This 1953 Alloy bodied 212 by Vignale was supplied new to Franco Cornacchia who had ordered the car in racing spec with sliding perspex side windows and no bumpers. Cornacchia was a Ferrari agent and also the proprietor of Scuderia Guastalla. In Franco’s hands the car won the 1953 Coppa Intereuropa at Monza. In 1954 the car was converted to 225 spec and continued to be raced until 1956.
Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp
London Docklands was once the place where hundreds of ships carrying thousands of tons of cargo and goods from all around the globe would be unloaded at the piers.
Now it is home to the Millennium Dome, or the O2 arena as it is now called; Canary Wharf houses the merchant bankers and the ExCel Exhibition Center is a major contemporary exhibition hall with an address of the Royal Victoria Dock and where the London Classic Car Show was held on February 23-26.
The London show was actually two shows in one. The London Classic Car show features the grand avenue car parade. Across the corridor was the inaugural Historic Motorsport International show. One ticket gained access to both.
Two weeks after Retromobile, us old car nuts usually decamp to the ExCel for the newest show on the calendar, and the first event of the UK season. The London Classic Car Show is a bit different to the normal type of car show, as at London, some of the cars are driven…inside! The main hall is dived in two by what the organizers call the ‘grand avenue’. Twice each day during the show, various cars divided into several classes are paraded in front of the visitors. The classes this year were Saloon, Coupe, Convertible, Sports car, Supercar, Hatchback, Shooting Brake, Single Seater and Aerodynamic Pioneer.
Each year the show honors an invited guest. This year it was multiple Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx. It was because of this that I decided to attend the gala evening on the Thursday where Jackie was joined by Derek Bell, Jurgen Barth, Dario Francitti, Jackie Oliver and Emanuele Pirro. As can be seen from the shots of the drivers below, taken during the Gala Evening event, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
More about this unusual multi-event can be seen at London Classic Car Show.
Driver’s Gala
Jacky Ickx with the Ferrari 312 in the background.
Dario Franchitti opens the show with Nick Mason’s GTO
Derek Bell and Emanuele Pirro cut through the red tape at the show.
Ickx cutting the tape. Must have been a lot of red tape!
Ickx and Derek Bell talking about old times at Le Mans.
Friends, re-united. At the mic is Henry Hope Frost.
Dario’s young enough to do a Selfie, Ickx and Bell wait for the film to be developed.
Ferrari Tribute
Ferrari GTO.
Ferrari Lusso.
Ferrari 288GTO.
Ferrari 375 A.
Ferrari Boxer.
Ferrari Daytona Coupe.
Dino 246GT.
La Ferrari and friends.
Others and assorted
In the adjacent hall, and sharing space with the inaugural Historic Motorsport International show, was the car club section where various one-make car clubs had been invited to show of their classics. My favorite was the Renault Alpine Owners club stand which included this trick-looking A110 and elegant A610.
Alpine A110.
Alpine A610.
In the Coupe class, based on the 3.0 liter Alvis TF21 saloon this Graber bodied example dates from 1966 and is one of only six built.
A British bruiser in an Italian suit. To my mind the best car on display on the Aston Martin owners club stand, a Zagato V8
This Austin Healey MK3 works lightweight is ARX91B, which was driven to victory in the 1964 Austrian Alpine rally in the hands of Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon. The following year on the Targa Floria Timo Makinen and Paul Hawkins finished second in class behind a Ferrari 250 GTO.
No placard so no other info, but this Alfa GTA is lovely never-the-less.
This series one Alfa 2300 8C Corto Lungo Spider Corsa is in the process of being restored by the team at Jim Stokes Workshop.
This early Touring bodied Alfa 6C 2500 was constructed in 1939 and was once owned by Benito Mussolini. The car has been restored various times over the years but due to crash damage the original Touring shape has been lost. After extensive research the team at Jim Stokes Workshop have been able to restore the bodywork, using the original roof panel, to her original superleggera design.
Parked next to a gorgeous navy blue GTA on the Alfaholics stand was this even more gorgeous Alfa SZ. Chassis 00144 was sold in 1961 by Alfa Romeo to their French Importers Automobiles Renault, whereupon their works rally driver Pierre Orsini purchased the car from them. Much success followed over the next three years. Originally painted red Pierre had the color changed to blue following a front end crash.
This 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB was converted to Nart Spyder specification by marque specialist Moto Technic in 1988.
When this drove onto Grand avenue for its demo run as part of the Ferrari 70th tribute I though hang on, I thought they only made one and that one was green and gold. Well they did only make one, and this is it, but it has recently under gone a color change. Built using a standard Ferrari 330GT from an idea from Luigi Chinetti Jr. to the design of commercial artist Bob Peak. The construction was entrusted to Alfredo Vignale who displayed the car on their stand at the 50th Turin Motor Show in 1968.
They ran a film in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Ferrari. During the film two comments by Enzo appeared on the screen. I think this one sums up Enzo Ferrari’s earlier attitudes.
At the time of writing probably the most expensive car on sale anywhere. Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 3387 was the second GTO constructed and the first example to race. Construction was completed on the 16th March 1962 where upon the car was sent to Monza to start testing for Scuderia Ferrari. Later in the month the car was dispatched to Luigi Chinetti Motors to be entered under the NART banner in that years Sebring 12 hour race. The result, in the hands of Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebein was second overall and first in class. In June it was sold to Robert “Bob” Grossman of New York who entered the car in the Le Mans 24 hour race. Sharing the driving with Fireball Roberts they finished 6th overall and first in the 3000cc experimental class.
I was drawn to this 1970 Plexiglass Ferrari Daytona by the Rosso Dino color. One of only 35 UK delivered right-hand drive Plexiglass Daytonas. Chassis 13627 was delivered by Maranello Concessionaires to the business tycoon Gerald Ronson CBE.
One of the last “the horse pulls the cart” Ferrari F1 cars, from 1959/60.
This tool room copy (if that is the right term) Ferrari TR was possibly the star car on the Hoyle Fox stand. Not a rebodied 250GTE but a proper copy built (I understand) for a well known-member of the Ferrari Owners Club using an original example as a template.
This 1953 Ferrari 212 chassis 0285EU was the 23rd example built from a total of 26 Inters which coachwork by Vignale. Originally shipped to Luigi Chinetti in New York her first owner was the Pennsylvania state Senator Theodore Newell Wood.
Andre Dubonnet, son of Joseph Dubonnet the founder of the eponymous drinks company, was a wealthy flying ace, athlete and racing driver who in 1924 had Hispano Suiza construct a Tulipwood bodied 8 Liter HC6 to race in the Targa Florio. He finished sixth. Alas the original example no longer exists as a garage roof fell on it. This exacting copy was built using original Hispano components and 1024 brass rivets.
Raced new by the Argentinian racing driver Juan Malcolm, this 1928 Maserati 26B is one of only six built. The Malcolm family retained the car until 1979.
Somewhat dwarfed on the Maserati UK stand by the new Ghibli saloon and Levante SUV was this much more interesting pair, a 5000GT and Ghibli Coupe.
Now that is what I call a supercharger. At 3839 rpm this 8 Liter spec Bentley is producing 511 bhp. Known as the Missile Chassis, 1186 started life in 1925 as a 3.0 Liter Gurney Nutting saloon. Andrew Day acquired the car in 1989 and decided to build a 3/8 Liter special suitable for racing but tractable enough for fast touring. A 6 and a half liter engine was obtained and converted to 8 liter spec. The result 60 mph in first, 90 mph in second and wheel spin in first second and third gear. As the advert for the car said ” not for the faint of heart.
Featured in the Supercar class this 1971 Monteverdi 375L High Speed was originally owned by Alison Entwhistle, the wife of the Who’s bass player John.
Gulf Mirage GR8. Jackie Ickx, sharing the driving with Derek Bell finished first at the 1975 Le Mans 24 hour race. They won by a scant single lap from a Ligier JS2 of Jean Louise Lafosse/Guy Chasseuil with a second GR8 of Jean Pierre Jaussand/Vern Schuppan finishing third.
Porsche 936.
Porsche 956 and 959.
Pride of place on the Hal and Hall stand were this two Matras. I believe this is an MS120 F1 car
The other was an MS650.
The history of this Lotus 21 chassis 934 is very tragic. The car was only ever driven by Jim Clark. During the 1961 Italian Grand Prix von Trips Ferrari 156 was launched off the rear wheel causing the death of von Trips and 14 spectators. The car was impounded by the authorities in Italy until 1964 at which point Colin Chapman told Tom Wheatcroft of the Donnington GP collection that he could have the car if he went to Italy to collect it. Which he did.
Lovely expensive cars but the show not aimed at the average classic car owner . Not everyone wants to see a Ferrari or Aston Martin and there were so many it was over the top.
My first time to the show and probably my last !!!!!!!!!!!!
The Vignale Ferrari 212 inter, which was pictured, reminded me of a lucky friend who bought one in New York for $2,300. It ran reliably (even though it blew blue smoke) The friend, Bill Grant also owned an english Ford which never would run on rainy days, so the Ferrari became his”rainy-day car”.