Name this car....

[Ivan Goriup]

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Indeepthought, not an ISO Rivolta, but you're sort of on the right track re the circumstances under which this genre of cars was made, i.e.  inexpensive, easily obtained mechanicals from one country with 'exotic' hand-made bodywork from another. Unlike other ventures of this sort, which were produced and sold in larger numbers, this model was produced in one very small lot.....all due to industry politics.

JZG

 

[wlaidlaw]

De Tomaso Vallelunga? 

Wilson

[Ivan Goriup]

Sorry Wilson, not one of those either.

You are all in the right ballpark, but since there were quite a few of this type of car, wherein entrepreneurs with access to mass-produced US engines, transmissions and running gear wanted to undercut Ferrari, Maserati and other expensive sports GT makes by combining those mechanicals with the perceived prestige of having them bodied by some of the same coachbuilders who were supplying carrozzerias to the 'real' brands, I think it's important to identify this thing precisely, because the story of American / Italian joint ventures after this model took an historic turn.

I'm not sure it'll help, but here's another visual clue.

JZG

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[pippy]

9 hours ago, Ivan Goriup said:

...in fact, the car was built in Europe on a rolling chassis from another country....

OK; I know this is a VERY long shot (so many thing are wrong for a regular(😸) production model) but are we looking at a special-bodied (Pininfarina?) Pegaso?

Philip.

[Ivan Goriup]

Not a Pegaso, Philip......and I think the time has come to come clean and show what we have here, because it would serve scant purpose to prolong the guessing.

It's a 1959 Scaglietti Corvette, one of three such cars, but as is so frequently the case with little known collector cars it's the story behind the car that may be far more interesting and significant than the car itself.

 

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In the late 1950s, Texas oilman Gary Laughlin raced Ferraris for his pleasure and among his circle of fellow racers and close friends counted Jim Hall, another oil millionaire who went on to fame and success with his ground-breaking Troutman-Barnes designed and built Chapparel series of race cars and the recent 24 hours of La Mans winner and Dallas sports /race car dealer/broker, one Carrol Shelby who more than anything wanted a bread & butter simple and affordable sports car he could sell in the States at lower prices than the expensive and difficult to obtain European brands he handled through his dealership.  During one of the local races the crankshaft in Laughlin's Ferrari cracked, and after fruitlessly trying to secure a replacement at a price that approached the amount he'd paid for the whole race car he simply had enough and essentially said 'to Hell with it' and decided to buid his own racecar, a Ferrari-like GT similar to his own 250 GT, but using cheap, reliable American power which Shelby urged him was easily available & just as effective. So, with his 'partners in crime' Hall & Shelby, they went to work and brainstormed a plan, which included Shelby leaning on then Chevrolet Division president Ed Cole to clandestinely supply three Corvette 283 cu. in. fuel, injected rolling chassis to be shipped to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Maranello, across the street from the Ferrari works, for a trial run of three cars, since Shelby assured everyone that this firm was the perfect fit for what they had thought up. The agreement was that Scaglietti would work on these cars when time was available so as not to endanger his relationship with his 'regular' clientele, and that it would all be cloaked in secrecy. All proceeded swimmingly, until one lovely morning when Enzo himself came calling on his old friend Sergio Scaglietti to check on the status and progress of the contracted run of 250 Tour de France GTs and literally stumbled over three almost-finished coupes, looking for all the world very similar to the Tour de France Coupes. Ferrari bluntly asked Sergio 'what are you doing', upon which Scaglietti sheepishly spilled the beans, and tried to calm Ferrari down by rationalizing that he was 'only making these three'. 'Good' said Enzo coldly, 'because if you ever do another one, you will never build another car for the House of Ferrari'.

Two of the cars were shipped to Hall and Laughlin, who duly paid for their cars and used them as their personal cars prior to eventually selling them due to dissatisfaction with quality and lack of performance, but in the case of Carrol Shelby's car, he passed on purchasing his car, claiming a shortage of cash, but as he confessed much later he really declined the car because by that time GM had passed their infamous corporate 'no racing' edict, with Cole telling Shelby that no more 'under-the-table' engines and / or chassis would be ever available under any circumstances, and would he please stop making trouble and take his business elsewhere. It was shortly thereafter that Shelby concluded his deal with Ford and AC...,..and as we all know the rest is the well-documented and rocky road to the all-conquering Shelby Cobras - so it can really be said in all truth that this car, the brainchild of three creative and hungry entrepreneurs is almost directly responsible for one of the most fabled of all post-war sports / racing cars.

All three Scaglietti Corvettes survive, two in private collections, the third, Shelby's car', was purchased by the Peterson Museum and is now one of their permanent displays.

Thanks for participating, I guess it's anybody's turn who may have something to post.

JZG

 

 

[pippy]

10 hours ago, Ivan Goriup said:

...It's a 1959 Scaglietti Corvette, one of three such cars, but as is so frequently the case with little known collector cars it's the story behind the car that may be far more interesting and significant than the car itself...

Thank you very much, Ivan, and not just for posting such a beautiful car but including the story of its genesis; fascinating stuff! Poor quality and lack of performance notwithstanding I'd be more than happy to pootle around in such a gorgeous creation!

I also love the colour shceme. In fact (and, possibly, only IMO) the only thing which it lacks in the 'Looks' department is a flank-mounted Ecurie Ecosse shield......😸......

Philip.

Edited July 25, 2024 by pippy

[stuny]

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Who will post the next mystery car?

[a.j.z]

I knew that I have seen this car (the one in the Peterson).

[Ivan Goriup]

Seeing that no one else is posting anything, permit me to take one more crack at it. The three images I have of the car I am posting could certainly be a lot better, but I think it's as interesting a subject as there is, and it's another car with a fine story behind it.

This is not a cropped clue, rather, it's as close as I could get because the pit in which the car was being prepared was crowded and very tight.

JZG

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[stuny]

The light for the number suggests the car is for endurance racing that includes night driving, as in Le Mans.

[Indeepthought]

A GM coupe

[Ivan Goriup]

Not GM

JZG

[a.j.z]

Ferrari Daytona?

[Ivan Goriup]

Andreas, not a Ferrari, and no Italian content.

Maybe another crop will provide a hint........the color pretty much tells you what country it's from. I will also offer a non-pictorial hint by telling that the same colorful individual who figured prominently in the previous Scaglietti Corvette had a major hand in the creation of this car.

JZG

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[stuny]

Shelby Mustang, probably the 350 GT, or possibly the 500 GT.

[Ivan Goriup]

Stuart, not a Mustang, but getting a tiny bit closer to a solution........Carrol Shelby was involved.

JZG

 

[pippy]

Sunbeam Tiger 'Le Mans' Fastback circa 1962?

Philip.

Edited July 27, 2024 by pippy

[Ivan Goriup]

Philip. you have it - a Sunbeam Tiger Le Mans Coupe. Three were made, one a prototype, and two for the race itself. Neither one finished due to inadequate testing and preparation and they overheated. In a rare gesture of honesty and straightforward business dealing, Shelby actually refunded the U.S $45,000 per car fee he had charged Lord Roots for shoehorning the 260 cu.in. ( 4.3 liter ) Ford V8 with Borg-Warner four-speed transmission & more robust rear-end into the Lister modified Harrington-style,m steel-bodied coupe. A promising little car with a great future which was never fully explored, since the decision was made to create and produce a Gen. 2 Sunbeam Alpine road machine with the larger, more powerful 289 cu.in. motor........of which more than 7000 were produced.

Your turn, Philip.

M240-P / 35mm Summilux FLE

JZG

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[stuny]

I lusted after the regular road machine in about 1963.  Maxwell Smart drove one in the opening credits of one season.

There appear to be 3 Sunbeams in your photo.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[pippy]

Thank you Ivan.

I must admit that I had a very good idea of what it was from the first snap as I was standing next to one - in roughly the same place as you must have been standing to take the photo - at one of the Goodwood meetings. The fact that there is a Toy Tiger in the photo didn't even register with me!

I'll sort something out for tomorrow!

Philip.