Ferrari Brazilundrums

Can any of the record keepers help with a Ferraris in Brazil conundrum - or since there are two of them perhaps that should be 'conundra'?

1 - Fernando Mascarenhas had a 3-litre 750 Monza-engined Mondial-chassised sports car which he used in Portugal late in 1955 - but did he then ever race this car in Brazil 1955-56 or later? Previous Brazilian appearances of Mascarenhas in 1954, for example, involve a different Ferrari so don't come into this...

2 - Franco Cortese had a 2-litre Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa which appeared in European races 1956-58, last appearing in the Messina 10-Hours '58, co-driven by the veteran Cortese and Gaetano Starrabba - from memory. Can anyone produce any evidence of a late-arriving 500TR appearing in Brazilian racing towards the back end of 1958 or perhaps in 1959-60?

I believe both cars ended-up re-engined with Chevy power.

Just another puzzle...

DCN

Dear Doug,

As a matter of fact I've seen a photograph of a Scaglietti(sp?) Testa Rossa a few months ago, on a Brazilian magazine, while I was with a friend, in his house. IIRC, it was a meeting with old cars in a nearby city; the Testa Rossa was side by side with 2 Dinos and a 330(?).
I will contact my friend and try to find out if that car could be related to your puzzle, even though I think I've read it was a 1959 model...
I will post here later if something valuable arises.

Panzani,
Was that Testa Rossa a 500 (2-litre) of the type Doug is seeking, or a 250TR (3-litre)?

Doug,
My (very sparse) Brazilian records of the period do not mention either of your cars, but then the magazines seemed content to mention drivers without any make of car, let alone the model, so it's not easy. Sameiro's Portuguese-entered 750 Monza did however race in Brazil in 1955

Have now checked more of my records (which I should have done earlier). They say Mascarenhas sold the Monza he had raced in Portugal (0524M) before the end of 1955 to Antonio Borges Barretto, and that the car was destroyed in the new owner’s fatal accident the following year. Of course some parts could have been salvaged and the car reconstructed, but surely not in time for it to race in Brazil in 1956

Originally posted by David McKinney
[B]Panzani,
Was that Testa Rossa a 500 (2-litre) of the type Doug is seeking, or a 250TR (3-litre)?

You are right, David. It was a rebuilt 250GTO, V12 2953cc, using original chassis and engine.

Sorry for the false 'alarm' Doug...

Originally posted by David McKinney
Have now checked more of my records (which I should have done earlier). They say Mascarenhas sold the Monza he had raced in Portugal (0524M) before the end of 1955 to Antonio Borges Barretto, and that the car was destroyed in the new owner’s fatal accident the following year. Of course some parts could have been salvaged and the car reconstructed, but surely not in time for it to race in Brazil in 1956

Just to clarify that the proper spelling of the driver's name is António de Borges Barreto, full name António Joaquim de Borges Barreto.

Thankyou Muzza

Just to revive this, I have only recently seen photographic proof that the Mascarenhas, Barreto special-bodied tail-finned Ferrari became that raced by Fritz d'Orey in Brazil post-1956 - it retains the distinctive trimmed-edge side air vent of the Mascarenhas/Barreto car but the ritzy tail fins atop each rear wing had been amputated.

We have what appears to be that original body right now, and it has riveted-in yard-long aluminium patches right where the fins would have been mounted. Not conclusive - because the bodywork might merely have required patching where larger-sized tyres had worn through in later, less-loved, life...but the scenario seems to be piecing together fairly convincingly...

There is strong evidence that this car - chassis '0560MD' - was sold after Barreto's death to a Brazilian owner for whom it was entered under the auspices of the Sao Paulo Automovil Club in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1,000 Kilometres race. Co-driven there by Herminio Ferreira Filho and Godofredo Vianna (??? spellings in both cases???), finishing in a worthy ninth place overall. The car went to Fritz d'Orey after the Filho/Vianna partnership's appearance in it.

DCN

So these would be two of the cars featured in C&SC's "Lost and Found" column then? Sounds a fascinating story, but why on earth would anybody store six classic Ferraris in the attic of a Birmingham bungalow?

Errr - actually the story has been somewhat 'improved' in the re-telling. But many parts were in fact stored in that manner....just don't imagine them as being fully assembled at that time into complete cars.

DCN

Originally posted by Vitesse2
So these would be two of the cars featured in C&SC's "Lost and Found" column then? Sounds a fascinating story, but why on earth would anybody store six classic Ferraris in the attic of a Birmingham bungalow?

All sounds a bit 'Brocketesque' !

Oh QUITE the reverse!!!!

This owner absolutely LOVED his cars first and foremost and had/has a deeply abiding GENUINE enthusiasm and interest for and in them...

Not like the other bloke at all -

DCN

Relieved to hear it - not being familiar with the story , there was not a lot to go on in this thread,.

Having recently re-watched the 1/2 hr documentary about the gentleman from Welwyn made just prior to his enforced stay at HM's Hotels, the whole story is even more horrifying than I remember, with the harm done to nearest but perhaps not so dearest as well as some fine motor cars.

I never cease to be amazed why people feel the urge to dismantle thoroghbred motor cars either leave them in bits for years until much has been lost or 'improve' them with a less satisfactory foreign power unit.

Originally posted by Doug Nye
Just to revive this, I have only recently seen photographic proof that the Mascarenhas, Barreto special-bodied tail-finned Ferrari became that raced by Fritz d'Orey in Brazil post-1956 - it retains the distinctive trimmed-edge side air vent of the Mascarenhas/Barreto car but the ritzy tail fins atop each rear wing had been amputated.

We have what appears to be that original body right now, and it has riveted-in yard-long aluminium patches right where the fins would have been mounted. Not conclusive - because the bodywork might merely have required patching where larger-sized tyres had worn through in later, less-loved, life...but the scenario seems to be piecing together fairly convincingly...

There is strong evidence that this car - chassis '0560MD' - was sold after Barreto's death to a Brazilian owner for whom it was entered under the auspices of the Sao Paulo Automovil Club in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1,000 Kilometres race. Co-driven there by Herminio Ferreira Filho and Godofredo Vianna (??? spellings in both cases???), finishing in a worthy ninth place overall. The car went to Fritz d'Orey after the Filho/Vianna partnership's appearance in it.

DCN

Spelling is correct but there are few remarks. To be right you should use accents and change the words order:

Automóvel Clube de São Paulo ( Automovil is spanish)

Hermínio

I'm not a car expert, at least for european standards. But I know there are no GTO's here and never were. The GTO was a réplica using an original 250.
This particular car was owned by the famous brazilian driver Camilo Cristófaro that raced it with some success. Won a important race in Rio de Janeiro. I think it was 500 km da Guanabara (Guanabara used to be the name of the forme Federal District in the city of Rio de Janeiro, but this is another history)

Automóvel

Doug

Have been abroad for a few weeks and so only now am I catching up with new threads. I'm a bit puzzled my this one. Do you have a photo of the Mascarenhas car in question?

Barreto was killed in 1957, not 1956, at Forez and "your" car could not have been the one raced in the 1957 BA 1000km IF it was sold after his death. However, Barreto was killed in a 2 litre 500TR not a 3.0 750/S so it is likely Barreto could have sold "your" car at the end of 1956 before purchasing the 2 litre car and "your" car may therefore be the ex-Mascarenhas, ex-Barreto 750S.

The drivers of the car at the 1957 BA 1000km are listed as Herminio Ferrreira Filho and Godofredo Vianni. During the 1957 season in Brazil the only drivers to compete with similar names were Godofredo Viani Filho and Ico Ferreira. Both drove 3 litre Ferraris. Ferreira's car was a very elegant 750S but with no tail fins. This car was sometimes driven by Celso Lara Barberis who imported a 250TR the following year.

According to the information I have, during 1957 A.Federico d'Orey, now better known as Fritz, drove a Porsche 550RS and I have no record of him in a Ferrari until 1958. Then it was a Chevy-engined single-seater that looked a bit like a F1 375 but was more likely a copy. It was whilst driving this car Fangio suggested he should try his hand in Europe in 1959.

Besides driving the Porsche during 1957 d'Orey had a one-off drive in the 4th round of the Brazilian Championship when he drove a Sudan Especial Mk 1 of 5,200cc engine size in the Mecania Nacional class. This, I do not think, was a Ferrari as there was another entry in the race, a Mk2 Sudan Especial.

As has been mentioned before in other threads Ferraris were identified in Brazil, as a type, by their original engine capacity. A 3000cc Ferrari may well have been re-engined with a V8 Chevy but it would retain the 3000cc designation.

Hope this isn't confusing the issue.

John

The Mascarenhas Ferraris ...

In its March to June 2001 editions, the now defunct Portuguese Magazine "Jornal Classicos" published a four part story "Ferrari em Portugal", written by sometimes TNF-poster Carlos Guerra (Hello, still around at the forum ?). According to his findings, Mascarenhas was linked with the following cars:

a) Mascarenhas' first Ferrari was a 225 S Spider Vignale, s/n 0200 ED: He raced this car in 1952; in 1953 in went to Joaquim Filipe Nogueira and in 1955 it was owned by Fernando Pinto Basto. In the late 1950s, it was purchased by the Angolan car club, and raced in Angola. Later car and engine were separated: the motor went into the 166 MM Barchetta Touring, s/n 0056 M (in the 1990s with Robert van Zyl, in Johannesburg); the chassis is reported missing.

b) For 1953 Mascarenhas purchased a 250 MM, s/n 0326 MM. It was with this car that he crashed spectacularly in the GP Jubileu at Lisbon, thrusting through the wall of (an at the time fortunately unoccupied) classroom at a school to leave a 6 m² whole! The car was repaired, and sold for the 1955 season to young António Borges Barreto from Évora. After Barreto's death at Saint-Étienne in 1957 (in a 500 TRC Spider Scaglietti, s/n 0694 MDTR), the car went to Nuno Salvacao Barreto at Póvoa de Varzim, who kept it for almost 20 years, before selling in 1976 to somebody in Lisbon, and later to Veniero Molari and Giulio Vignale. The car was restored in Italy, then sold to Germany, and was at the time of writing in Hongkong.

c) In 1955 Mascarenhas raced a 750 Monza, s/n 0560 MD - not stated in Guerra's article, but obviously one of the Mondials upgraded to a Monza. With this car Mascarenhas was third at Tangiers, DNF at Oporto, 6th at Lisbon and 2nd at Vila do Conde, in September. In 1956, this car was owned and raced by António Borges Barreto - no further information ...

d) For 1956 Mascarenhas did not buy a new Ferrari for racing - for that he had got a Maserati 300S and also a Maserati 150S - but for plane private transport. He purchased a 410 Super America Coupe Pininfarina, s/n 0489 SA, in late July. No racing car, but Mascarenhas was to die in this car - in a private race from Lisbon to Madrid, in the night of 4 August 1956. The car was repaired, and sold to the US, where it still is.

Focussing on the original question ... should be 0560 MD?

Precisely...

Here is the chassis and the body which come up for sale as Lot 642 in the rather inaccurately-named Bonhams auction sale of the A.J.Lees Collection of "Competition Ferrari Chassis and Related Parts" - to be held at the RAF Museum Hendon in north London on Monday, April 26.





Look closely above the rear wheel arches and rivetted-on patches are just visible here where the original vertical fin-blades sat in Mascarenhas's ownership. When raced in South America by d'Orey they had already been removed and the area made good and repainted. Patches have also been rivetted onto the front wing crowns, however, possibly to repair damage caused by gravel or stones flung up from rough roads, or from running oversize wheels and tyres perhaps in later, Chevrolet-engined, life? This feature may explain the rear wheel-arch patches, of course, nothing to do with making good the panelling after tail fin removal AT ALL. However, other features of the body, such as a right-side intake scoop just ahead of the rear wheel arch and the shape of the engine hot-air exit vents each side abaft the front wheel arches match features of the Mascarenhas/Barreto bodywork.

In part (my) Sale description of the car reads as follows - offering one previous history in 2-litre form, preceding the 3-litre spec, although there's evidence that the car was indeed born as a full 3-litre and the frame never did carry the 2-litre motor. I hope you're still with me on this, but there are exceedingly complex reasons why the full possibilities of both 2-litre and 3-litre origination have to be presented...whichever way you slice it, it's a remarkable survivor and one a long time hidden from public gaze, and enthusiast knowledge...

The Ex-Fernando de Mascarenhas/Borges Barreto
1955 3-litre FERRARI 500/750 MONDIAL/MONZA Spider Corsa
SPORTS-RACING TWO-SEATER

Chassis No: 0560MD

This quite remarkable Lot is the perhaps the most complete so-called ‘restoration project’ Ferrari sports-racing car that we have ever had the privilege to offer.

Fresh from the Lees Collection it comprises 3-litre 4-cylinder Ferrari 750 Monza specification, offered complete with a restored original rolling chassis, featuring ready-installed engine and transmission and accompanied by what is believed to be the original lightweight aluminium bodyshell in what might most charitably be described as ‘tired’ but (with skill and care) restorable condition…

The chassis offered here is associated with two varying versions of the competition history, one beginning life as a works 2-litre Mondial before conversion for customer sale into 3-litre Monza configuration, while the other – probably more compelling – has the car in private-customer 3-litre 750 Monza form right ‘from birth.

Fascinatingly, both feature the car as having become the strikingly two-tone liveried, special-bodied Mascarenhas/Barreto tail-finned machine of 1955-56 – easily one of the most startling-looking and futuristically distinctive of all front-engined Ferrari sports-racing cars of the 1950s.

Upon the tubular chassis frame’s front cross-member are surviving very faint traces of a chassis serial number stamping which is believed to be that applied to chassis‘0560MD’. Not only Mr Derek Lees and ourselves but also several Ferrari specialists who have closely examined the frame while it has been in our hands believe this to be probably the genuine marking on this structure.

Chassis serial ‘0560MD’ is recorded as having been the identifying mark of the fifth of Ferrari’s 500 Mondial Series II Spider Corsa models to have been manufactured, combining the Tipo 510 chassis with the 2-litre 4-cylinder twin-cam racing engine. If this received history is accurate, ‘0560’ as originated at the height of the 1955 competition season was taken onto the Ferrari works racing team inventory in the long factory halls at Maranello, where it was prepared initially for the great Biellese driver Umberto Maglioli to campaign in the Shell Cup sports car race at Imola, on June 19 that year.

Maglioli drove the car in question home into second place in that event, after which this historical thread suggests that it was then transported across to Portugal for the following weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix race for sports cars on the Boavista circuit in which it was driven by local Ferrari customer Fernando de Mascarenhas, who unfortunately failed to finish. However, the alternative version of this history has Mascarenhas driving a 3-litre – not 2-litre – car in that event which would have been ‘0560MD’ running already with the larger engine installed.

If his car in that event was indeed the works-operated 2-litre – which had merely been loaned to Mascarenhas for the Portuguese GP event, perhaps due to late completion/delivery (or return) of a car which he had ordered, or was having factory-serviced – this 2-litre Mondial in question was then returned to works team duties for the national Italian mountain-climb event at Bolzano-Mendola on July 3.

There the car was entrusted to none other than the legendary Eugenio Castellotti, who promptly won that event overall, setting fastest time of the day and being photographed in the process, as depicted on page 96 of the 1956 "Primavera Bresciana" Mille Miglia yearbook. One week later that same car reappeared in the stylish and charismatic Castellotti’s well-manicured hands in the major Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti event, in which he again won overall. This major success is recorded by photographs of the triumphant occasion published on page 168/169 of Gianni Cancellieri and Cesare de Agostini’s book “Polvere e Gloria - La Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti 1947-1956” and on pages 59 and 108/109 of Cesare de Agostini’s book “Castellotti - A Stolen Heart”.

Seven days after the Dolomites Cup victory, Castellotti’s team-mate – emergent Belgian star Olivier Gendebien – took over what this version of history has identified as ‘0560’ to win his 2-litre Sport class and to set second fastest time overall at the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo mountain-climb, after which this highly successful sports-racing Ferrari was finally sold and delivered to Fernando de Mascarenhas in Portugal.

However, French Ferrari sports-racing car authority Antoine Prunet – energetic researcher on the subject and author of ‘Ferrari Sports Racing and Prototype Competition Cars’ (EPA Paris and Foulis 1983) - has examined the chassis, engine, transmission and body offered in this Lot and he has expressed the opinion that ‘0560MD’ as offered here truly began life as a 750 Monza, built for the Portuguese customer.

As early as May 29, 1955 Fernando Penalva de Mascarenhas - 9th Marques de Fronteira, Marques de Alorna, Conde da Torre, de Coculian & de Assumar - raced the car in the Tangiers Grand Prix. It is pictured in its special-bodied two-tone liveried, tail-finned form in ‘Ferrari 1955’ – the factory’s much celebrated and sought-after annual yearbook – making its third-place finish at Tangiers, in which completed a Ferrari 1-2-3 success headed by the standard-bodied cars of fellow Portuguese owner-drivers, Jose Arroyo Nogueira Pinto and Joaquim Felipe Nogueira.

On July 24, 1955, Mascarenhas ran the car in the Lisbon Grand Prix for sports cars, finishing in sixth place overall, and later that same season he reappeared in the car at Vila do Conde, finishing second. The car’s uniquely modified body style with two-tone red and white paint scheme, bright-metal side-strips and engine air-vent trim, tyre-cooling intakes cut into the aluminium just ahead of the rear-wheel arches and – of course – those ‘Flash Gordon’ tail fins, was entirely distinctive.

Into 1956, Fernando de Mascarenhas sold the car to his compatriot Antonio Borges Barreto. He had two sister sports-racing Ferraris which he campaigned, driving one as a 2-litre 4-cylinder 500 Mondial in the Oporto Grand Prix for sports cars on June 17, 1956, finishing fourth overall. His second Ferrari sports-racing car – a 500TR Testa Rossa chassis serial ‘0694MD/TR’ (we believe) - was the car in which this enthusiastic Portuguese owner-driver then lost his life in a head-on collision with Piero Carini’s car during the Forez 6-Hour race in France, having crashed across the central median dividing strip on a section of dual carriageway being used for that race..
After his death Barreto’s ‘0560’ was lost to public gaze within Europe, and it was in fact sold to Portuguese-speaking Brazil. There it was owned and campaigned by Ico Ferreira, entered under the auspices of the Sao Paulo Automovil Club and was co-driven in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1,000 Kilometres World Championship-qualifying sports car race by Herminio Ferreira Filho and Godofredo Vianna, finishing in a worthy ninth place overall.

The distinctive bodywork was modified to more standard Monza appearance, by removal of the tail fins, it was repainted, and went on to achieve a number of minor successes in the hands of future TecMec Formula 1 racing driver Fritz d’Orey – amongst others.

The car appears subsequently to have been converted from Ferrari 4-cylinder power to accept a cheap, readily available Chevrolet engine before it fell into disuse and dereliction.

The complete rolling chassis – we understand - subsequently re-emerged in the 1970s and was acquired by Mr Derek Lees – complete with the remaining original bodywork - from Antique Automobiles Ltd of Peterborough in November 1978. His purchase included an engine cylinder block and other components, all Customs duties and taxes paid.

The 2-litre Ferrari 500 Mondial and 3-litre 750 Monza models shared virtually common chassis designs, and Mr Lees decided to make his freshly retrieved chassis the basis of a 750 Monza restoration – using another 3-litre 4-cylinder engine – internal number ‘42 MZ’ – acquired from Richard Merritt.

The entire project was entrusted for many years – on an extremely low-priority basis - to the highly-respected Hall & Fowler restoration company at Folkingham Aerodrome, Lincolnshire in England. Further work was later carried out on the project by Church Green Engineering, to the level seen today, complete with body shaping superstructure tubing welded into place, engine and transmission installed and the car standing on its wheels.


Most interestingly examination of the original body panelling offered with this Lot reveals repair panels riveted into place on the crown of the rear wings – perhaps significantly in the position which would have been occupied originally by the Mascarenhas/Barreto vertical tail fins. There is also evidence in this ultra-light, razor-thin original panelling of a cooling vent situated just ahead of a rear wheel-arch. Patches have also been riveted into the front wing crowns, so possibly the bodywork suffered damage in these areas from oversized wheels and tyres having been fitted at some juncture.

However one may regard this Ferrari 750 Monza restoration project, it is offered here in a relatively well advanced state, and with the attached potential of the Mascarenhas/Barreto identity it has the makings of an entirely unique sports-racing Ferrari which would prove utterly distinctive on circuit or public road in Vintage and historic racing or touring events, yet equally upon the Concours field. Full details of components offered with this Lot are available upon application.

ENDS

Ho hum - DCN

Doug

From my records I have the following pictures from the newspaper "O Estado de Sao Paulo". In 1957 there was a 6 round championship, celebrating the Cinquentenario do ACB, held at Interlagos. Two 750S Monzas competed regularly in the sports car class driven by Ico Ferreira and Celso Lara Barberis, although Barberis also drove a central seater sports Ferrari in some rounds. Apologies for the quality of the photocopied photographs.

Ico Ferreira April 57 R 2.
http://homepage.ntlw.....0April 57.jpg

Celso Lara Barberis April 57 R2
http://homepage.ntlw.....20July 57.jpg

Barberis Oct 57 R5
http://homepage.ntlw...s... Oct 57.jpg

Ferreira Nov 57 R6
http://homepage.ntlw...s... Nov 57.jpg


John

When the ex-Mascarenhas, ex-Ferreira, ex-d'Orey (and others?) Ferrari 500/750 was sold, this thread had probaly fullfilled his purpose.

However, when I found

this

I started to wonder if there is not more life in it ...

From humphries' contribution it seems clear that there were apparently two cars of the 500/750 type in Brazil. The story of one seems to be rather clear now - but what happend to the Barberis car?

Reading the text mentioned above, it seems not unlikely the Barberis car went to Paschoal Nastromagario in 1958, and from him later to Roberto Gallucci ... Anybody around to confirme that and to add details? And what car from the 500/750 range was it? And its later live???

Who can help?

Prompted by 0560 MD being mentionned in the current Mugello thread, I gave this one another shot. To no avail, as still can't make any sens of it. Maybe someone has a clearer view on this ?

What I know for a fact is the following : portugese driver Fernando de Mascarenhas raced in 1955 a distinctive 750 Monza with little tail finns. At the same time, the Scuderia Ferrari kept for his own use several 500 Mondial (3 cars at the Shell Grand Prix for example), which raced on italian national races and hillclimbs for 2 litres.

What I don't understand is...well, everything else :

- how could Mascarenhas's 750 Monza be linked to 0560 MD as it is commonly known, that is with an all different body than the tail finned car ?
- if Mascarenhas's car had nothing to do with 0560 MD, what car was that ?
- if Mascarnheas's car was indeed 0560 MD, why this number is associated with a works Mondial ?
- some sources state that Mascarenhas's Monza was 0524 M, bought from fellow racer Camisiro de Oliveira. But on june 25 at Boavista, both Mascarenhas and Oliveira raced their 750 Monza, so it can't be the same car...

Here, for those interested, the 1955 appearances of Mascarenhas's 750 Monza and 500 Mondial 0560 MD as they are (were ?) usualy accepted :

May 29, Tangier Grand Prix,
Mascarenhas, 750 Monza with finns

June 19, Shell Grand Prix, Imola
Maglioli, 500 Mondial 0560 MD

June 25, Grande Premio de Portugal, Boavista
Mascarenhas, 750 Monza with finns
photo in "Triumph and Tragedy", Kaltenbach, p127
also raced de Oliveira, 750 Monza 0524 M (?)

July 3, Bolzano-Mendola
Castellotti, 500 Mondial 0560 MD

July 10, Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti
Castellotti, 500 Mondial 0560 MD
photo in Polvere e Gloria, p169
photo in "Triumph and Tragedy", Kaltenbach, p128

July 17, Aosta-Gran San Bernardo
Gendebien, 500 Mondial 0560 MD

July 24, Grande Premio de Lisboa, Monsanto
Mascarenhas, 750 Monza with finns

Sept 11, Circuito Vila do Condo
Mascarenhas, 750 Monza with finns


What do you guys think ?

Originally posted by O Volante
[B]The Mascarenhas Ferraris ...


d) For 1956 Mascarenhas did not buy a new Ferrari for racing - for that he had got a Maserati 300S and also a Maserati 150S - but for plane private transport. He purchased a 410 Super America Coupe Pininfarina, s/n 0489 SA, in late July. No racing car, but Mascarenhas was to die in this car - in a private race from Lisbon to Madrid, in the night of 4 August 1956. The car was repaired, and sold to the US, where it still is.

Just found the topic and would throw some detail of the tragedy:
In his way from Modena to Lisbon at the wheel of his brand new 0489SA, Fernando Mascarenhas, Marquis de Fronteira, visited his friend and Leopoldo "Polo" Villaamil, a noted gentleman-driver from Madrid, and a proud Pegaso owner, to show his latest adquisition. Just few words afterwards decided to find out who would reach the airport (some ten miles away of wide deserted motorway) first so, late night of August, 4th 1956, duelled at full throtle. Fernando was close behind Polo when suddenly apeared the exit round to the Air terminal in the dark. Polo standed on the brakes and avoided the obstacle but the smart berlinetta PegasoTouring -chassis 0140- finished on the nearby field upside down. Polo escaped with some bruises. Fernando, hidden by his friend, impacted head-on against the round wall.