Man cannot live by flat trackers alone. Sometimes he needs WWII fighter aircraft, prototype 16 cylinder Le mans endurance racers, and Go-Go dancers, to liven up his life. Goodwood Revival in Sussex, is the place to find this, a thousand vehicles - and oldendays wardrobe fetishists, and more. It's on this weekend; you could spend just a day in the carpark salivating on exotica, before you get to the ticket turn-styles. But save some love juice for the hardcore porn stars in the paddock. Vehicles so rare, engineering so, so, what's the word? Horny? Everybody is dressed to the nines, it's like going back in time. As exciting as all the eye candy, is the NOISE. Ever heard a Messerschmitt 109E coming screaming out of the sun? Evil. But very good evil. BP
oh yes .... that's a good place to be for a motorfreaker !
ReplyDeleteI am furious not to come, but impossible to buy my tickets online.
ReplyDeleteLucky guys!
Next year I take the three days.
nick clements was there
ReplyDeleteGroan - couldn't make it and had to pass on my tickets; next year eh - Festival of Speed is a belter too!
ReplyDeleteIt was Brilliant! I'm definitely going again next year.
ReplyDeleteMore like "Getwood". Wish I could be there.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few Ferraris known for its nickname is our feature car, the Breadvan. This unsavory term was first used by the English press who where probably pessimistic about the car's uneasy features: a pointed nose, flat roofline and rear end that was very unlike any Ferrari. It was also a term that did little justice describe to one of fastest racecars from the early sixties.
ReplyDeleteEven today, chassis #2819 is still referred to as the Breadvan. To see it is a rare, unusual and exciting sight. It is a one-of, and of all the modified Ferrari's, it has to be the most notorious.
The Breadvan was developed by ex-Ferrari personnel and raced by a team that was refused sale of the car they wanted most, the 250 GTO. At the time, Enzo Ferrari must have been particularly perturbed as he did not allow the car the race as a Ferrari, nor carry his badges.
The origins of the Breadvan began with the palace revolt that happened at the end of October, 1961. This dispute, between Enzo's wife and several key employees, forced many workers, including engineers Giotto Bizzarrini and Carlo Chiti, to find work elsewhere. So, they defected to Scuderia Serenissima, a race team run by Count Giovanni Volpi. After Enzo Ferrari found out, the team's 250 GTO order was canceled, and they were left to hunt used cars for the 1962 season.
Not resting on their laurels, the Scuderia Serenissima team went out on a limb to create an even better version of Ferrari's 250 GTO. Bizzarrini & Chiti were the same engineers that created the original GTO, so they easily had the necessary talents to develop an even better one for Count Volpi.
Scuderia Serenissima started work upon chassis #2819, one of the few competition SWB 250s built to contest LeMans which was also the direct predecessor to the GTO. Bizzarrini then added all the features of the GTO that made it successful. This included dry sump lubrication, a lower, more centered engine position and a radical body that was executed by Piero Drogo's coachworks.
In some ways, Count Volpi got a car that was better than a GTO. At the 1962 LeMans, the Breadvan, with much smaller proportions, weighed 143 lbs lighter than the standard GTO. Despite the lack of five-speed gearbox, the reduced weight helped the Breadvan stay ahead of the GTOs at Le Mans, until it retired four hours into the race.
The Breadvan only raced four more times after LeMans, and managed a take class win at Brands Hatch in 1962. In later years, it was used as daily transport until maturing into a vintage racecar.
- Wow Roberto,
ReplyDeletethanks for all the info on the 'bread van'.
I am no Ferrari fan, but fell in Love with this odd ball.
After the race I went to the pits to take some photos, and spoke briefly to the mechanics.
BP