Nardi Alfa coupe

I belive that there were actually 3 Nardi Alfa coupes built in 1948; 2 virtually identical, bodied by Motto, and a third, bodied by Allemano. I have no idea what happened to the Allemano bodied car, but I think one of the Motto cars came to the east coast of the US, and one to the west coast.

I have just discovered that the west coast car, which ran with a Wayne Chevy, actually still had the Alfa motor as late as 1955. At Bakersfield 1955, the car is entered as an Alfa, by a Wlliam Rowley as race number 186. At Santa Barbara 1955, the car is entered as a Nardi Alfa by Rowley and Merle Bashor. One month later, at Torrey Pines, the car has the Wayne Chevy.

The race number, starting at Santa Barbara is 102, which I thought was the number assigned by the Cal Club to Jack Nethercutt of Merl Norman Museum fame. At later dates, the car retains the 102 entry number, but the entrant becomes someone named Odie Gillstrapp.

I have never heard of Rowley, Gilstrapp or Bashor. Could they possibly have been mechanics of workers for Nethercutt?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks,
Stu Schaller
"Dr.Etceterini"

bump

Stu,

According to my information, the Nardi-Alfa coupe had the Wayne Chevy motor as early as 1952. I've talked with a gentleman who remembers the car, as he worked on it back in the early 1950's. That conversation came about in an interesting way. He was in my shop, we were talking cars and I showed him a photo of my Motto-Cisitalia - he said it reminded him of a Nardi Danese coupe with a Wayne Chevy he had worked on when he was "just a kid". Both my car and the Nardi-Alfa were bodied by Motto and he recognized the Motto look. Amazing, after all those years!

Originally posted by vintageautomobilia
Stu,

According to my information, the Nardi-Alfa coupe had the Wayne Chevy motor as early as 1952. I've talked with a gentleman who remembers the car, as he worked on it back in the early 1950's. That conversation came about in an interesting way. He was in my shop, we were talking cars and I showed him a photo of my Motto-Cisitalia - he said it reminded him of a Nardi Danese coupe with a Wayne Chevy he had worked on when he was "just a kid". Both my car and the Nardi-Alfa were bodied by Motto and he recognized the Motto look. Amazing, after all those years!

Interesting! I haven't heard anything further about the car supposedly sitting somewhere near Hansen Dam/Kagel Canyon since we tried to find it!

By the way, did you get the guy's name?