Spa was quite normal. Three days full of sunshine. If you think I am joking, that’s not the case. Whenever I travel to Spa, I am always surprised about the four seasons in on day-theory that I cannot prove. As usually we obtained sunburn and this time with every right. If you don’t mind, we will skip the modern cars and will focus on the valuables.
Since the pass away of the Ferrari Historic Challenge the historic racing Ferraris found a new home within the Spa Classics. Six 275 GTB, four GT SWB –one of them, #2445, rebodied by Drogo, two BBLM and two Daytona Competizione participated in the races.
275 GTB:
#7651 was sold new to Switzerland as a Short Nose spec. car that was converted to Long Nose in the 1990s. It came to Belgium in 1999 when being purchased by Paul Verbeeck. Dutch specialist Piet Roelofs prepared the car with racing specifications and Verbeeck entered the car in the well known historic tours, including the first five editions of Tour de Espana. In 2007 or 2008 the car was purchased by Philippe Lancksweert and repainted in its today White livery. Driven by Jérémy Lancksweert, #7651 achieved position 8 and position 9 in race 2 of the Trofeo Nastro Rosso.
#9247 was sold new in Silver to De Menil in France. In 1992 Dutchman Jan Gijzen purchased the car and had it repainted in Red. The car is shown at events frequently. Gijzen became 13th in the first race and did not finish the second race in the Trofeo Nastro Rosso.
#9057 belongs to Vincent Gaye today. It has been a NART car when new and somewhere within the chain of owners, good friend Ed Niles appears for a short period in 1976. Constantin von Dziembowski purchased the car in 2004 and took part in the Ferrari Historic Challenge before American Peter LeSaffre owned the car. The car was Azzurro metallizzato 106-A-32 when new, the livery it has today as well as being Rosso Corsa with a Blue stripe for some time. Gaye did not race the car on Sunday because of vibrations on the car he suffered during the first Trofeo Nastro Rosso race where he achieved pole position but had to retire after five laps. For Sunday he entered 250 GT SWB #2069 as a “replacement”, he did win the race.
Grégory Noblet entered #8061 in the Trofeo Nastro Rosso. He was 3rd in the first race and failed to finish the second one. 8061 is an Alloy-bodied European delivery. Noblet enters the Rosso Corsa painted car in historic event frequently since 2004.
#6603 with its Grigio Ferro livery with a Bordeaux coloured stripe is an elegant eyecatcher. Delivered new by Chinetti to Californian Alfred Ducato the car today belongs to Dutchman Georges Saier. It can be assumed that the car was Rosso Corsa with beige originally. It was offered on eBay in 2005 as a “bar find 1-owner car”. Saier achieved the 12th position in both races.
The final GTB-racer was #6695 of Yvan Mahe. The original 1965 New York Autoshow car came back to Europe in the 1980s or 1990s and was rebodied from Steel to Alloy-body. It was Roelofs again who was involved to make the car race competitive. Mahe did not finish the first race and did not start in the second run.
250 GT SWB:
Dutch Hans Hugenholtz raced 250 GT SWB #2445 as well as it was one of the tribute cars for Jaques Swaters’ Garage Francorchamps FF60 celebration as the car was delivered new by Garage Francorchamps. In 1962 the 6th ever built SWB was heavily damaged at Arnage and the remains went to Drogo and received a complete new body in a Rosso Barchetta shade. For customs reasons the car was renumbered 1965GT for a certain time that it spent in the US. Today the car is on plates 02010 EE as it was in 1961. Hugenholtz did win both races of the Trofeo Nastro Rosso. A replica of #2445 exists that was build around the original engine by Massimo Colombo.
Well known Ferraristi Christian Traber gave us the opportunity to watch # 1811, another Garage Francorchamps car that went to Belgian driver Jean Blaton alias "Beurlys", funny enough, having the same plates 02010 EE as #2445 described above. Philippe Lancksweert was able to watch one of his former cars, he owned #1811 in 2003 and 2004 before Traber acquired it. Traber finish the first race after 12 of 15 laps and came in 4th in the second run.
Christian Dumolin is listed in the results with a 275 GTB, but obviously, he brought 250 GT SWB #3401 to the track wearing race #21. He came in as 10th and 11th. The car was in Chris Evans’ ownership previously and therefore did show the typical White livery with Blue interior that so many Evans-car show. The car was Green with Black originally before being repainted Red with Tan interior that was replaced with Black interior before Evans did it in his own taste.
512 BBLM:
The two 512 BBLM being present started in the Classic Endurance Race 2. Both cars, #28601, a Series 2 car, and #38181, a Series 3 car failed to finish.
365 GTB/4 Daytona Competizione:
The Classic Endurance 1 group was joined by two Daytona Competizione cars, both being conversions on a regular Daytona. #16717 is an „unofficial conversion“ that was new to Ecurie Francorchamps and entered by them into the 1975 24hrs. du Mans. “Mr. John of B” brought the car to Spa and didn’t finish the race. Jean-Michel Martin made it to 12th position in the race, driving #13367, another unofficial conversion done by Sport-Auto Modena for Chinetti’s NART team who raced it for the 1974 and 1975 season. One of the original Competiziones was on display of the FF60 event.
Other noticeable cars who did not race have been Daytonas #16409 and #14391, Lankweert’s GT 2+2 #12975 and the Lusso #5239 beside poor #0603GT, originally a Boano Coupé that was used for a Testa Rossa recreation. The FF60 event was a good opportunity to have a look how beautiful a Boano is in reality.
FF60:
FF60 stands for the 60th Anniversary of Ferrari Francorchamps that sticks with the life of Jacques Swaters. The programme started at the Jacques Swaters Collection and was followed by a road rally from Namur to Spa on Saturday and was finished by a tribute parade on the track on Sunday noon and a following rally to Hotton later. What I have heard, it was the first Ferrari event, the team of Le Rève Automobile did organize and it always seems being difficult to attract many owners to a first time event. This may explain the low figure of only 33 participants. On the other hand, I have heard, those who did participate have enjoyed it and that is what counts in the end. The valuables being present made it really worth to attend FF60.
Some of the Francorchamps associated cars have been taking part in the Spa Classic Races, some of them have been on display at the pit lane only. Nick Mason’s Daytona Competizione #15373 was there as well as the beautiful yellow 250 LM #6313 and the 348 tbF #82881, the prototipo for the 348 Competizione cars. We will have a feature of this car in our “The Specials”-Section coming soon. Star within the group on display was, without any doubt, 500 TRC #0682.
The oldest car present was driven by Florence Swaters, #0064M, the beautiful bicolore 166 MM Barchetta. #5899, a second 250 LM was present. This is the car we have seen earlier this year already in the Pantheon in Basel, just have a look on our report from that event. The 500 Mondial #0536 (thanks to Michael Röder for making us aware of wrongly quoting 250 GT's s/n 0569GT) the was really a spectacular participant as well as #16549, the 79th of the 121 Daytona Spiders, entered by Guus Biermann. Guus suffered damage to the brakes of his car and we are suffering with him. We hope, the car is in good order again soon, Guus. Three more 275 GTB, all in shades of silver or grey, two more Lussos and another Daytona in elegant Black were shown as well as the already mentioned Boano Coupé. The “cut fraction” was represented by the ex-Raquel Welch 275 GTS, a 250 GT PF Cabrio and a 330 GTS. 9 Dinos did participate, one , #00502, of these formerly owned by Stephen Stills of Crosby/Stills/Nash & Young-fame.
102 Ferraris in total have been spotted during the Spa Classics/FF60 with only one being not identified yet –a Dino on Belgium plates OCC-111 what makes it a high class results –regarding the large amount of historic cars without visible Serial Number plates- taken at a high class event. My thanks to the owners that have not kept the hoods of their cars closed coyly!
Do you remember our recommendations of hotels in Spa? We have tried a new one, a very cute Bed & Breakfast called Entre Deux Pays on Promenade des Francais in the heart of Spa, parallel to Reine Astrid, it is like a fairy-tale castle, separated from the city by the woods, the “hostel wardens” are cool and kind and the stay is worth every cent you spend. Two remarks: don’t plan the trip with your own Ferrari –parking lots are available, but the road is more than bumpy-, be quick with your reservations, there are only six rooms available. And please keep in mind; one will be ours during a Spa event.