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Who was the first official Ferrari importer?

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by bigodino, Mar 27, 2024.

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  1. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #1 bigodino, Mar 27, 2024
    I was doing some research for an article and this importer question came up. Specifically, the first Dutch Ferrari concession was established in 1952 by Simon Maasland. Being a small country with a similarly small market, I thought it would be one of the last importers, but instead it seems to be one of the very first.
    For the UK it was Mike Hawthorn in 1958?
    For Belgium it was Jacques Swaters in 1954?
    For the US it was Luigi Chinetti in 1948?
    For France it was first Chinetti until 1951? Followed by Charles Pozzi (but only officially from 1969?)
    For Germany it was Helmut Becker? When?

    These are just quick google results, so please post the history of the very first official Ferrari importers.
     
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  2. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 Marcel Massini, Mar 27, 2024
    Maasland in Voorburg got the cars thru Swaters.
    France: Ever heard of Franco-Britannic Autos Ltd.? Ages before Pozzi. Chinetti & Plisson opened up their showroom at Avenue D'Iena in Paris in 1947. Then Cattaneo in St. Cloud.

    BTW: I recommend that you look into the early Ferrari Yearbooks from 1951 onwards, where you will easily find most of the information.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  3. turbo-joe

    turbo-joe F1 Veteran

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    #3 turbo-joe, Mar 27, 2024
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2024
    form ??? until about 1980/81 for complete germany, then autexpo was the importer for south germany until ( not sure, but may be 1993 ) not know anymore. sorry and becker still for north germany.

    walter koenig ( koenig specials ) in munich ( muenchen ) got some cars directly from italy. so also imported them
     
  4. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    #4 kare, Mar 27, 2024
    From the top of my head I'd say Becker around 1957. German market appears to have started very slowly and two years later in 1959, Tore Bjurström agreed to take delivery on two Pf Coupes shown in Frankfurt. Tore Bjurström himself started in 1952.
     
  5. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #5 Marcel Massini, Mar 27, 2024
    Auto Becker: April 1957, 0699 GT.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  6. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #6 bigodino, Mar 27, 2024
    Are you sure about the Swaters connection? When I read the book on Garage Francorchamps, until 1954 Swaters was trading secondhand Ferraris. And Maasland says that he went to Maranello and talked with Enzo personally. He ordered a 212 (likely 0225EL) and got the importer concession. In 1952.
     

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  7. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #7 bigodino, Mar 27, 2024
    For which country was Bjurström the importer? Finland? Sweden?
     
  8. kare

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    #8 kare, Mar 27, 2024
    Tore Bjurström was located in Örebro, Sweden and appointed as "Generalagent" for Nordic countries, I think. All his customers were located in Sweden though, with the exception few Finnish buyers (Carl-Johan Askolin, Carl-Otto Bremer, Pentti Keinänen) of which Bremer's Importer Oy/Ab later operated as a local distributor in Helsinki in 1961-62.
     
  9. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 Marcel Massini, Mar 27, 2024
    Yes, I am.
    That book is 33 years old now.
    Also, don't forget that Swaters ordered 0208 late 1951 and received May 1952.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  10. nico308

    nico308 Formula Junior

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    #10 nico308, Mar 27, 2024
    Can't find the pictures but when I saw the car at the Modena Motorsport 2015 in Spa the then owner (maybe still in the family) was telling that Swaters was involved there was a panel where the story of the car was written as far as I remember .
     
  11. garybobileff

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    #11 garybobileff, Mar 27, 2024
    Jacques Swaters was the Benilux importer.
    Gary Bobileff
     
  12. bertdeboer340

    bertdeboer340 Formula 3

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    #12 bertdeboer340, Mar 28, 2024
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  13. Deemeyere Wim

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    #13 Deemeyere Wim, Mar 28, 2024
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  14. nico308

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    #14 nico308, Mar 28, 2024
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  15. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #15 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
    I think we can conclude that the term official importer was a bit loose in those days. Still it doesn't jive with Maasland's recollection and period advertisements, where it clearly states he's the importer for Holland (= The Netherlands).
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  16. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #16 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
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  17. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #17 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
    And here's one with cars from as late as 1958, so well into the period of Garage Francorchamps being an official Ferrari importer. You can't have two official importers for one country, no?
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  18. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #18 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
    The text is wrong. 0225EL was registered in May 1953, not February 1952. According to Marcel Massini, 0225EL was completed in August 1952, which makes sense if you look at the chassis number sequence. 0225EL was imported before December 1952.
     
  19. nico308

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    #19 nico308, Mar 29, 2024
    A former mechanic from Garage Francorchamps told me years ago that in Belgium already in the 50's there was of course the Garage Francorchamps in Brussels but you also had garages in Liège(L.Dernier than Neri),Gent,Antwerp ,Mons or La Louvière ( also an Alfa Roméo garage )an other city's in Belgium . In the 80's and 90's you also had shops like Trigaux in Alsemberg and one in Luxembourg(you can find publicity in old Ferrari club Belgio magazines ) . So maybe that Maasland did import the cars in the Netherlands but not directly from the factory but like Mr Massini wrote through Swaters ?
     
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  20. Marcel Massini

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    #20 Marcel Massini, Mar 29, 2024
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  21. Jack-the-lad

    Jack-the-lad Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    #21 Jack-the-lad, Mar 29, 2024
    If anyone has an image of the Trigaux dealer sticker/decal could you kindly post it here, or in the dealer sticker thread in this forum?

    Many thanks.
     
  22. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #22 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
    I doesn't jive with what Maasland claimed. Before Maasland, there was Gerry Swart in The Hague as a Ferrari representative in The Netherlands. Importer or dealer? After Maasland ceased to be importer (1959), there was no Dutch importer. Instead, it was probably Swaters. From 1965 to 1968, the Dutch Ferrari representative was Molenaar in Amersfoort, but Swaters was the importer. Perhaps Marcel mixes Maasland with Molenaar. I'm curious how the dealer directory from 1953 looks like.
     
  23. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    #23 bigodino, Mar 29, 2024
    Do you also have the 1953 version?
     
  24. nico308

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    #24 nico308, Mar 29, 2024
    Sadly I don't have ,a while ago I asked him any information of his time as Ferrari representative but never got an answer . You can find him on Facebook he also have a shop in the US .
    Facebook
     
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  25. Jack-the-lad

    Jack-the-lad Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    #25 Jack-the-lad, Mar 29, 2024
    Thanks, Nico. Yes I know Guy and Gregory very well. That’s why I’m hoping to find an image of the sticker from their garage in Belgium.
     
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