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48th annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

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Pirro.com

23.07.2010, 19:18:07 cet

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Pebble Beach, August 16, 1998

The honorable jury
A tribute to Sergio Scaglietti
Two special 375 MM
The first 250 Testa Rossa
Denise McCluggage's toy
And the other Ferrari...
A long tradition
Best of Show
The verdict of the jury

The honorable jury
Phil Hill, Stirling Moss, Paul Frère and Sergio Scaglietti - could there be anyone more suitable to discuss the design and the charisma of Ferrari automobiles from the 1950's and 1960's? The three noted racers and the body manufacturer from Modena were members of the jury of the 48th Concours d'Elégance in Pebble Beach that was celebrated on August 16, 1998.

Of course they did not judge the participating Ferrari only - the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance which his hosted on the immaculate green of the Pebble Beach Golf Club traditionally attracts many of the best and most flamboyant automobiles ever produced. Compared to the majestic Duesenbergs, Packard, Mercedes-Benz and Bugatti the Ferrari often look less spectacular due to their more modest size, but nonetheless the spectators pay as much attention to them as to the giant cars from the pre-war era.

A tribute to Sergio Scaglietti
In 1998, there was a special category for cars bodied by the Carozzeria Scaglietti. Sergio Scaglietti was very happy to be honored in this way and had come to California personally. This is particularly remarkable since this was the first flight ever for the man from Modena!

However, of course the so-called "Class O – Scaglietti Coachwork" was dominated by Ferrari. To be more precise, there was just one car of a different marque among the participants, a 1959 Corvette which clearly resembled the 1959 250 GT LWB Berlinetta "Tour de France".

Two special 375 MM
Among the automobiles of particular interest there were two 375 MM. The Spider Scaglietti s/n 0366AM of Scott Rosen had started its life as a Spider Pinin Farina and was been rebodied after just one year for its second owner by Scaglietti.

The 375 MM Coupé Speciale Scaglietti s/n 0402M of Jon Shirley, too, had originally been a Spider Pinin Farina. Ordered by movie director and actor Roberto Rosselini and his wife Ingrid Bergman, the bodywork of this extremely elegant coupe is simply breathtaking; in the 1950’s, it was probably even more impressive than it is today since in these days, the shape was more than just futuristic. Anyway, the car obviously made quite an impression on the judges in 1998 who awarded both the 1st in Class O and the Luigi Chinetti Memorial Trophy for the best Ferrari of the show.

The first 250 Testa Rossa
Another milestone of Scaglietti’s work was the 250 TR Pontoon Fender which set a new standard in the construction of race cars. At Pebble Beach, one could see the very first example of the series, s/n 0666TR (owned by Fred Peters and Chuck Betz). This Ferrari had originally been fitted with another body using the style of its predecessor, the 500 TRC, and was later rebodied with the new, evolutionary dress. The first Testa Rossa has had a long career in motor racing, including a 2nd OA in the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos Aires in 1958.

Looking at these "creampuffs" from Scaglietti’s history, the other Scaglietti-bodied Ferrari looked almost ordinary, e.g. the 250 GTO ’62 s/n 3943GT of Tom Price, the 250 GT California Spider LWB s/n 1431GT of David B. Smith and the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta s/n 1539GT.

The latter was a little more special than the others since s/n 1539GT, owned by Lorenzo Zambrano from Mexico, is the first SWB Berlinetta ever built and the 1959 Paris Motor Show car. After a ground-up restoration this SWB reveals all its special details which make it different from the later production cars.

Denise McCluggage's toy
The latest in the bunch of Scaglietti bodied cars was one of the ten produced 275 GTB/S4 NART Spider, s/n 09437. The light yellow car is the first one of the mini- series and has the most remarkable history of all NART spyders, at least as far as motor racing is concerned:

The journalist Denise McCluggage (she was another member of the jury in 1998, by the way) and "Pinky" Rollo drove this very car in the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring and came in on 17th OA. Today this special car is owned by Bruce Lustman of Aspen, Colorado.

And the other Ferrari...
After these many Scaglietti-bodied Ferrari, one should not forget all the other examples of the marque at Pebble Beach which were not less interesting. The oldest Ferrari present was the little 166 MM Barchetta Touring s/n 0006M of Bud Lyon; it was awarded with the Strother MacMinn Memorial Trophy as the "most elegant sports car".

S/n 0006M is in immaculate condition and is an example for Enzo Ferrari’s first steps as a car constructor. In its class, the tiny Touring-bodied Ferrari was judged second behind the rare 342 America Cabriolet Pinin Farina s/n 0248AL of Lorenzo Zambrano.

Only two examples were made of this wonderful but somehow heavy looking car. In 1954, it had been shown at the New York Motor Show.
Also entered in "Class M – Ferrari 1947–1968": 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pinin Farina s/n 1611SA, a 275 GTS (s/n 07885) and a 330 GTC (s/n 11517).

A long tradition
Ganz abgesehen von den Autos im Allgemeinen und den Ferrari im besonderen hat der Concours d'Elegance von Pebble Beach eine einmalige Ausstrahlung. Glänzenden Lack und Chrom auf penibel gepflegtem Rasen in einer Buch am Pazifik - so etwas bekommt man sonst nirgends geboten.


Another specialty of the Pebble Beach Concours: Its change from a Concours for new cars to the Mecca of the classic car enthusiasts happened seamless. The first Concours was won in 1950 by a brand new Edwards R-26 Roadster and in 1968 the judges voted for a four years old Maserati Mistral.

Best of Show
This year the much desired trophy "Best of Show" was awarded to the Bugatti 57CS Corsica Roadster of John Mozart from Palo Alto, California.

Earlier that day, the proud owner had been spotted removing tiny pieces of dust from his 60 years old sports car with cotton swabs – apparently, the work did pay off!


The verdict of the jury
Class M – Ferrari 1947-1968

1st

342 America Cabriolet Pinin Farina s/n 0248AL Lorenzo Zambrano

2nd

166 MM Barchetta Touring s/n 0006M Bud & Thelma Lyon

3rd

400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pinin Farina s/n 1611SA Oscar Davis


Class O – Scaglietti Coachwork

1st

375 MM Coupé Speciale Scaglietti s/n 0402M Jon Shirley

2nd

250 GT Spider California LWB s/n 1431GT David B. Smith

3rd

250 GT SWB Berlinetta s/n 1539GT Lorenzo Zambrano

Text Gregor Schulz
Translation Andreas Birner

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