Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Comte Volpi

I echo the earlier comments. For those of us who weren't to be born for longer than we've been alive, it's fantastic to have first (or second) hand recollections of the glory days.

Thanks to both of you for sharing something none of us would have otherwise been privy to.

--Dan

 

I can confirm that 0792 does see the light of the day, sometimes.
Below are a few pix, it is owned by Ralph Lauren who bought it in March 1985.
After August 1963 0792 was retired from active competition. 2-10 March 1968 it was displayed at the 3rd Annual Racing Car Show at the Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia Museum in Torino, Italy. On 20 July 1968 0792 was officially registered for the road on Italian license plates of Rome "Roma D 14700" (see also pix in post #63). I have the Italian ACI PRA documents for 0792 which confirm this. 24 July 1968 0792 was sold through Francesco Jammi for Volpi to S.A.S. Ulisse Berghiun in Rome (on paperwork). In May 1980 I saw 0792 during the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, parked in front of the Casino and Hotel de Paris. In June 1980 the car was stored at Charles Pozzi SA in Paris, France. In September 1981 Andrea Fabbris drove 0792 during the Raid Ferrari D'Epoca meeting in Modena, and then again in September 1983 by Fabbris during the Ferrari Days in Modena. In December 1982 0792 was advertised for sale in "Cavallino" magazine, issue #14, by MR Inc. in New York. After the purchase Lauren showed 0792 on 15-18 May 1986 during the FCA Annual Meet and Concours in Palm Beach/FL. In December 1990 0792 was featured in "Rosso" magazine, issue #1. In April 1991 it was pictured page 58 of the French magazine "Automobiles Classiques", issue #43. In 1996 the car was color featured in Gunther Raupp's large format Ferrari Calendar. July/August 1999 the car was featured in "Vintage Motorsport" magazine. In July 2002 Paul Russell and Company in Essex/MA rebuilt the exhaust system. In 2005 0792 was displayed in the special exhibit "Speed, Style and Beauty - Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection" in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
I took the pictures below in October 2003.
COPYRIGHT MARCEL MASSINI
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These crash photos show chassis #0696 MDTR, a 500 TRC, which Volpi owned in March 1962. 0696 MDTR is the ex-Fernand Tavano car. In 1963 it was used by Mimmo Dei's driver's school and Scuderia Centro Sud, mostly on the Modena Aerautodrome. It belongs since 1967 to a private collector and has recently been completely restored.
Marcel Massini

 

Count Volpi was the buyer of one of the last projects of Giotto Bizzarrini.
Built during late 80, early 90, the front Barchetta was powered by a 348 Ferrari engine.
Any ideas where can be the car today ?

Regards
Philippe Olczyk
2006/07 Second edition of the Bizzarrini book

 

Here the photo
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What a fabulous thread. Just keeps getting better and better.

 

AFAIK, RL has never shown 0792 at Pebble Beach. Most of the Ferraris owned by RL belong to his collection since more than 20 years, which I think is also quite an achievement. Besides that, I think that RL is a man of exceptional taste and style. He's an extremely successful businessman but RL is also a very quiet and charming person, I can tell. Just my 2 cents here, of course.
Marcel Massini

 

Well,
I've not really had much to add to this thread so far, as for one, i'm too young(ish) to know more(on a personal level) and 2, i didnt think i had any photos to contribute.......I was wrong!!
My friend Ron took this photo in the 1960's. The slide isnt dated unfortunately, so cannot tell the event or date, but he does remember it being early 1960's.
Any info would be most appreciated.
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Hi Paul,

Not 1960 as 0792TR had not been "born" yet. The picture was taken most probably on August 6, 1962 during the Guards Trophy, Brands Hatch, England. Jo Bonnier drove 0792TR on #7, finishing 3rd. A nice shot, thanks for sharing

-Jarrett

 

Thankyou Jarrett,
I was just looking through my old programmmes and i seem to have every year except the 1962 Guards Trophy..... typical.

 

At Villa d'Este we ran into this fabulous Serenissima sportscar. I wonder if the Count could share his thoughts on this stunning machine as I would love to do a feature about it on ***************.com.
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It looks very similar to the 308V berlineta at Le Mans april tests of 1966. But ran as a spider for the race in june (named P538 ?).
Note another spider was introduced as a road car in 1966.
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This car is s/n 003. Supposedely an old guy still owns the other two, but despite many attemps the owner of this car has not been able to reach him. He just has the cars and does little with it.

 

Which car is s/n 003 ? Thanks.

 

The one I shot in Villa d'Este.

 

Thanks !
Please note I confused the name P538 with the Bizzarini spider at Le Mans same year. Sorry ...
"Serenissima spyder" was the name, #24 entered by Scuderia San Marco, driven by Sauer - de Mortemart.

 

We talked a bit with the people that restored it and they promised to send us the detailed history. Hopefully I'll be able to get info for a nice article to join the wicked shots I got. This car certainly deserves it!

 

All photos copy right Giovanni Volpi.

Photo 1 below is spider pre car numbered 61 in above post.
From left: Medardo Fantuzzi (bodymaker) Aldo Siringardi, Gerolamo Gardini, Volpin in cockpit, electrician from Fantuzzi. 5am in Fantuzzi's shop.

Photo 2 is car #1
Photo 3 is car 61
Photo 4 is car 61

Not clear if car 61 is the Villa d'eEste car, but may be.

GV: (At any rate the Villa restoration) "was never as spotless when we made it".

GV: "Yes, bodies could be coughed out in a matter of days."

GV: "Body waltzes happened very quickly. As in Breadvan." (referring to #61 probably having been both berlinetta and spider. Car #61 is probably car #1, but not positive)

GV: "Aldo Siringardi, now of Sport Auto in Modena, might remember better. He assembled them with Gianni Diena when they were working for me."

GV still has 4 of the cars, all unrestored. I do not know if they are available, but I will ask if someone is serious about obtaining them.
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Test driver is Bertocco.
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Mairesse at the wheel, Diena and GV behind him.

Car #61 as a spider.

Berlocco test driving.
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Thanks Gary you did very well in posting pictures !

Many thanks to Count Volpi for sharing pictures of these beautiful cars.
The spider 308V is a remarkable and unique example of a mix racing-and-road car.

 

Any relationship between 308V and ATS? Any common parts? What engine in 308V? Fascinating stuff!!! Thank you so much!

 

Ed, I'm really looking forward to the info file on this car so I can get a feature online. It was a stunning car. Remarkably it was quite easy to manouvre to the spot of my desire for a shoot, despite it's racing engine.

 

The story of 308V and 61 is very interesting.
Serenissima came to Le Mans 1966 with 308V and a second car, a berlineta.
Was it 61 with some changes ?
Thanks.

 

This and other posts in this thread have resonated with me rekindling potent memories from my past. My passion for automobiles was born as I was recuperating (miraculously) in the hospital from a head-on collision on the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles. The exact moment of inspiration came as I looked at a photo of the ATS GTS on the cover of a Road & Track magazine someone had brought for me to read. I devoured the article about the car and went on to be enthralled by the full-color spread of Carlyle Blackwell's red D-Type Jaguar. I never looked at cars in the same way again.

It wasn't too many years later that I acquired GTO #3987. I'd seen it being driven around town and had a very strong reaction to it. At the time, the car was red and still bore the two orange roof lights and racing number lights on the passenger door and truck lid it sported at Sebring. I sold my Lusso in order to buy the GTO, which became my daily transportation for three years or so.

Concurrent with my ownership of 3987, my good friend Matthew Ettinger owned the Breadvan, which was his daily driver. The two of us could be seen together enjoying our cars to the maximum extent possible on public roads. On one such occasion, we were negotiating one of the mountain roads above the San Gabriel Valley accompanied by our friend John Andrews in his Miura. It was a pitch-black night and suddenly I became aware that I could no longer see the Breadvan's headlights in my rearview mirror. I signaled the Miura to stop and we reversed up the hill to find Matthew standing at the side of the road in the dark, the Breadvan poised on the edge of a precipice.

Matthew had over-cooked the corner and gone off the road losing his electrics in the process. The battery hadn't been locked down and had bounced out of its connections. We reattached the cables and were off again as if nothing had happened. It was typical of how we used and enjoyed the cars.

In 2004, I was in Venice shooting a movie. It is one of my favorite places and I rarely think of it without it bringing to mind the Count Volpi/Breadvan connection. I would have loved to have made contact with him, but didn't attempt it out of respect for his privacy.

Instead, I'll take this opportunity to say just how much his contributions to racing and the thoughts he has chosen to share with this forum have been appreciated. Mille grazie!