6 replies to this topic

[Barry Boor]

I am fascinated to see that car #8 in the 1961 24 hour race was a 700 c.c. Abarth.

This is when the cars were numbered by engine capacity, largest=lowest number down to smallest=highest.

Anyone?

[ensign14]

It's a Serenissima entry, and they also had a Maserati birdcage entered with number 9. Which, as a 3-litre car, fits the numbering bill.

Glancing at the DNAs in Wimpffen, there was a Serenissima entry for another birdcage for Scarlatti/Abate that was scheduled to have number 18, but as that number went to the Moss/Hill Aston, I'm betting that the Scarlatti/Abate car would have worn the 8 (some numbers changed from the test day to the race). So presumably Volpi just kept the number he had been allocated.

[Barry Boor]

I'm still surprised that the organisers didn't insist on a re-numbering given that it was only a 700 c.c. car. Surely it didn't start 8th in the line!

[Roger Clark]

It's a Serenissima entry, and they also had a Maserati birdcage entered with number 9. Which, as a 3-litre car, fits the numbering bill.

Glancing at the DNAs in Wimpffen, there was a Serenissima entry for another birdcage for Scarlatti/Abate that was scheduled to have number 18, but as that number went to the Moss/Hill Aston, I'm betting that the Scarlatti/Abate car would have worn the 8 (some numbers changed from the test day to the race). So presumably Volpi just kept the number he had been allocated.

The Moss/Hill Ferrari, of course.

The Autosport preview, the week before the race, showed number 8 as a Maserati. The race report merely said that it wasn't explained why a small car had number 8.

[Aykay]

Looking at a combination of photo's from Autosport, June 23rd and Motor Sport , July, shows the Abarth certainly didn't start near the front, but there seems no logic to the line up. 1,2,3,4,5 are Astons, the first three being GT's and then two DBR1/300's followed by 9,6,7 Masarati then 10 & 11 Ferrari.

[Barry Boor]

Logic there certainly was. The first three Astons had 3.7 litre engines which automatically placed them at the head of the line. There were numerous 3.0 litre cars, which came next, but exactly how these were allocated numbers may have been somewhat arbitrary.

[Jerry Entin]

Barry: Not arbitrary, but the result of the organizers not knowing what the exact engine sizes were, especially for the Tipo 63 Maseratis, until they showed up for scrutineering. By then the race numbers had been allocated.

Briggs Cunningham received race numbers 6 and 7, but his V12 Maserati engines were experimental. Number 6 measured 2,989 cc, Number 7 measured 2,984 cc.

Count Volpi planned to enter two V12 Maseratis and received numbers 8 and 9. One of them was not finished in time after running at the Nurburgring two weeks earlier. As a result, Volpi replaced his number 8 Maserati entry with a 701 cc Abarth. Volpi's number 9 Maserati V12 had an experimental engine as well and turned out to be 2,990 cc. Based on the Le Mans convention it was placed ahead of the Cunningham cars on the starting grid, with the Abarth towards the end of the line-up.

Since the Aston Martins had larger 3,670 cc [the DB4GTs] and 2,993 cc [the DBR1s] engine capacities, they headed the grid. The Ferrari engines [2,961 cc for number 10, and 2,953cc for the rest] were smaller than the Maseratis and were lined up behind them.

all research: Willem Oosthoek