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

[A.J. (newgent2tx]

For those, like me, who are curious about George’s dad’s car, here’s a pretty neat write up from the Sotheby’s auction (with pics):

https://www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/FF17/Ferrari-–-Leggenda-e-Passione/lots/r104-1953-ferrari-250-europa-coupé-by-vignale/430498

- A.J.

On Tue, Apr 3, 2018 at 7:11 AM George <ygpz4re [at] hotmail.com> wrote:

Hi Charles,

Well, the road trip might not have been as dramatic as I made it sound.  Somewhere around the AZ/CA border, he started to lose oil - lots of it.  About a quart every 30-40 miles or so (maybe 50??).  Rolled into LA stopping at a friend's house and found an oil hose had begun to separate from it's fitting.  He and his friend fashioned a "roadside" repair and he made the rest of the journey to San Diego (final destination), where he eventually replaced it.

Luckily, Dad had many years of fixing cars by that time, because there just weren't all that many mechanics familiar with the Ferrari V12.  Which is why he had to learn how to repair the slackened timing chain and the broken valve spring retainers on his own (among other things).  Those other things??  In replacing the valve spring retainers, he had to keep the valves from dropping into the engine (factory tool was a huge "C" clamp which held the valve up in the head (heads removed, obviously), while compressing spring to remove/replace the retainer), so he engineered a compressed air fitting and pressurized the cylinder through the spark plug hole to hold the valve in place.

While Dad is proud of his Ferrari ownership, I don't think he was sorry to see it go.  And he's constantly dumbfounded at the astronomical (insanely stupid, in his mind - another area he and Clyde would certainly agree) prices that have been paid for that car.

All that being said, I'd still love to own it.  It's a very unique car (a Vignale-bodied one-off for '54 NY Auto Show), interesting styling, and of course the sentimental family history.  But unless the PowerBall gods smile upon me, it's a dream which will remain unfulfilled.

gp

---

From: Charles Perry <charles [at] carolinasound.com>
Sent: Monday, April 2, 2018 11:30 AM
To: George
Subject: RE: the official ferrari magazine: Ferrari at auctions

 

Great story! Love to hear more about the road trip!

 

-- charles

 

From: Ferrari [mailto:ferrari-bounces+charles=carolinasound.com [at] ferrarilist.com] On Behalf Of George
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2018 7:06 AM
To: Charles Perry
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] the official ferrari magazine: Ferrari at auctions

 

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

 

_________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
https://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/newgent2tx%40gmail.com

Sponsored by BooyahMedia.com
and F1 Headlines
http://www.F1Headlines.com/