Woman buried in Ferrari

i remember her being in a pink nightgown and thought the car was a spyder. I was born in SA. and remember this story.

 

SANDRA ILENE WEST (1977) was buried seated at the wheel of a Ferrari. -Sandra Ilene West was burried in her light-blue 1964 Ferrari 250GT. -19 May 1977: Mrs Sandra West is buried in San Francisco according to the terms of her will: "next to my husband, in my lace nightgown . . . in my Ferrari, with the seat slanted comfortably." -In the late 1970s, Ms. Sandra West was laid to rest in San Antonio in her nightgown behind the wheel of her Triumph. -Sandra West, buried in her Ferrari 330 America in San Antonio, TX. -Last week Mrs. West was buried, as she requested, "in my lace nightgown ... in my Ferrari, with the seat slanted comfortably." ...and on and on with her buried in a designer gown, evening gown, night gown, etc. The stories are all short and all over the place as far as accuracy is concerned. Here is what seems to have happened for sure; In a "Deal or No Deal" sort of will, Sandra West tasked her brother-in-law, Sol West to bury her in her 1964 powder blue Ferrari 330 America. She was to be wearing a specific outfit, either an evening gown, designer gown, or lacy nightgown and the seat was to be reclined at a "comfortable" angle. The car was to be encased in wood, steel, and concrete (they say two truckloads). In order to make this happen, Sandra's will stated that Sol would get over $2,000,000 if the wishes were carried out. If not he would get $10,000. After going to court to try and get out of it, Sol was obliged to bury his sister in law in her car. The car and Mrs. West are in a 9 foot deep hole filled with car, concrete, etc. in Alamo Masonic Cemetery at San Antonio, Texas. The simple grave marker does not give a clue to what is underneath. Husband and wife are now side by side. Both died at very young ages. Ike West Jr., 1934-1968 Sandra West, 1939-1977 Masonic Cemetery Link
Lincoln - default - - § ¶

 

how inconsiderate. i have asked that my ashes be added to the frame rail upon my death that way i can enjoy more rides, unless the new owner is a jerk and shakes me out!!

Rob

 

the car was encapsuled in a wooden case, and then 2 trucks of cement were poured over that.
so, no cement directly on the car

just imagine the spooky sight that must be underneath this plaque...
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What condition would that car be in now?

 

And does anybody have a hammer and chisel we could borrow?

 

Her grave seems to be a very popular site, also stated the car was a 250GT not a 330

http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/carolrust/buried.html

 

I bet the smell of leather would be great

 

It's damp. The car wouldn't smell real good. At current Lusso prices (if it IS a Lusso), hard to justify getting it out. Plus, it's highly illegal. You get more than a ticket for grave-robbing, I think. I wouldn't want to find out.

Now, if Lussos keep appreciating, someone may try to get it out of there. Maybe they'll argue "she just wanted to be buried in the car, she didn't want it to STAY there...."

 

If you could get the car running again I am sure Sandra West wouldn't mind going for a ride, there was a old pic of her somewhere and she looked attractive but now probably resembles the Crypt Keeper.Might have a bit of a struggle prying her fingers off the steering wheel

 

aaaah, now that's harsh!

 

My $0.02

Car was a 330 America - which is a third series 250 GTE with a 330 engine (50 built). This explains the 250 references.

If the car has been in the ground for 29 years, it will be very rough by now - I didn't read that the container was water tight.

Who says you can't take it with you.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. The pictures were posted on tomyang.net
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This is what a 330 America looks like:
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Yes. And bring an air hammer.

I'm truly fascinated by this. Anyone know how she died at such a young age?

I'm interested to see what kind of condition that car is in after 30 years. And fwiw, under the right conditions, some embalmed corpses don't decay all that much.

Two truckloads of cement poured on top? I wonder how much moisture would have seeped in. Possibly from underneath?

The whole thing is cool because it's so creepy.

RMX

 

Here's Willie!
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And the story:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/04/86/78/87_2.JPG&imgrefurl=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D7535155017&h=200&w=120&sz=9&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=NAmLBfxRrNrshM:&tbnh=104&tbnw=62&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwillie%2Bthe%2Bwimp%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff

 

That's a picture from the funeral viewing of her?

Now THAT is wild............

Dunno cause of death...the oil bidness is tough, you know......

 

I don't know if this is that uncommon.

I've known a number of people who paid to have their cars restored.
They've been buried in them for years......

 

Saved this Article did not think to write date.

Scanned and put into computer.

 

If you really want to know…..Sandra West was my aunt and she was buried in her 1964 250GT

This story has more twists and turns than you can imagine but I will let you know about the one that relates to Ferraris. Sandy’s favorite Ferrari was a 1972 Ferrari Daytona 365 GTS/4 Spyder. She and I used to cruise down Sunset Blvd in this car. She was a VERY attractive woman and you can only imagine how heads turned. Anyway, the Daytona was her favorite Ferrari (everyone in the family knew that) and she wanted to be buried in this car.

Sandy had crashed the 250 about a week before she died and Sol figured that he would just put her in the wrong car! Yup, the Daytona was too valuable so he substituted the crashed 250 to save a buck. This from an oil heir already worth over 50 million (and this is in 1977!)

Takes all kinds……

 

Thanks for posting! What was the cause of her death, if you don't mind my asking?

 

Interesting information. Do you have any proof to verify what you say? Pictures of you with your aunt or the cars? I apologize for the questions, but the downside of the Internet is that people can claim they are a lot of people without proof. If your story is true, it surely is a unique one.

 

an idea.... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/16/national/main2938880.shtml

 

sjg,

Thank you for your post. However, are you aware that the car she was buried in was a 330 rather than a 250?

Regards,

Art S.

 

Hmmm, how could I prove my story is true? The only things I have left from Sandy are the gold Rolex that she gave me after her husband died and the pamphlet from Christies dated 6/13/79 that previews her jewelry sold at auction after her death. I have attached a picture from the brochure.

By the way, her jewelry sold for over $885,000 in 1979! It included a world record per carat (at the time) for her 4.97 pink diamond that went for $305,000 alone.

Art, Sandy had 3 Ferraris at the time of her death and I was fairly sure it was the 250 but I could be wrong. Bottom line was that she was not buried "in my favorite Ferrari" as requested.
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