2008 conservation/restoration project there were places where we could see the various paint layers including the original French Racing Blue (or Bugatti blue) due to the original French owner's request. The three colors are reflected in the following pictures. There is no doubt in my mind that the original light blue is perfect on this car. Best regards, Robert when bought in 1960 After my 1960 resale red repaint job After returned to the original paint color Or as shot by Chris Schlumpf
Dear fellow Dinosaurs, Much to my surprise I recently received an email from one of my many Ferrari friends complimenting me on a video I had not seen before. Nine years ago at the Ferrari Club of America National Meet at Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI my son Bryan had arranged for a videographer to document some of the little blue car story. Somehow we lost contact and now a video of that event focusing on the Mondial has come to light by that same videographer which can be viewed at the link below. Unfortunately most of it has me rambling on, but the message still is that folks new to Ferrari ownership would do well to learn about the early cars which so firmly established the Ferrari reputation and mystique. Best regards, Robert
Simply sensational, thank you Robert! What a car, what an owner, what a great couple, it doesn't get better than this! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Warm regards Marcel Massini
Dear fellow Dinosaurs, Thanks Marcel and John for the nice compliments, much appreciated! I have found two other unedited George Murphy videos from that same FCA National, the first is of the trip into downtown Elkhart Lake and the great opportunity to spread the early Ferrari race car stories, and to let kids sit in the car. The second is of the judges going over the inspection routines. Best part of that one is when I am asked to demonstrate the turn signals to which I responded with the old fashioned arm signals! Obviously this 1955 racer car had no turn signals. Enjoy, Best regards, Robert Parade into Elkhart Lake Concours judging
The kid in the car, priceless. Well done Robert. Sharing the passion is fun, but not all owners see it that way. Prestige or image is more important. Anyway we were on a drive with a 166 Barchetta. A guy walked past with an 7 year old kid. They were very interested in the cars (Daytonas, GTEs etc) and the 166 owner asked if the kid would like to get in the car. Of course he couldn't reach the steering wheel or see over the dash, so the owner got him to stand on the seat whilst holding the steering wheel. Dad took lots of photos. It was the highlight of the drive.
Thanks for posting those too. Cool. And the judges asking for turn signals. Funny. I can't imagine Castellotti using them in a race. It reminds of Pebble when the judge commented that the blue car idled very roughly. You had to bite your tongue and explained it was a race car, tuned for high rpm with overlapping valve timing with high lift etc. And that was at Pebble.
Funny how I have no recollection of Tom recording our conversation so many years ago. Funny also how the story has not changed all that much in the telling. Both Tom and I share at least two traits, we both bought cars which we had no business in buying and secondly we both enjoy mechanical challenges. Thanks Tom for having the foresight to catch part of the story, and for your help in push starting the car to the ramp at Pebble Beach along with the rest of my ad hoc "pit crew"! Enjoy, Robert Image Unavailable, Please Login
With my parents in the car; he crew from left to right. The late David Carte, Ton Yang, ?, the late Mike Dunn, Bill Bowdish, Yale Evelev. I believe I took the picture. I was doing both videos and still photos that great day.
I'm glad the Admiral approved of my video piecing a recording and pictures I took of this story. It was an honor to be included in some of it! David Carte and Mike Dunn helped me immensely through the years, and I miss them both dearly. Tom
