Centro Ore - Ferrari Owners' Club

Modena has traditionally been the birth place of many of the pleasures of life. In the realm of motorcars, to take one example, the names of Ferrari and Maserati immediately come to mind, as well as Lamborghini and De Tomaso, Stanguellini and ASA and many other names which make the heart of any car enthusiast around the world beat faster.

From 19 to 22 June 2004 the fifth edition of the Modena Cento Ore Classic took place in the Emilia Romagna. Unquestionably this was the most various and innovative speed and regularity race for historic cars from both a sports and geographic point of view. Among the highlights was a special stage from San Giustino to Bocca Trabaria and a speed night race at the Misano racetrack. From the point of view of the landscape the drive went through two of the most beautiful regions of the Italian peninsula: Tuscany and Umbria, famous for their green hills covered by cypress-trees. And early sunday morning saw a special stage at Ferrari’s own testing facility at Fiorano and later at Mugello.

The principal innovations consisted of the introduction of a new collector’s meeting. This was a third section meant for those collectors who, without license and chronometer, wanted to drive their supercars in the first two days of the race. This year the Modena Cento Ore Classic amazed again its participants and the public with increasingly demanding sport stages and at the same time improved the high standard of organisation and typical Italian charm and hospitality. Head of the organizing committee is Mauro Bompani, a well-known Modenese industrialist, whose name is not new in the world of motor sport as he started back in the 1970s, rallying a Porsche with notable success. His reputation for having a heavy right foot returned with him when he started historic racing after a long absence from the sport. Bompani owns a fascinating collection of historic Ferraris which includes both a 250 GT LWB and SWB Berlinetta and several other types too.

About 95 teams participated this year. There were Ford GT40s, Porsche Carrera 6s, Shelby Mustangs in all colors, Jaguar Es, AC Cobras with and without hardtop, all sorts of Porsche 911s, Austin Healeys, Chevrolet Corvettes, Lancias, Lotus Elans, Alfa Romeo GTAs, Lancia Stratos, Alfa-Romeo Montreals, even Volvo P1800s, Renault Alpines, Aston Martins, Fiat 124 Abarths, Maserati Mistrals, Alfa Romeo SZ and TZ and a Mercedes 280 SL. And naturally there were lots of Ferraris, seventeen to be exact!

From England came Harry Leventis with his spectacular ex-Wayne Sparling 250 LM. Chassis number 6173, the 27th of only 32 LMs built, had originally been raced by Scuderia Sant’Ambroeus at Monza and the Targa Florio and later belonged to Peter Monteverdi, before it came into the possession of Californian Ferrarista Kenneth W. Starbird. A second famous Ferrari with Italian race history was brought to the Modena 100 Ore Classic event by Spanish collector Juan Quintano: a superrare 206 Dino competition Spider with chassis number 018. It was sold new to Luigi Chinetti’s NART for Pedro Rodriguez who raced it at Bridgehampton 1966. Thereafter Chinetti sold 018 to Mario Camellini, the Modenese Ferrari dealer who re-sold it to Italian gentleman racer Ferdinando Latteri. He traded in a Porsche Carrera 6 and henceforth entered the Dino in Italian hillclimbs, using the alias name Codones. This beautiful racing spider was entered in the Targa Florio many times and still wears the original scrutineering stickers on the windscreen.

British collectors Sally and Dudley Mason-Styrron and Paul Knapfield drove both a Competition Daytona, two of only fifteen built by the factory’s Assistenza Clienti at Viale Trento Trieste in downtown Modena. A third example, modified from a street production Berlinetta, was brought to the Modena event by Bruno Zambelli. U.S. Ferrarista P. Paul Pappalardo drove his ex-Le Mans/Jan de Vroom 250 GT SWB California Spider, one of only three with an alloy body and outside fuel filler cap protruding through the rear deck lid. For safety reasons Pappalardo had his convertible fitted with a big but not so attractive rollbar.

There was a darkblue 250 GT SWB Berlinetta from France, regularly seen at these European meetings, plus a 1957 250 GT Tour de France, which has been in Modenese ownership from day one. An Austrian enthusiast entered a 275 GTS Spider and an Englishman a rare RHD 275 GTB/4 with outside fuel filler cap. From Germany came two ladies with a lovely black Dino 246 GTS and the group of Ferraris also included a 365 GTC/4 from England. The contingent of newer Ferraris consisted of a 288 GTO, several F40s and a new Enzo registered in the Principality of San Marino.

As is well known in and around Modena many restorers, body shops and mechanical stores are located. Names such as Franco Ferrari, Egidio Brandoli, Franco Toni, Zanasi, Cremonini, Campana, to name but a few. Some of these will now have a lot of work because during the four day event several Ferraris were damaged in various incidents. Peter Hardman unfortunately rolled the Leventis 250 LM in one of the last special stages. It was quite an adventure to see the car on its roof and the drivers can be lucky to have escaped without too many problems. Dudley Mason-Styrron crashed his Competition Daytona backwards into the armco when he spun on oil on the track (the Chris Chiles Ford GT 40 was already sitting there with a possibly damaged monocoque). Paul Knapfield damaged the rear end of his ex-Pozzi-Thomson Competition Daytona in a special stage, and later at Misano he backed into a truck. He wasn´t very impressed and continued to drive the damaged car. Even Pappalardo dented the left fender of his beautiful Spider California a little bit. OK, that’s racing and it can happen. After all, these gorgeous Ferraris were meant to be driven.

The Modena Cento Ore Classic once again proved to be an outstanding event and the organizers have to be thanked for all their efforts. Each participant left Modena with a deep and warm memory of this extraordinary Italian town.