Unusual entries

Now here's a conundrum. I've just watched a film on Youtube of the 1965 Targa Florio, narrated by Raymond Baxter and almost certainly a promotional item for BMC - it featured heavily on the Healey 3000, Sprite and Midget entries.

A car seen from time to time was #184 - in the entry list it's down as a Ferrari 250LM, but it was no such thing unless my eyes deceive me. It appeared to be a 1958 Ferrari Testa Rossa, with the Fantuzzi bodywork, and the "Le Mans luggage box" on the boot. what was going on? Did the Italian drivers substitute it for their original entry?

The Targa used to bring out odd entries, with small clubs and privateers using the opportunity to race old cars long past their prime. But this one seemed to be optimistic to say the least. Any info will be appreciated.

The WSRP site lists it as a 500TRC, chassis 0670MDTR:

http://wsrp.ic.cz/wsc1965.html#7

The WSRP site lists it as a 500TRC, chassis 0670MDTR:

http://wsrp.ic.cz/wsc1965.html#7

Crikey that makes it even worse!. Thanks for the info..So Janos Wimpffen is not after all "probably perfect in every way".

I can't remember when the 500TRC was in production, but I'm sure it was before '58 - I recall entries for the Targa of old 2-litre Maseratis when they should have been in museums,but having said that Maurice Charles had his D-type in the Guards trophy races well into the 60s.

....almost certainly a promotional item for BMC - it featured heavily on the Healey 3000,

.....odd entries, with small clubs and privateers using the opportunity to race old cars long past their prime.

The origional video made it clear that it centred on the Healey 3000.

Trawling through Martin's site I can only see very few anachronistic cars racing, allowing for what would have been reasonable entries, and a similar scenario in other such races, other than a 200SI, a couple of 356s later, and the perennial, and local Otto Vus. The tipo 60/61s would have been period cars. The only real oddball was the Aston DB2 of John Wray Roberts, many years after the newness had started to wear off it, which everybody knows had an entry accepted simply because UK clubracer of sorts JWR was on holiday down there with his pal and fancied racing in the Targa. It ended in tears ISTR.
Roger Lund

The WSRP site lists it as a 500TRC, chassis 0670MDTR:

http://wsrp.ic.cz/wsc1965.html#7

More info here:

http://www.barchetta...MDTR.500TRC.htm

(listed as #206 in the 1965 Targa Florio?)

Vince H.

More info here:

http://www.barchetta...MDTR.500TRC.htm

(listed as #206 in the 1965 Targa Florio?)

Vince H.

Curiouser and curiouser - the car in the video was def. #184. There is no #206 listed in Wimpffen's tome - I have rather assumed that they originally entered a 250LM as #184 and then substituted it with the 500TRC when the LM was not ready or unavailable for some reason.

all quite odd, and also all quite unimportant, I suppose. at the end of the day they were a couple of local enthusiasts "having a go" - good for them.

Looking at the records of the two drivers on the Racing Sports Cars site:

http://www.racingspo...agliavia-I.html

http://www.racingspo...-Semilia-I.html

they appear, as you say, to be a pair of Sicilian enthusiasts who regularly had a bash at the Targa but not much else, in a variety of vehicles but never a 250LM. I suspect the Wimpffen entry may be finger trouble. Interesting, though, that Semilia’s codriver in 1966 was Raffaele Pinto.

That explains the racing number conundrum - #206 was in the year 1966, #184 the previous year. A 500TRC still racing in '66!
I must learn not to rely on Wimpffen in future. As they say, you can find out everything you want to know on t'internet, if you know where to look.

In 99.99% of cases I would trust Wimpffen over any single website, except possibly Martin Krejki at WSRP.