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Well, let's keep it alive:

 

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John -

I figured that if anyone got it it would be you.  Generally there's a very significant lag between Ferrari announcing a new model and their being out there to see.  I was both surprised and delighted to see one.  Your turn

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Thanks, Stuart. The chief reason it came to me quickly and I was able to identify this car is not because I'm obsessed with this stuf, nor do I think of myself as a 'fan-boy' Ferrari geek, but a few years back I seriously considered buying a new 458 Ferrari after 20 years of playing with Porsches...........when just about the time I was actually going to go through with this one of the Ferrari magazines featured a story of Eric Clapton's pininfarina-designed multi-million dollar 'custom' 458, altered to look like one of his then favorite Ferraris, namely the 512 BB. He was quite serious about having Maranello put in a V-12, but engineering put their foot down and said "absolutely not", so it stayed a 'normal' V8, but that article and the photos made me realize just how ordinary & dowdy the 458 actually appeared, and that so many of my automotive fantasies where simply massive overreach and I forgot all about the whole idea. The new Stradale hybrid actually contains a many of the styling details PF dveloped for Clapton's one-off, especially the area of the 'flying buttress' and the rear fender air scoop.

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For the next puzzle car, please identify the year and the exact model of the car shown.

JZG

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The rear window got me thinking 250 LM right away, and the black crackle dashboard and Nardi or Nardi-like thin steering wheel were also on that car, as well as other Ferraris of that era.  I can only guess the year as '64

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35 minutes ago, hektor said:

Ferrari are becoming uglier by the year, or am I just showing my age.   IMHO there hasn't been one I have desired since the death of Enzo.

It's called Historical Aging Complex.. B)

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Well spotted, indeed it is. I thought it would take a little longer and require more hints, given how vanishingly rare this model is, and how seldom they come out to play.

Thanks for participating, your turn.

JZG

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13 minutes ago, John Z. Goriup said:

Well spotted, indeed it is. I thought it would take a little longer and require more hints, given how vanishingly rare this model is, and how seldom they come out to play.

Thank you, John.

I must admit I only recognised it so readily because I was fortunate enough to get up close and personal with Anthony Bamford's example quite recently and found the cowled rear window area to be of particular interest as it was the first time I had properly noticed the feature.

OK; would anyone like to have a guess at something even more rare than a '64 GTO?

It might be that, eventually, I will have to drop several very helpful hints but here goes anyhow...

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Philip.

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The design reminds me of Colani, although the open engine does not fit in with his fanatism regarding aerodynamics. Or is there a bonnet that could be closed (must look quite odd though)?

 

 

Edited by a.j.z
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27 minutes ago, a.j.z said:

The design reminds me of Colani, although the open engine does not fit in with his fanatism regarding aerodynamics

Not by Colani, a.j.z., but definitely European if that's a small help. I'm not sure exactly how the bodywork was intended to be completed - it is a museum exhibit and information was scant to say the very least!

I'm beginning to think I've probably chosen something a bit too unusual and obscure. As far as I know this is the only design study / prototype ever made so unless someone has actually come across this very exhibit...

One further clue is that, apparently (and somewhat unbelievably - considering that engine and its layout), the base for the project was an exceptionally well-known, long-lived sports car from an extremely famous constructor.

Here's a whole lot more of it. I have double-checked and it CAN be seen out there in WWWebland.........if you know where to look! I'll leave some of the very distinctive museum floor in this next image as that might be of more help than showing even more of the car would be!

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Pip.

 

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4 hours ago, maximilianm3 said:

The camber of the rear wheels suggests that it's based on an swing axle beetle platform or something similar

Well, that was certainly the ancestor of the intended donor-platform, Maximilian, so you are the closest so far!

Here's part of the (slightly unbelievable for obvious reasons!) information card which attended upon the vehicle in question and a full-length snap in the slender hope that it might help someone's memory to click!

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If no-one gets any closer I'll post something REALLY helpful...

Philip.

EDIT : Incidentally the Tricolore in the first of these snaps denotes the manufacturer's country of origin...

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1 hour ago, stuny said:

The engine suggests a 924 or a 914 was the donor

 

I couldn't speak for the 924 Stuart but, happily, I can assure you that the engine in the snap is nothing like the 'beast' found lurking amidships in a 914 which was, essentially, a derivative of the pre-war-designed flat-four VW engine. This new powerplant was designed specifically for use in the 914-4 (for Porsche) and  VW's upcoming 'Type 4' series. The 914-6, of course (3,306 examples?), made use of the recently supplanted 2.0 litre flat six from the '69 911 as, for the 1970 season, the 911 was going to receive an enlarged 2.2 litre version.

Just for fits and giggles (apologies in advance for the snap not having been taken on a Leica!) here's a slightly more youthful me with my '73 914-4 2.0 litre;

 

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As far as the mystery-car is concerned it might be worthwhile googling Musee Automobile Vendee......

Sincere apologies for posting something simply too obscure, it would seem, to have given anyone a sporting chance. 'Must Do Better' as my teachers were wont to remark. In the 22 years I've been a member of the Porsche Club GB I'd never once caught wind of the existence of this thing so in retrospect perhaps I was hoping for too much from the members here!

Philip.

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