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Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in the UK is the oldest motor sports venue in the world still operating today. It was therefore appropriate that a very special class for historic Ferraris was put together for the big summer meeting, which took place over the weekend of 17/18 August 2002. It was a full British Championship meeting and all the nation's top hillclimbers were there in their specialised machinery. Several demonstration runs also took place, notably by one of the Le Mans MG prototypes driven by Kevin McGarrity, the unsilenced turbo engine of which snapped and crackled its way dramatically up the narrow hill. Unable to make a standing start at the official start line it began each run from deep within the paddock area! The Ferrari class was sponsored by the new Classic Parts business started up by Ferrari UK (Maranello Concessionaires Ltd). Part of Tony Willis' empire, this division has available one of the largest stock of parts in the world for classic Ferraris . Tony also hosted an exquisite dinner on the evening before the event to which all the Ferrari teams were invited. The Ferrari class was loosely based upon the Shell Historic specifications and appropriately enough the field was led by the 212E Montagna of Carlos Monteverde and driven by 1978 British Hillclimb Champion David Franklin. He scorched to the top in 30.20 seconds to win the class and it was good to see both car and driver back in their proper habitat. This 1969 European Hillclimb Championship-winning car was so successfully driven by Peter Schetty and its 212 distinction indicates that it is a 2 litre flat-12 cylinder engine mated to a 206SP chassis. In second place was the 206 SP Dino owned by Harry Leventis and driven on the day by Peter Hardman. Chassis number 0834 was originally a factory berlinetta and began its life in 1965. It ran in the Monza 1000 Km with Baghetti/Biscaldi but was a DNF. It finished fourth in the Nürburgring 1000 Km with Bandini/ Vaccarella but failed to finish at Le Mans. The roof was removed to make it a spyder and the car was then used by Ludovico Scarfiotti in the European Hillclimb Championship. It had a string of hillclimb successes. Peter Hardman drove hard in the bellowing Dino at his first hillclimb attempt and ended up second with a best time of 32.53 secs. Third was Sinan Barazia in the famous yellow 250 LM, s/n 6313LM. The greatest achievement of this car was to finish second in the 1965 Le Mans 24-Hrs driven by Dumay/Gosselin. The car had just been acquired by Barazia and the raucous V-12 screamed to the top in 38.37 secs. In fourth place, on 38.61 secs, was experienced Ferrari hillclimber Richard Allen driving Martin McGlone's 275 GTB/C, s/n 07407. This car has no early competition history but has since been extensively raced by McGlone including the Le Mans Classic event. David Cottingham brought out a wonderful 500 TR, s/n 0682 MD TR, which was an Ecurie Francorchamps car from 1967 and it finished seventh at Le Mans driven by Bianchi and Harris. His best time at Shelsley was 40.09 secs, which won him the Handicap Award. Sally Mason-Styrron brought along the family Competition Daytona, s/n 15681 GT. This was the 1972 Maranello Concessionaires car which competed at Le Mans driven by Westbury/Hine/Konig but failed to finish. Sold to JCB it raced in the Kyalami 9-Hrs driven by Sytner/Brown and it returned to Le Mans in 1973 but failed to finish the 24-Hrs event driven by Green/Corner. Sally drove the powerful and heavy machine up the hill with a best time of 41.51 secs. Husband Dudley also had a run in the Daytona after his pretty little Tasman Dino broke its transmission on his first run. The younger Cottingham, no. 1 son Jeremy, drove a 250 Testa Rossa and finished just behind his dad on 41.90 secs. S/n 0720 MD TR was a standard customer car with pontoon fenders. It was ordered by Chinetti for Jim Johnson of Cincinnati, Ohio and raced in American national events during 1958 and 1959. Unfortunately in the late sixties the car was totally destroyed in a barn fire and only the frame and suspension components remained. The car was resurrected by Rodney Felton and is now owned by a German collector. Bryn Williams drove his 1964 GTO replica based on a 330 GT, s/n 3103 GT, and Tony Merrick, although not competing officially, had a couple of dramatic demonstration runs in his 246 Dino F1 replica. The Ferraris were a great success with the many spectators who thronged to this special meeting and not just because of the spectacle as they rushed up this notoriously difficult hill. The exquisite noises, from blaring V-12s to the sharp bark of the flat-12, will stay with us all until, hopefully, the event is repeated next year.
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