Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Comte Volpi

krasnavian, thats a nice recollection. What are you driving now,if you dont mind me asking?
Here are a few more pics of the Serenissimas.
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Great photos, not just of the cars, but the landscape as well. Reminds me of buying trips I used to go on with my father in search of exotic cars to buy. Today, I'm driving nothing more exotic than a Jaguar XJ sedan.

 

GTO 3987.... WOW http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/3987GT.250GTO.htm

If cars could talk i would love to listen to that one....

BTW Did you buy the car from Mecom? He is a friend of mine down in houston. Very nice man

 

Any plans to revert back to an old vinatge Ferrari?
Would love to see some of your personal photos if you want to post them. Maybe add them to Davids "More Old Photos" thread. Seems to be an ever growing fabulous thread

 

It truly was a golden time for cars. Henry Manney's columns weren't published often enough for me and I saw his GTO at Hollywood Sportscars service dept when mine was there for some looking after. It's possible that Chris Cord's GTO was there at the same time, but there was a pontoon fendered TR sitting nearby.

As I understand it, Otto Zipper owned 3987 subsequent to Mecom and sold it to Mark Slotkin. I bought the car from someone said to be an arranger for Sonny & Cher who sold it to me after buying a pearl colored 7-litre Cobra. I sold it to de Cadenet. He sold it to Stuart Baumgard who I knew well at the time.

 

I am ashamed to say that I have very few photos of the era. I was immersed in a world of GTOs, the Breadvan, the Thomassima, SWBs and the like and one generally doesn't take photographs of the daily surroundings. Would that I had! Also wish I still had all the signed yearbooks and New Years cards the Old Man sent me, as well.

I still love the Lusso, which was the first Ferrari I had, and might want one again. The GTO is out of reach now, but I never had a 275 GTB and always liked them, so...

Ferraris today don't have the same emotional context for me, but I like the look of the Modena. When I was sitting in the square across from the Hotel de Paris, I saw an F50 that got my attention in a big way. Time will tell.

 

I know what you mean, those who are actually doing things rarely have the chance to stop and take a picture for the memory... I am a photojournalist so the only way i show up in pictures is if someone else happens to take one of me... Shame really when i think of it I have been lucky enough to become friends with some real legends but stopping to snap a shot with Shel, Foyt or Gurney never really hits me when i am with them. Mind you I do have the christmas card Ol' Shellby sent me and will have it always

 

Well i'm ashamed to say i wasnt even around in that era, but know exactly how you feel about a certain "je ne sais quoi" when it comes to vintage classics.
Thankyou for taking the time to share your memories. Much appreciated.

 

If you don't mind my asking, what were GTOs going for in those days? Do you remember what you bought and sold 3987GT for? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and memories with us.

-Jarrett

 

Hi Jarrett. I'll answer for Steve (Krawhatever). In that era, about $6500! Don't ya wanna cry? An old friend of mine, Jim H., passed on a GTO at less than that, because it smoked!! Well, yeah, didn't they all? In the "midnight runs" of those days, the Breadvan and the GTOs were the top dogs. I could rarely keep up with my 250GT of the moment. Thanks for your posts, Steve; great to hear from you!

 

Yep, Rosebud Racing gave that one to the High School Auto Shop department, it went on for about $6K .....to that field, for thirty years......

 

Disagree. It wasn't thirty years. It was actually fifteen. In 1964 Tom O'Connor (Rosebud Racing Team) gave Ferrari 250 GTO #3589 GT to the Victoria/TX High School. In 1971 #3589 GT was sold to Joe Kortan of Cleveland/OH. In 1972 it was withdrawn by Kortan from auction in Hershey, then sitting on a trailer in a grass field for fifteen years (till 1987). Owner then intended to donate it to the University of Notre Dame/IN where he graduated 1956 as Masters of Arts. In June 1987 it was sold to Frank Gallogly. Today with Bert Stieger in Switzerland. Fully restored. See also my article in Cavallino magazine #60 of December 1990.
Marcel Massini

 

What Ed says is too true. In those days, no one knew what to think of the old racers. Enzo himself put no stock in them. I paid $7k plus the cost of an engine rebuild--the former owner had cooked it after an oil line broke--and broke even three years later. No car, before or since, has ever given me as much satisfaction. The GTO spoke to me then as it does to so many today.

Imagine my excitement in responding to an ad in the L.A. Times for a GTO. I went over to the Paramount Studios lot where the owner worked. When he took me to see it in the parking lot, there was a---Berlinette Lusso! I wasn't amused. A short time later, 3987 appeared in Sal Di Natale's shop and I assumed ownership as quickly as I could.

And lest you are tempted to feel sorry for Ed and his SWB, his name has been associated with every kind of Ferrari imaginable--he was somehow unable to convince Sonny Bono that the 5-speed transaxle on an LM the singer purchased from him wasn't as easy to operate as a GM automatic--and if all the cars that ever passed through his hands were assembled in one place, they would put most collections to shame.

Cheers, Ed!

 

Ha! I just graduated from the University of Notre Dame less than one week ago. However, I got a degree in Finance instead of Arts and Letters. Would have been nice to have a GTO on campus though! Although there was no 250GTO, I did get to see a 500 Mondial and a 250LWB California Spyder displayed on campus during my time there......

-Jarrett

 

Can anyone help me asking Count Volpi if he has any info or pictures of Serenissima transporters and/or support vehicles?
Regards , transporter fan Bjørn

 

Has anyone got some characteristics for the Serenissima berlinetta and spider? Usual stuff: length, width, height, wheelbase, tracks, weight, etc... and also about the different engines (3L & 3.5L).
I would be curious to compare that with the other prototypes of that era: 275/330P for example.

 

Gary,

Please pass on my eternal gratitude to the Count, not only for his latest involvement here but for his years of fantastic competition spirit and passion for racing, as well as his fearless stand on the morals of racing to the extreme. A true and inimitable character.

Argento

 

I have found one lovely picture of an OM transporter here on this thread. Anyone know of others . Regards Bjørn Kjer

 

Last week in Sicily I had the pleasure to meet the ex-Count Volpi Tipo 63 in the hands of Egon Hofer from Austria, who has the original car since 1979.
It is the only Tipo 63 built with a finned headrest, which hides the roll bar.
It has a 4 cylinder engine. Best racing result was 5th at the 1961 Targa Florio raced by Maglioli/Scarlatti.
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Excellent photos as always Boudewijn

 

Still nothing on Serenissima transporters????????

Beautiful pictures of T63!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Regards Bjørn

 

Any help on transporters from other teams than Ferrari li Centro Sud, Settecolli , Sant Ambroeus ,Starrabba ,Tomaso, Pescara Racing Club or
A.T.S......? Mainly F1 from the 60es ! Any links or help??? Bjørn

 

I met with Count Volpi last week when he was in L.A.. We didn't talk cars much, but I did remember to ask about the transporters. He seemed perplexed by the question so I repeated it. There was no comment and we moved on.

We briefly talked about the S cars. There were seven, if I recall. He still owns 4 of them, which he says need restoration. I inquired if he had a restoration plan. He made some comments about how difficult it would be, and expensive, with no idea of what their restored value would be. He mentioned the man who made the engines is still alive. My sense is, the cars will never be restored by him and I don't notice any effort to sell them. Although, if anyone is SERIOUSLY interested, I could ask.

 

Check out page 102 of Ken Gross's book "Ferrari 250 GT swb- The definitive road race car"

It has a picture of 250 swb #2733GT being unloaded from a Scuderia Serenissima transporter at the Nurburgring in 1961

I tried to upload it but the picture is too grainy

The photo is credited to Karl Dedolph

 

Hello Paul , I certainly wouldnt mind a "bad" photo , the case here is that anything does go , because there is not much to find. Think about it.

Thanks for the tip , but I live in Danmark and cant see that book!

Regards Bjørn Kjerf