The FOC Concours 2001
by John Elliott
14.7.01

July 1st 2001 - what a good day for Ferrari!

Michael Schumacher scored his 50th victory for the Grand Prix team at Magny-Cours in France and the Ferrari Owners' Club met at Broughton Castle in Oxfordshire for their annual concours.

The weather was hot and sunny and the setting in the grounds of this moated Elizabethan Manor House is magnificent. Over 400 Ferraris passed through the entrance with a small collection of classic Ferraris forming the centre of attention.

Overall winner of the Concours was Ray Ferguson with his immaculate 348 ts. Of special interest was the 250 LWB California, s/n 1307 GT in a metallic turquoise finish and the 365 P Guida Centrale 3 posti.

The 250 California was originally sold in April 1959 to Prince Hercolani and six months later to German racing driver Wolfgang Seidel before going to the U.S.A. The original colour was black with a silver hard top but it acquired a metallic turquoise colour in the 1960's. It was then painted a metallic cherry red before being recently restored to its current turquoise finish.

The 365 P Guida Centrale first made an appearance on the Pininfarina stand at the 1966 Paris Motor Show. Of course it is a mid-engined berlinetta notable for its large transparent glass roof and three front seats with the drivers position in the middle. So you see, McLaren, your design wasn't exactly original! Power is provided by a V12 placed longitudinal rather than transverse. Cartoonist Russell Brockbank immediately published a sketch showing a handsome Italian flanked by two attractive but distinctly annoyed women.....

The chassis was similar to a 250 LM but the dimensions of the wheelbase had been increased from 2400mm to 2600mm. A 4.4 litre engine (365cc per cylinder) was fitted similar to the 365 California plus a five-speed ZF gearbox. A number of our more senior club members could recall last seeing the car on the 1966 London Motor Show stand in the autumn of that year. The Pininfarina design was later adapted for the Dino 206 GT, which was the first mid-engined GT to be produced on the assembly line at Maranello.

Two versions of the 365 P Guida Centrale were built. The first s/n 8815 went to Gianni Agnelli, Chairman of Fiat, and the second s/n 8971 was the one at our Concours. The first car was metallic grey and equipped with a large spoiler since Agnelli considered the rear to be unstable. The second car has been with the Chinettis' for most of its life.

Other early cars of interest included the 166 MM/53 barchetta s/n 0308 MM of Bernard Worth and the 375 MM Berlinetta s/n0320 AM brought by Jeremy Cottingham on behalf of Sir Anthony Bamford.

Two 250 SWB Berlinetta's, s/n 2209 GT and s/n 3037 GT plus the 250 LWB TdF Berlinetta s/n 1035 GT were also present.

The 275 GTB Nart Spyder, s/n11057 GT, the tenth of ten built and the only original example in Europe was also a centre of attention and admiration. A military band and a strolling quartet of jazz musicians, which helped to establish a wonderful garden party atmosphere in the warm sunny weather, rounded out a great day for our Club members

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