Cavallino Round Up
Four Ferraris in Detail

Story and photos by Jarrett Rothmeier

January 21-22, 2006
I was lucky enough to encounter both some lovely weather and a very nice selection of Ferraris at the 15th Annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida. With well over 300 Ferraris blasting around this southern section of the Florida peninsula, there were certainly many impressive cars to see. Between the track and the Concours d’Elegance, one could find 2 of the new FXX, half a dozen Enzos, a handful of 250GTOs, California Spyders, 250TRs and over half a dozen 250GT SWBs. For most people, these cars will steal the show, as they well deservedly should.

However, there were 4 special Ferraris which caught my eye that I would like to share with you. I personally enjoyed these particular cars for their rarity, unique history, speed, power and elegance.

0086E

One of the last even numbered sports racers in true "barn find" condition, 212 Export s/n 0086E has not been seen in public since the late 1960s. It is currently owned by a true gentleman, Peter Markowski, who is sure to treat this car with the respect that it deserves.

0086E officially came into existence in 1951 when a bare chassis and engine were sold to the aristocratic Marzotto brothers in Italy. They commissioned the Italian coachbuilder Vignale to construct a spider body for the car. Close examination of this car revealed very early chassis components as well as an extremely early numero interno on its engine, 10E, which may mean that this chassis was actually built well before its official date of 1951. As experts have time to examine this car in greater detail over the coming months, new Ferrari history may be unveiled.

0086E competed in several prominent races in Italy in the early 1950s, including the Mille Miglia in 1952, before it was eventually exported to the USA in the late 1950s. It was raced briefly in the USA by Jim Flynn before it was acquired by a longtime owner in the Northeast who kept it covered for almost 40 years.

This car is also famously (or infamously) known as the very first Ferrari "station wagon", after it was re-bodied by Fontana in the 1950s. The car has received at least 3 different bodies during its lifetime, with the current one being another Fontana creation. Click here for more details of 0086E.

0507GT

250GT Tour de France s/n 0507GT has a unique history similar to 0086E's in that it has rarely been seen in public over the last 40 years. This car was shown at Cavallino by its enthusiastic owner Sam Mann after a beautiful restoration by expert restorer David Carte.

0507GT was originally sold to Italian racer Ottavio Randaccio of Milan, Italy, in 1956. Randaccio actively campaigned this 250GT throughout Italy in both long road races such as the Mille Miglia as well as many hill climb events.

After a fairly extensive competition life, 0507GT managed to find its way to Switzerland for a time before it was acquired by a Danish collector in the late 1960s. The car was then hidden away in the collector's private museum in Denmark until 2000, when it saw daylight again at the Brooks Monaco Auction. The car emerged with a slightly irregular body and several other modifications made by its various owners over the years.

David Carte has done a magnificent job of restoring 0507GT to its former glory and original splendor. Hopefully 0507GT will make many more appearances in the coming years at various events around the globe.

0290M

166MM/53 s/n 0290M was one of the few cars which made appearances at both the track and the Concours d'Elegance, driven and shown by its enthusiastic owner Jim Fuchs. The Vignale lines truly depict an elegant form.

This car has had quite an impressive life and is very well traveled. Sold new to famous Ferrari privateer Luigi Piotti of Milan, Italy, this car was raced in the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and several hill climbs in Italy in the 1950s.

Once Piotti decided to upgrade to a newer car, 0290M was shipped to South America where it was further flogged in several races in Brazil, among other locations. After its racing career was finally complete, noted Ferrari collector Colin Crabbe found 0290M and exported it from South America to England. 0290M further spent time with owners in Italy and in New Zealand before finally being acquired by Fuchs in the mid-1990s.

0290M was in sad shape by the time it finally got to the US. A sympathetic restoration was carried out by Wayne Obry's Motion Products in Neenah, Wisconsin. Since then, Fuchs has driven 0290M in events all over the country and in Europe and is often seen winning his class during the Ferrari Historic Challenge races here in the US. A beautiful car driven and used properly, I wouldn't want it any other way.

0372AM

For me, the 375MM series was the pinnacle of style and power during the first half of the 1950s. These cars simply looked muscular in their stance and had all the power necessary to back it up. This example, s/n 0372AM, was raced expertly during the Cavallino Classic by noted collector and driver Ed Davies.

0372AM was sold originally to Briggs Cunningham and was raced by his team at both the 12h of Sebring and the 24h of Le Mans in 1954. Cunningham, being a racer and not necessarily a Ferrari purist, attempted to improve 0372AM by installing liquid cooled brakes before the 24h Le Mans. The car, unfortunately, did not finish.

After it was sold by Cunningham, 0372AM was frequently campaigned all over the United States, first by Sherwood Johnston, then for several years under Temple Buell's team, usually driven by Dabney Collins.

The car then went through a series of US owners, as well as one Italian, before it finally ended up with Ed Davies in the mid 1990s. Davies drove the car to a very impressive 3rd place at Cavallino, behind his wife Leslie, a very accomplished driver in her own right, and Lawrence Stroll, who were both driving 250 Testa Rossa models which were 4 years newer than the 375!!