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[cabianca]

In the 1958 Monza Race of Two Worlds, Luigi Chinetti entered a single-seat 375 s/n 0388 for Harry Schell. The car had previously been entered at Indianapolis. Terry O'Neil's new NART book claims that car was fitted with a 4-cam 335 sports car motor for that race. I have never seen any reference to this. However, the car had a 4.5 liter single cam engine when it came to Monza and that same engine when it returned to the states. Since the Indy rules in force limited displacement to 4.2 liters, the question becomes, how was the car allowed to run with the larger displacement.

My theory has always been that since the car was completely non-competitive, the organizers accepted it as presented to have another entrant to add to the meager 12-car field. Is there any written or photographic evidence that the car ever had a 4-cam engine?

 

While on the subject of 0388, there are two theories about the car. One says it was made from scratch, while the other says it was modified from 375 Indy chassis No 1 that Ascari drove at Indy. That chassis had previously had been numbered in the GP series. I lean toward the latter, because chassis No 1 has never turned up. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

 

Many thanks.

[Amorris]

I believe 0388 started life as the Ferrari 375, Villoresi debuted at the Valentino Grand Prix in April 1952. This car was a new Grand Prix car for the 1952 season and had a new space-frame style chassis. Of course, after this race the 4.5 litre formula was replaced with 2 litres for the World Championship. The car only raced twice more, at Silverstone and Boreham, before it seems to disappear. However, I think it was seriously modified and sold to the Chinettis in 1954 to race at Indianapolis. It is also possible it may have been a new build. However Marcel Massini posted on Ferrari Chat last year that 0388 had a 20 year race history starting in 1952 and had been modified and altered many times.

 

Ascari's 1952 Indianapolis car was returned to Maranello and I'm fairly certain it was shortened and used by Ascari at the Buenos Aires City Grand Prix in February 1953 and the Albi Grand Prix in May 1953. Although the car was modified it retained the engine cover, the panel covering the lower chassis and possibly most of the cockpit/scuttle panel. The louvres, screws etc are identical in photos of the car at Indianapolis and latter at Albi and South America. I don't have the dates, but the car was renumbered as 0566 and sold into Uruguay, I think. The remains of it were eventually purchased by Colin Crabbe and then onto the Van der Lofs. 

 

I've attached two pictures. The first is Ascari's Indy car, either in Italy before being sent to America or just after arrival before numbers and advertising were applied. The engine air intake was substantially modified.

The second picture is of the car racing in South America with a V8 engine. The engine cover has been shortened along with the wheelbase. But all the louvres, screws at the bottom of the cockpit scuttle and the small air intake behind the engine cover are identical.

 

Cheers Allan