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Post by reeft1 on Jul 24, 2023 5:10:17 GMT -5
What a great story re the police car. Love the model.
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 25, 2023 11:36:43 GMT -5
Those are fantastic models of legendary cars. You did good adding them to your collection! Thanks Tom! Rodney does outstanding work and I was glad to be able to obtain them from him to add to my collection. Great models!  The Bergman coupé is one of my all time favourite Ferraris! Thanks Julio! While I can't say its my favorite, there are so many styling cues that appeared on later Ferrari as well as other makes. For those reasons alone it is an important car. Can you imagine having two 375 MM Coupes like Rossellini did? Armando Spattafora sounds like quite a guy. Imagine being potentially offered a role as a Ferrari works driver and turning it down. The back story makes an already wonderful model even more interesting. He certainly had the talent and potential that had he wanted to, could have been a great racing driver. Why would you want to give up a steady, prestigious job which probably payed better, allowed you to drive fast and would not get you fired or killed in a season or two? I wasnt aware of Sapttafora or the car's history. Certainly makes sense why BBR chose to make the model/kit. I am a big fan of the 250 GTE "Polizia". Glad it has stayed in the family. Thanks Martin! I am happy to be its current caretaker. What a great story re the police car. Love the model. Thanks Paul! |
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Post by bertone on Jul 26, 2023 6:32:31 GMT -5
Great back story to the police car. I don't know about anyone else but I've always thought the 250GTE was better looking form the rear, unfortunate for the miscreants trying to escape as the only view they would see would be the Ferrari looming large in their rear view mirror!
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
Posts: 3,333
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 26, 2023 9:13:01 GMT -5
I would agree that the "fastback" styling in the GTE to make it a 2+2, was better than the "notchback" of the model it replaced, the 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina. It did retain the front design (updated) of the 250 GT Coupe, which at the time of its introduction in 1957, was a more simple, clean design to help facilitate the larger production numbers of that and the other 250 's to follow. In my opinion it's simplicity made it the classic design it is, but it really didn't all come together until the Lusso. 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina 250 GTE 2+2 |
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Post by Tom on Jul 26, 2023 9:28:23 GMT -5
Hmm, I love both designs. Agree that the Lusso is the nec plus ultra, though.
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Jul 26, 2023 10:14:05 GMT -5
Both of them are very nice but, I feel that the GTE lacks the elegance of the earlier 250 GT.
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
Posts: 3,333
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 26, 2023 13:27:24 GMT -5
Both of them are very nice but, I feel that the GTE lacks the elegance of the earlier 250 GT. I don't know that I can claim either one as a favorite Julio. There are things about both I equally like and dislike. The first GTE's lacked side vents which had that continued into production, would probably tip that model as my favorite of the two. Enzo Ferrari's personal GTE, one of the first cars built (no side vents).  |
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Post by jager on Jul 27, 2023 6:30:40 GMT -5
If I couldn't have a 250 GTO, then the 250 GTE 2+2 would be the next best favourite.
The 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina looks more like a Maserati than a Ferrari to my eye.
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 27, 2023 6:48:25 GMT -5
If I couldn't have a 250 GTO, then the 250 GTE 2+2 would be the next best favourite. The 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina looks more like a Maserati than a Ferrari to my eye. Agree 100% Ian! Maserati was likely unhappy about this? Then again, few even knew it existed... |
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
Posts: 3,333
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 27, 2023 8:44:41 GMT -5
If I couldn't have a 250 GTO, then the 250 GTE 2+2 would be the next best favourite. The 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina looks more like a Maserati than a Ferrari to my eye. Agree 100% Ian! Maserati was likely unhappy about this? Then again, few even knew it existed... Hmm... I'm not sure which Maserati coupe you lads were referring to from 1957? The only one I can think of in production at the time of the 250 GT's introduction is the A6G/54, which while a coupe was much more rounded and not as contemporary looking as the Ferrari. Perhaps you are thinking of the Maserati 3500 GT introduced around the same time as the 250 GT? Some similarities between the Touring designed Maserati and the Pinin Farina designed Ferrari, but not enough time between their introductions to be a copy. Maserati A6G/54 left, 3500 GT right   |
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Post by DeadCanDanceR on Jul 27, 2023 10:07:21 GMT -5
I think that it is precisely that similarity to the Maserati 3500 GT what makes me prefer the 250 GT over the GTE, since the 3500 GT is my favourite street Maserati! |
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Post by jager on Jul 27, 2023 19:04:30 GMT -5
As Julio noted, the 3500 GT is one of the iconic Maseratis from this time, and so I associate the shape more with them than Ferrari. I’m not suggesting one was a copy of the other, it’s more about what’s the first brand that pops into your head when you see a certain style.
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Post by WallOfCars on Jul 27, 2023 20:19:58 GMT -5
Stepping away from the Maserati vs. Ferrari style debate.
I see some Volvo Amazon and Gilbern Invader in this one
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
Posts: 3,333
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 27, 2023 21:30:04 GMT -5
I like the discussion, it is in my opinion what a forum should be. It's okay to agree to disagree. 😁
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oldirish33
Member
"All Jaguars run on Guinness!"
Posts: 3,333
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Post by oldirish33 on Jul 28, 2023 14:52:36 GMT -5
Private Aston - It's hard to imagine today that a top factory team would sell one of its spare cars to a privateer to compete at a race it so desperately wanted to win. Yet, that's what Aston Martin did when it agreed to sell one of its DBR1/300's to Graham Whitehead in 1959. Besides Le Mans, Whitehead planned to enter the car in some national and World Sportscar Championship races that year. It was the only time a DBR1 was sold to an individual while the factory was racing them 1956-1959. Whitehead was apparently held in very high esteem! Aston Martin DBR1/300 - Le Mans, 1959 - Spark
 Graham Whitehead was a former factory driver for Aston Martin. His second-place finish with his brother at Le Mans the prior year, convinced Aston to sell him a spare DBR1 (Ch. # DBR1-5) for the 1959 season, albeit with an older DBR1 engine and not the latest 3.0L used by the factory cars. Astons major focus in 1959 was on Le Mans and F1 and did not plan to race other races with the DBR1. Perhaps that is why they sold Whitehead this DBR1, to uphold Aston's honor in races they did not originally intend to campaign. However, Aston was persuaded to enter World Sportscar Championship events (Sebring, Silverstone, etc.) leading up to the Le Mans twenty-four hours, so Whitehead was not the only DBR1 on track at the major races. Whitehead debuted his car at Goodwood on Easter Monday, where he finished 3rd behind two Lister-Jaguars. A 5th at Silverstone in the International Trophy (finishing behind Moss in the factory DBR1) and a 3rd in Finland were the per-Le Mans highlights for this car.  A DNF at the Nurburgring 1000 Km due to engine failure Aston Martin rebuilt and installed the engine in Whiteheads car prior to Le Mans. That engine failed on the first day of practice (Aston claimed it was not broken in properly) and John Wyer loaned him a spare seven-main engine as used in the factory cars. Not as fast as the factory entries, Whitehead was joined at Le Mans by Brian Naylor, a keen armature driver that had finished 5th at Le Mans the year before in a Lister-Jaguar. The duo remained in touch with the leaders, being in 10th place when Naylor rolled the car at Maison Blanche in the 5th hour. Before marshals had reacted to the accident, two other cars hit the wrecked Aston, truly and definitively ending its race, ultimately won by one of its factory siblings.  Most know Le Mans in 1959 was won by the DBR1/300 driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori (#5) above. It is often forgotten that the Maurice Trintignant/Paul Frere car (#6) finished the race a lap down to the winner in 2nd place. The car (#4) driven by Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman exited the race with a blown engine an hour after the Whitehead car (#7) was withdrawn due to the accident. Aston Martin also went on to win the World Sportscar Championship in 1959 as well.
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