Ed Hugus---Pope Luca I---Bonham's Monaco---Ferrari Toyota Dealers---Letters--Lancia 2000---Erik's letters---Lost 166MM?
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 Hugus stands on the pitwall while "Lucy Belle II" comes in for a tire
change at Le Mans, 1958. "It rained and hailed for about 3 hours, mostly
on the Mulsanne Straight" recalled Hugus. He placed 7th overall.
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Did He or Didn’t He?
There has been much controversy about the role of Ed Hugus during the 1965 Le Mans 24 Hour, most of it centered around whether or not Ed drove the winning Ferrari with Rindt and Gregory.
This month's edition of Forza (number 54) has a biography on Hugus (written by yours truly), and includes a rundown of most of the Ferraris he drove from 1956 to 1965.
Ed's a great guy, and it was a pleasure working with him. He'll be celebrating his 81st birthday soon, and today lives in Pebble Beach. We think he'd be very happy if you were to pick up a copy of Forza at your local Barnes & Noble or Borders.
Pope Luca the First
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The Italians have a great sense of humor and irony. We hope Luca does too.
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From Italy, thanks to Mario Marchesini, comes this postcard of Luca di Montezemolo, (now Chairman of Confindustria) who is, apparently, sitting on top of the world. Certainly,
Ferrari is dominating F1 racing, eclipsing any other constructor before.
And we know the Italians follow Ferrari with a religious fervor. Combine
the two and we'll be seeing white smoke for Luca in the chimney of St. Pete's before you know it.
Bandini Book News
The Bandini book as reviewed by VeloceToday
see article
is now available via a US distributor. For those of you who requested
a copy from VeloceToday, we are glad to announce that Autobooks-Aerobooks is
now offering the book. You can contact them at:
www.autobooks-aeorbooks.com.
166MM Mystery
Dear Editor,
I have heard that there is a 166MM (lost) in Tucson, AZ USA from a Colorado estate.
Unfortunately at this time this is all I know. A relative related the story to me as told by a coworker. This man's girlfriend is apparently the heiress and has been making inquiries in the Ferrari community as to the history and value of the car. None of the parties are apparently "tifosi" so I am wary of the identification until I see the vehicle.
What do our readers know about this?
Ever Get That Feeling?
Once in a while, it seems that it is all too much. You have a garage full of dubious parts, a rusting, but once romantic car sits in the corner providing a handy home for mice, a couple of nicely restored cars under car covers are being used as a shelf for dirty laundry, a desk
is full of car related bills, you have no spare time, and co-exist with a wife whose patience is wearing thinner than your hair. And suddenly, the thrill is gone.
Is that what's eating you, fella?
Well, don't despair. SELL!
Which is what our good friend and editor-at-large has decided to do. The famous Budrio to Monterey Lancia is up for sale. see article Photos, details, history (of both the car and the model) coming up soon. We think he'll regret it, but we'll do anything for copy.
Erik the Red
Erik the Red, our F1 editor, who is now firmly ensconced in faraway Shanghai (yes, CHINA!!), is buying, not selling. He has just added a Mondial 8 to his stable. We (including Mrs. Red) have no idea why, but we think he'll regret it. But we'll do anything for copy.
He does get letters, though. Most are not fit for human consumption. Here's one that says some nice things about his recent F1 report...
Dear Sirs,
Regarding Erik Nielsen's article, at the end: "If you're a Ferrari or Schumacher fan, life is still good (especially for those that never lost the faith through the 80's and early 90's). But to be honest, even I am starting to feel that the races are good for a nap."
I remember those nasty days well, and still haven't gotten tired of this season yet. I know it's completely unrealistic, but if the Scuderia were to win all 18 races this year, I'd be stoked! As I told another Ferrari friend after Bahrain in regards to this year's domination vs. 1988, "I was too traumatized by those McLaren years...". I will not be bored by a complete redwash of the 2004 GP season.
Cheers, Rich Ambroson
See postcard above
Ferrari Toyota Dealerships
Recently we paid a visit to the new home of Ferrari Maserati of Washington, now located on Route 28, next to CarMax, in Sterling, Virginia.
My, have things changed. What was once an idyllic hobby dealership for Allie Ash has turned into what looks like a huge business. No longer does FMOW deal just in new and used Ferraris, but has a large stock of used BMWs, Mercedes, and other semi-exotics. And of course Maseratis all over the place, the bread and butter car of Ferrari Spa. The beautiful new building is a wonderful, fully modern design, and has plenty of space for Glen Marquis race shop, which is now concentrating on the Maserati Trofeo.
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Maserati has a long and glorious racing history, but unfortunately its glory days were long over before Americans knew European racing even existed.
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Indeed, it looks like Ferrari is really at the top of the world. (see postcard, above). But something romantic has been lost in the Americanization of Enzo. Aside from the price tags, there seems to be very little difference between FMOW and the CarMax business next door. All of which, we are sure, makes the Pope happy.
BTW, while checking out the Maserati Trofeo, it occurred to us that instead of propping up their old enemy, perhaps Ferrari should have created a nuovo Ferrari Dino along the lines of a Porsche Boxter, and kept the Ferrari nametag. It took Ferrari 40 years to build a name in this country, and they don't have 40 years to build up the Maserati name. But have you ever tried reasoning with the Pope?
See postcard above
