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Picture of the month again... more Italian
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tony barnhill
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
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Right hand drive Ferrari? (The question mark is for the "right hand drive" not the "Ferrari".)
OP
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Yes - 250TR. 1958 pontoon fendered car.
(Testa Rossa means "Red Head" & refers to the red crackle finish cam covers. The 250 refers to the individual cylinder capacity in cc's.)
Most of the Ferrari racing cars I've seen were right hand drive. In that era this was preferred by most drivers and most sports-racers were RHD. The logic supposedly was that most tracks were run clockwise so they had more right hand turns than left. A driver sitting on the inside of the turn has a slight advantage in viewpoint etc and (left-right) weight distribution is often better.
Italian racing cars in the fifties often had the throttle between the clutch and brake. I don't know how many of the vintage racers today have retained that particular feature.
(Testa Rossa means "Red Head" & refers to the red crackle finish cam covers. The 250 refers to the individual cylinder capacity in cc's.)
Most of the Ferrari racing cars I've seen were right hand drive. In that era this was preferred by most drivers and most sports-racers were RHD. The logic supposedly was that most tracks were run clockwise so they had more right hand turns than left. A driver sitting on the inside of the turn has a slight advantage in viewpoint etc and (left-right) weight distribution is often better.
Italian racing cars in the fifties often had the throttle between the clutch and brake. I don't know how many of the vintage racers today have retained that particular feature.
swift6
Yoda
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Yes - 250TR. 1958 pontoon fendered car.
Most of the Ferrari racing cars I've seen were right hand drive. In that era this was preferred by most drivers and most sports-racers were RHD. The logic supposedly was that most tracks were run clockwise so they had more right hand turns than left. A driver sitting on the inside of the turn has a slight advantage in viewpoint etc and (left-right) weight distribution is often better.
[/ QUOTE ]
While visiting the Ferrari Factory & Galleria in Maranello, Italy I had the opprotunity to explain just that to another set of US tourists. They overheard me elaborating on the display information to a friend that was with me and then asked me all sorts of questions on top of the right hand drive question. A worker in the Galleria overheard some of my explanations of some items and Ferrari History and verified that I was accurate. It was an interesting experience. I guess that's what a lot of reading and high comprehension/reteniton will get you sometimes.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Yes - 250TR. 1958 pontoon fendered car.
Most of the Ferrari racing cars I've seen were right hand drive. In that era this was preferred by most drivers and most sports-racers were RHD. The logic supposedly was that most tracks were run clockwise so they had more right hand turns than left. A driver sitting on the inside of the turn has a slight advantage in viewpoint etc and (left-right) weight distribution is often better.
[/ QUOTE ]
While visiting the Ferrari Factory & Galleria in Maranello, Italy I had the opprotunity to explain just that to another set of US tourists. They overheard me elaborating on the display information to a friend that was with me and then asked me all sorts of questions on top of the right hand drive question. A worker in the Galleria overheard some of my explanations of some items and Ferrari History and verified that I was accurate. It was an interesting experience. I guess that's what a lot of reading and high comprehension/reteniton will get you sometimes.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
OP
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The finish on this car, inside and out, is far better than when it was new. I agree the seat looks unusually clean but it looks to me like it's pretty close to original but maybe with more padding. When raced, these seats were usually dirty from having been stood on and had oil spots etc.
We had a small Italian car (OSCA) of similar vintage way back when, and it was built using pretty much the same techniques as this one (large tube frame, superleggeria (sp?) body construction) and it was hard to get in & out without bending something or at least getting it dirty. You couldn't put much weight on the "floor", because it was a removable belly pan of thin aluminum so you found a frame tube or the seat itself to plant a foot on.
Restorations to this level of quality are beautiful to look at but don't show the cars as they looked back then. Here's a shot of a friends Lister Jag when it was about 4 years old - note the dents, scratches, etc. To me, this is what old race cars ought to look like and I hope the trend to preservation rather than restoration continues.
Didn't mean to turn this in to a critique of a fabulous resto effort.
We had a small Italian car (OSCA) of similar vintage way back when, and it was built using pretty much the same techniques as this one (large tube frame, superleggeria (sp?) body construction) and it was hard to get in & out without bending something or at least getting it dirty. You couldn't put much weight on the "floor", because it was a removable belly pan of thin aluminum so you found a frame tube or the seat itself to plant a foot on.
Restorations to this level of quality are beautiful to look at but don't show the cars as they looked back then. Here's a shot of a friends Lister Jag when it was about 4 years old - note the dents, scratches, etc. To me, this is what old race cars ought to look like and I hope the trend to preservation rather than restoration continues.
Didn't mean to turn this in to a critique of a fabulous resto effort.
kennypinkerton
Yoda
Offline
I see more dents than I would allow in my newest car.... A 1995 Toyota. I have 5 small dings (yes I'm anal enough to notice all of them) in my toyota 4-runner. I also know it only had 2 dings in it when I bought it. On almost any other thing I wouldn't even care, but on my newest of vehicles.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
kennypinkerton
Yoda
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...added after the fact - I guess I can go there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
[ QUOTE ]
We had a small Italian car (OSCA) of similar vintage way back when
[/ QUOTE ]
You lucky devil!!! OSCAs are fabulous cars. For those that don't know OSCA, it was a company started by the Maserati brothers after they sold Maserati. OSCAs were extremely light, small displacement racers. Seeing an ugly OSCA is about as common as seeing an ugly supermodel.
I know you wish you still had that OSCA -- they are worth a fortune now!
We had a small Italian car (OSCA) of similar vintage way back when
[/ QUOTE ]
You lucky devil!!! OSCAs are fabulous cars. For those that don't know OSCA, it was a company started by the Maserati brothers after they sold Maserati. OSCAs were extremely light, small displacement racers. Seeing an ugly OSCA is about as common as seeing an ugly supermodel.
I know you wish you still had that OSCA -- they are worth a fortune now!
Banjo
Yoda
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
Didn't mean to turn this in to a critique of a fabulous resto effort.
[/ QUOTE ]
You are correct. I did come across as critical. And I have no right. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif It's a fabulous picture of a fabulous car, and if said owner desires a touch more padding than was originally there, so be it.
I tend to feel the same about over-restored race cars, but so what. at least I get to see them. I'd reather nit pick about an over stuffed seat than that the only one I've ever seen was in a dog eared picture that was too grainy to tell anything at all.
Kudos to those with enough $$$$ and desire to keep these bits of history around
Thanks for sharing the pic. and keep 'em coming.
Didn't mean to turn this in to a critique of a fabulous resto effort.
[/ QUOTE ]
You are correct. I did come across as critical. And I have no right. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif It's a fabulous picture of a fabulous car, and if said owner desires a touch more padding than was originally there, so be it.
I tend to feel the same about over-restored race cars, but so what. at least I get to see them. I'd reather nit pick about an over stuffed seat than that the only one I've ever seen was in a dog eared picture that was too grainy to tell anything at all.
Kudos to those with enough $$$$ and desire to keep these bits of history around
Thanks for sharing the pic. and keep 'em coming.
OP
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
...
I know you wish you still had that OSCA -- they are worth a fortune now!
[/ QUOTE ]
You have no idea.....
I still have the tonneau cover (with car serial number stenciled underneath) and the serial number plate. As I've written here before, we took most parts off and sawed the frame up so it'd fit in a pickup truck and my father hauled it off to the dump. Old race cars had no value in those days and we needed the space. A friend recently gave me the pull handle for the hood/bonnet that he'd saved all these years.
Ours was a 750 - value today is probably about $140,000.
Banjo - I agree. It's good that folks who can afford to save these cars, do. (See above).
...
I know you wish you still had that OSCA -- they are worth a fortune now!
[/ QUOTE ]
You have no idea.....
I still have the tonneau cover (with car serial number stenciled underneath) and the serial number plate. As I've written here before, we took most parts off and sawed the frame up so it'd fit in a pickup truck and my father hauled it off to the dump. Old race cars had no value in those days and we needed the space. A friend recently gave me the pull handle for the hood/bonnet that he'd saved all these years.
Ours was a 750 - value today is probably about $140,000.
Banjo - I agree. It's good that folks who can afford to save these cars, do. (See above).
JamesWilson
Yoda
Offline
[ QUOTE ]
...my father hauled it off to the dump.
[/ QUOTE ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
You wouldn't happen to remember where that was? Some automotive archeology may be in order.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
...my father hauled it off to the dump.
[/ QUOTE ] /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
You wouldn't happen to remember where that was? Some automotive archeology may be in order.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
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