Ferrari Mailing List: Re: the official ferrari magazine: Ferrari at auctions

[Clarence Romero Jr. (clyderomerof4]

George

What a story 

And thank you for validation of what I’ve been saying for years on the old stuff

My early background was as an A&P (1965/1969)mechanic where I learned to work on reciprocating engines from WW2 and Korea

So contrary to popular belief I know what

Mechanical stuff looks like and early cars

Were just like early round motors !

The metal, lubricants and such were poor at best.

I could go on but I won’t hopefully some of you will get my drift 

Anyway George thanks for that first person report.

Clyde Romero

If you have no enemies

You have no character ! 

Scars are tattoos with better stories!

When you're out of F-4's you're out of fighters!

On Apr 2, 2018, at 7:06 AM, George <ygpz4re [at] hotmail.com> wrote:

Clyde wrote:

"If you have seen one of these cars up close you have to ask your self why?
It was made cheaply pure and simple"

Clyde's words are, as usual, well spoken (as much as anything on email can be "spoken"...).

In 1958, my Dad bought his first and only Ferrari - a 250 Europa, s/n 0313 EU.  Some of you (looking at you Rob Garven) may have seen this car in person, and some of you may have seen the car in the magazines (feature/cover in Cavallino, number 194 iirc, and other small pieces in other mags, including FCA mag Prancing Horse #125 - again, iirc...., and a few other small spots here and there).

Ever since I was a kid, my Dad has spoken of how poorly engineered the car was.  For example, on hard bumps, the wheel rebound would cause the tire to hit the inside of the fender well.  And as if that weren't bad enough, vents on the sides of the front fenders were functional, and if driving along with windows cracked open, the gasses/smells venting from the engine bay would be carried up the side windows and into the cockpit.  There was a water pipe carrying cooling water either into or out of the block, but right through the middle of the timing chain.  As the chain slackened over the miles, it began to slap against this water pipe.  Fortunately, he got it fixed (by himself - Chinetti's shop couldn't be bothered as it was the middle of racing season) before the timing chain sawed through and dumped the coolant into the oil sump.  This car had the Lampredi "long block" V12 - with valve springs shaped like clothes pin springs, and the constantly wore through the retaining prongs.  I still have a small 50's vintage Sucrets box filled with these broken valve spring retainers.  I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting.....

When Mom and Dad got married, their honeymoon was driving this car from Central NY (where they lived/worked) to San Diego, where Dad's new job was taking him.  (yet another story - that cross-country trip was not trouble free by any means!)  The car was soon sold there, where it eventually wound up with noted Ferrari restorer Tom Shaunnessey.  Dad got to see the car again, before its restoration, at Tom's shop in 2009.  Very shortly after, the car was sold to Switzerland, where another noted Ferrari restorer, Heinrich Kampfer, worked his magic on the car, restoring it to Pebble Beach standards.  Since then, it has sold 3 or 4 times, each time in excess of $3M (please don't have a heart attack, Clyde!).  Guaranteed that Dad did not sell it for anywhere close to 7 figures, probably barely close to 5 figures!

So yeah, this is my Dad's experience with what Clyde correctly notes as the level of quality (or lack thereof) on these very early cars.  I think the abbreviation the kids are using nowadays is "SMH".  😉

gp

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