Sharp at Ville d’Este, Villa Erbe

1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Speciale of William E Heinecke, one of only four constructed. In 1966 renowned American Cardiac Surgeon Michael DeBakey visited the Ferrari factory with his friends Princess de Rethy and her husband the former King Leopold III of Belgium where he ordered this 330 GTC with special coachwork by Pininfarina. In March 1967 Pininfarina displayed the car at the Salon de l Automobile in Geneva before delivery to the Surgeon.

Corrado Lopresto’s Lancia Florida Coupe Pinin Farina. Based on the chassis of an Aurelia B56 the Florida 1 was created as a unique one-off and first shown at the 1955 Turin Motor show.

Following the show the car was sold to Commendatore Antonio Melandri, a Milan based businessman who showed the car at the Concours of Elegance at Lucerne, Geneva, Cortina, Campione d Italia and Rome with much success.

Franesco Ansaloni’s 1953 Chrysler- Ghia-GS-1 Special. Chrysler had become staid in its designs by the 1950s prompting the Chrysler Boss KT Keller to hire Virgil Exner. Keller gave Exner a free hand and he immediately sketched a number of bold designs which Carrozzeria Ghia then took forward.

The Chrysler managers then liaised with Luigi Segre and his chief designer Mario Boano and a small production series was launched. Chrysler delivered the chassis to Italy whereupon the craftsman at Ghia built the bodies by hand based on the design of Exner. This example is one of just 18 constructed.

Nicholas and Shelley Schorsch’s 1963 ATS 2500 GTS Berlinetta Allemano.

A special display item from BMW, 328 Mille Miglia Coupe.

Christopher Stahl’s 1981 Ferrari 512 BBLM chassis 35529. Entered by Bellancauto in the 1981 and 1984 Le Mans 24 hours and also raced at Monza, Mugello and Imola. Chassis 35529 possesses a unique flat tapered front end and is considered to be one of the best preserved examples.

Another special exhibit, 1989 Sauber-Mercedes C9 Group C racing sports prototype, which in the hands of Mauro Baldi, Kenny Acheson and Gianfranco Brancatelli, finished second to the sister car of Jochen Mass/Manuel Reuter/Stanley Dickens at that year’s Le Mans 24 hours.

David MacNeil’s 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 4153 (number 24 of the 36 built), beautifully restored to the exact specification as when it sat on the grid at the start of the 1963 Le Mans 24 hours.

Peter Goodwin’s 1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa chassis 0774 TR with coachwork by Fantuzzi. Driven to victory by Paul Frere/Olivier Gendebein at the 1960 Le Man 24 hours. Need we say more!

Bruce McCaw’s 1952 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Coupe chassis number 7 which, in the hands of Hermann Lang/Fritz Rieb, took first place at that year’s Le Mans, with the sister works 300SL in second place.

From a UK private collection, 1976 Porsche 936/77 Spyder, chassis 001, winner of the 1977 Le Man 24 hour race in the hands of Jackie Ickx, Hurley Haywood and Jurgen Barth. One of only three examples constructed. Following four more visits to Le Mans chassis 001 was sold on and is the only example in private ownership.

Forming part of a special exhibit in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Le Mans, 1968 Alfa Romeo 33/2 Daytona. 1st Giunti/Galli, 2nd Facetti/Dini, and 3rd Casoni/Biscaldi, in class in 1968

1975 season will be the golden era of the 33 TT 12: all the best drivers of that year drive the “TT 12,” achieving the coveted World Makes’ Championship. Merzario, Andretti, Bell, Brambilla, Ickx, Laffite, Mass, Pescarolo, Scheckter, Vaccarella.

P. White’s 1937 Peugeot 302 Darl’Mat Sport. One of three Darl’Mat sport racers entered in that years Le Mans with this example winning its class and placing seventh overall.

Christophe Count d’Ansembourg’s 1970 Porsche 917K (Kurzheck – short tail) resplendent in its iconic Martini livery.

From the Keybridge Collection, 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California. Its first owner was none other than the French writer Françoise Sagan, who had celebrated a legendary success with her first work Bonjour Tristesse in 1954. “Whisky, gambling and Ferraris are better than housework,” was a famous bon mot promulgated by Sagan, who liked living the good life and loved fast automobiles above all else.

From the Fondation des Archives de la Famille Pictet. Originally bodied as a two seater racer it was later bodied as a Torpedo-Ponte by Jacques Saotchick this one of only eight surviving Piccard-Pictet R2 models.

From the Collection D’Ieteren, a 1937 Lancia Astura 4th series Pinin Farina which up until 2014 had remained in the ownership of its original family owners.

Astura rear

Astura dash

Anthony MacLean’s 1924 Lancia Lambda 5th series with coachwork by Mario Casaro of Turin which was purchased by its first owner directly off the stand at the Milan Motor Show.

Lee Carr’s 1953 Cadillac Series 62 Ghia. In May 1953 Ghia purchased two rolling chassis from Cadillac which were then clad in coachwork from the drawing boards of Felice Boano and Luigi Segre.

The early history of this example is not known; what is known is that Rita Hayworth received one as a gift, could it have been this one?

Pete and Merle Mullin’s 1938 Delahaye 145 Coupe started life as part of a consignment of four race cars for the Ecurie Bleue team to be raced on the International Grand Prix circuit. During the war the car was mothballed.

After the war the chassis was rebodied by Henri Chapron and fitted with a type 165 V12 motor, later becoming part of the Schlumpf collection, and was later exported to the USA where the original motor was reinstalled into the chassis. In 2003 the car passed into the care of the Mullin collection.

William Lyon’s 1935 Duesenberg SJ was the last of 36 examples created. Ordered by the 28 year old Maharaja Holkar of Indore who had the chassis shipped to John Gurney Nutting in London to be bodied.

Fearing a possible Japanese invasion of India the Maharaja had the car shipped to his estate in California only shipping the car to India once hostilities had ceased. In 1959 the car was exported to the USA and joined the current owner’s collection in the late 1980s.

A Dusie of a dash…

Rajiv Kehr’s Packard Standard Eight 11th series was delivered to the Maharaja Nawalgarh in 1934. Whilst the chassis carries a standard body by Dietrich it does have some special features including a fold down windscreen, special disc wheels and a polished bonnet.

As a young man the current owner discovered the Packard on a neighbor’s land and fell in love with it. Due to a strict export ban he had to wait over 30 years before he was able to take possession. The car has a very storied history and it is even believed that Kirk Douglas once rode in it during a film shoot.

Forming part of the May collection, this 1937 BMW 328 is number 14 of a total production of 464 and one of only 18 finished in black. In 1938 Huschke von Hanstein, the Racing Baron, won the German Sports Car Hill Climb championship in this car.

Brian Ross’s 1951 Ferrari 212 Export with coachwork by Vignale was the example selected by Alfredo Vignale for display at that years Turin Motor Show before passing into the hands of Prince Vittorio Massimo.

Brian Ross’s 1951 Ferrari 212 Export was later raced in the Giro di Sicilia.

Part of the special display, 1967 Ferrari 330 P4, was an ex works car, one of the three that crossed the finishing line together at the Daytona 24 hours. Later that month, in the hands of Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini, the car crossed the finishing line of the Monza 1000km in first place, and in June was driven to third place by Willy Mairesse and “Beurlys” at Le Mans.