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Penske Ferrari 512S at Le Mans 1971


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#1 cabianca

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Posted 04 November 2015 - 14:25

At Le Mans in 1971, Roger Penske's Ferrari 512 was entered by Luigi Chinetti. Does anyone know why this happened. Roger had entered the car under his name in previous races. Was Penske's application rejected by the organizers, leaving Chinetti as an insider to get Roger's car into the race?



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#2 Tim Murray

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Posted 04 November 2015 - 17:03

The Penske 512M appears to have been a late entry. According to the race report in Autosport:
 

Penske decided to do this race when he abandoned his original plan to rebuild the Kirk F. White-owned 512M as a CanAm car, and was able to take over one of the NART entries


Edited by Tim Murray, 04 November 2015 - 17:05.


#3 cabianca

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Posted 04 November 2015 - 19:47

Many thanks, Tim. I had a feeling it was a late entry issue.



#4 Ray Bell

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Posted 04 November 2015 - 21:35

It wasn't exactly as Autosport reported...

Details from Mark Donohue - Technical Excellence at Speed by Mike Argetsinger reveal no plans to go into Can-Am with the Ferrari:
 

Kirk F. White was an entrepreneurial dealer in European classic sports cars, particularly Ferraris. In 1970 White was said to be the largest-volume exotic car dealer in America, with a main office in Philadephia and stores in Miami, Indianapolis and Berkeley, California. Through his friendship with Roger Penske's brother, David, Kirk had come to know Roger.

Kirk F. White Motor Cars was in the west Philadelphia suburb of Overbrook near Roger's Chevrolet dealership. Both men were in the habit of coming (sic) to work early, and one day at 7:00a.m., Roger paid a brief call at Kirk's office.

"I've got a good idea," Roger told Kirk. "Why don't you get some of your customers and investors together and we'll round up a 512 Ferrari and run for the World Manufacturers Championship. Let me know - I've got to go."

With that Roger was back in his car and gone, but the simply expressed idea appealed to Kirk. He brought in friends Roberts "Bobs" Harrison, Richard "Jerry" Riegal, and three others. Kirk wrote Roger a three-page letter agreeing to buy the car and parts with the understanding that Penske Racing would prepare the car and race it."

"While Kirk was looking for the right Ferrari, he had another call from Roger, who now said that buying a Porsche 917 might be the way to go instead. Kirk said if that was the case then he was out, since his friends and investors were pro-Ferrari guys and not at all interested in Porsches. "The 512S we isolated was chassis 1040, which was owned by Steve Earle and Chris Cord and being raced in Can-Am by Jim Adams, with legendary hot-rodder Doane Spencer as mechanic," recalls White. It was the available car that had been the least abused. They were coming to Mid-Ohio to run the Can-Am on August 23 and agreed to sell us the car after the race for $28,000 if we thought it looked good."

At Mid-Ohio on August 23 Bob Bondurant, whose Lola had dropped out early in the race, finished the race in the Ferrari in seventh place when Adams was overwhelmed by the sweltering heat, Doane Spencer delivered the Ferrari 512 S spyder to Kirk White Motor Cars.

"The car was on our premises for two or three hours before the Penske transporter arrived and took it away," recalls White. "it was the last time we saw it for quite a while." When the Ferrari arrived at Newtown Square, John Woodard recalls that "it was really beat." Mark told Woody, "We're going to rebuild this thing and turn it into a coupe and race it at Daytona."

Mark immediately began setting up the car. He was experimenting on the skid pad at Marcus Hook with a locked differential on the Ferrari and wanted to find out how it worked on a track. Winter was closing in, but he returned to Summit Point Raceway because he could "get on for $5 a day." He and Woody arrived un announced to find the track booked for the day by a go-kart club.

Mark waited patiently, sitting on the pit-lane guardrail and visiting with track manager Pat Goodman, waiting for a break in the action. He told Goodman, "I don't need much time to find out what I need to know." According to Goodman, when Mark did go out on the track he lapped the two-mile course at 1:09, the fastest time that had ever been seen there. Goodman remembered that the spectacle: "You could actually see dust rise from the bridge planking when he went under."

What impressed Goodman most was Mark's complete lack of pretentiousness. "That was the kind of man Mark was; he would tell bad jokes and laugh while [the go-karters] used the track instead of insisting to be allowed to practice with his Ferrari."

The week after Thanksgiving, Roger and Mark went to the Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy, where they were warmly received.
The Ferrari f12 M was the factory's updated version of the 512 S. Ferrari was offering a parts package that allowed private owners to make the update.

Penske/White bought most of the package, so although Penske's modifications went far beyond the factory's, the White/Penske car is generally considered a 512 M. When they came to settle up they realized the enthusiasm at Ferrari for their project did not extend to any discounts.


Moving on from the above (from pages 194 & 5) to page 212:
 

Entering the 512 M at Le Mans had been difficult, with the organizers rejecting the team for filing too late. Finally Luigi Chinetti allowed Roger one of his entries, and the car carried a small NART logo. Penske's expenses between the Daytona and Sebring accidents were staggering, and Kirk F. White Enterprises already ahd a six-figure investment in the Ferrari. It was Mark who went to White to negotiate for more money to go to Le Mans, and White agreed to foot the bill.


I imagine the last bit means that Penske went into heavy negotiations, perhaps paying money to Chinetti to enable the entry. Presumably it also means that one of Chinetti's cars didn't run.



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Edited by Ray Bell, 04 November 2015 - 21:38.


#5 Jerry Entin

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Posted 05 November 2015 - 00:51

 
Al Bochroch's book Americans at Le Mans contains some background information on the car, including an interview with Kirk White. The 521S was bought by him from owners Chris Cord and Steve Earle for $28,000 in August 1970. Within a year White had spent $258,000 on improvements.
 
As for Le Mans 1971, the book mentions: "Penske's invitation to enter the 24 Hours had come from Luigi Chinetti and, at Luigi's advice, the Kirk White group, which totaled 30, stayed at the Moderne, Le Mans' best hotel."
 
Chinetti had established a number of entry slots earlier in the year and offered White one of them under the NART umbrella.
 
All research: Willem Oosthoek


#6 Ray Bell

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Posted 05 November 2015 - 01:05

That all agrees...

Including the bit about no discounts!