Mystery car pix

fintail

Ferrari 330GT, with the Beatles reference I will guess it was owned by one of them.

qbrozen

Yup. McCartney's first. And its going up for auction.

jwilliams2

I believe that Ferrari belonged to John Lennon. Bonhams estimates the car could sell from $155,000 to $220,000, which would be almost double what any other ’65 example might be expected to sell for.

andys120

Yup, it's Lennon's '65 Ferrari 330GT 2+2/GTE which was his first car after finally getting his driver's license, hence "Baby I can drive my car."

andys120

jwilliams2

Looks like a TVR 2500M, late 70's perhaps.

andys120

Good call jwilliams2, it's a 1977 TVR 2500M (essentially a TVR Griffith w a Triumph 2.5 I6 in place of the Ford V8 IIRC).

andys120

Click "view image" for better look at white car on right.

tmart

Where is the "view image" button to click? :confuse: Using IE.

andys120

Dunno, you must work for Microsoft if you're still using IE :P

jwilliams2

Looks like a '64 Dodge Wagon and a early 60's Morris Panel Van. In the background maybe a Olds Wagon and a Dodge Van.

andys120

Good job except you didn't ID the red race car. It is a production sports car based on a street legal model, albeit one seen more on the track than the street. Anyone know it...going..going!

For those of you w IE the white car on the right is the Morris Minor Panel.

fintail

I think the race car is a "Cheetah" from around 1965

jwilliams2

Yes, you are correct. A Bill Thomas Cheetah, built from 1963-1965 by Chevy performance tuner Bill Thomas as a competitor to the Shelby Cobra. Had a full race Chevy small block. I bet that was a wild ride!

andys120

You better believe it. Tube frame chassis/ 1800lbs/377CID Chevy small block=
Cobra Killer (if they'd made enough to homolgate it for racing in production classes but they only did about 90).

A couple of years ago Bill Thomas started making "continuation" Cheeta Replicas in Arizona but he died on Oct. '09.

Tube Frame Chassis of continuation Cheetah>

tmart

Nope, don't/didn't work for Microsoft, but am retired. IE works for me. Never have had a problem with it, so no reason to try something else.

texases

I'm surprised somebody hasn't mentioned this other 330GT (kinda)

andys120

It's gone (sold) Texases, what was noteworthy about it.?:confuse:

texases

Take a look under the hood:

andys120

Oh barf! Thanks for spoiling my appetite.

The Ferrari is a twelve cylinder automobile
-so said Enzo himself.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh a motor from a tractor. How nice.

No problem Ferrari will actually make you a new engine AND stamp it with the correct "matching number" you need. Just call their Classic department and oh, bring your wallet.

qbrozen

eh. I knew I had a 50/50 shot.

stickguy

i don't actually have a problem with this one. If I got it right, this is not a particularly valuable model, so probably the engine is worth more than the car? So no one is going to restore it without an engine and tranny. At list this keeps an interesting old piece on the road.

and I like how it otherwise seems to have been kept authentic (although those bumpers don't look OEM!). At least it is a neat conversation piece, and might not bankrupt an owner poorer than Bill Gates.

it is also less hideous than a badly done kit car or Fiero rebody.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah but it takes a car that's not worth much and makes it worth even less than if it had no engine or transmission! It's just senseless from a $$$ point of view, to say nothing of completely ruining the character and soul of the car. It's really considered an abomination do to this to a Ferrari. It brings contempt down upon the owner.

But it happens. I've seen this more than once. Fortunately, it usually gets corrected one way or the other. You can still find used Ferrari engines here and there.

For some foreign cars, a V-8 conversion is even considered cool. But not a Ferrari. As Enzo said: "You buy the engine, I give you the body for free".

andys120

andys120

No takers on #27671. I figured this one would be a stumper, a photo of the front should enable you to at least guess the make>

jwilliams2

Simca 8 Sport....early 50's...

andys120

That's exactly right, what took you so long.

jwilliams2

Sorry, I just got home. Some of us only come here a few times a day. There is a life beyond Edmunds.

andys120

Two of the leading sportscar companies use a prancing black horse in their logo>





It turns out that it is not exactly pure coincidence that these two companies,both of which began making sportscars in the early post-WWII period, both use a black horse (they aren't identical but come from the same source).

Anybody know how that came about?

fintail

I know the horse is the Stuttgart coat of arms...maybe it also is for Modena?

andys120

Yes, it is the coat of arms for the city of Stuttgart which was known for it's stud farms long before it became an industrial city. Stuttgart translates as "Mares Garden" so a horse would be a natural emblem.

Porsche is headquartered in Stuttgart (so is Daimler-Benz) so that explains the horse on the Porsche crest. The cavallino rampante on the Ferrari emblem is a representation of the same Stuttgart horse emblem and has nothing to do with Modena or anywhere in Italy.

Why is the Stuttgart horse on Ferrari's crest?

jwilliams2

As I recall Enzo Ferrari used a horse for his personal emblem since the early 20's. It stemmed from some Countess who gave him the Stuttgart coat of arms after he won an important race.

stickguy

I thought it was just because it looked cool.

Mr_Shiftright

I'm pretty sure the prancing horse was taken from the emblem used by the famous Italian aviator Italo Balbo on his planes.

texases

Here's a link that explains it in a LOT of detail...

andys120

Thanks for the link Texases, you saved me a lot of typing

I should note that while it is widely believed that Ferrari adopted the horse at
the request of Baracca's mother, the Contessa, there is less agreement on the horse's link to the Stuttgart emblem. Some think that Baracca might have chosen it at random while others believe it came from a German or Autro-Hungarian that Baracca shot down who was from Stuttgart (It was common during WWI for victorious aviators to land near their prey and take a souvenir).

Conte Francesco Barraca and his S.P.A.D. XIII

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/FBaracca_1.jpg/300px-FBaracca_1.jpg

Mr_Shiftright

Oops! I guess I had the wrong aviator! Well, that's what happens when brain cells slowly die. :P

Actually I've seen this kind of prancing horse on very ancient murals and coins, so it goes way back in European/Roman/Greek history.

fezo

Yes, it is the coat of arms for the city of Stuttgart which was known for it's stud farms long before it became an industrial city.

Yeah, every time I hear about a race horse being retired to stud I think why not me? Beats playing golf....

Mr_Shiftright

As long as you're willing to get shot if you break a leg.

kyfdx

As long as you're willing to get shot if you break a leg.

Wait a minute...

Playing golf? Or, standing at stud?

I think I'll take my chances, either way.. beats working!

explorerx4

Simca would have been my guess too, only because I happened to randomly click on a link to this one

fezo

Shot? I may have to reconsider....

andys120

Simca would have been my guess too, only because I happened to randomly click on a link to this

Actually that's where I got the idea from but I figured I'd give you guys a break and find a shot of a complete one.

andys120

texases

New BMW 650i? First time I've seen a pic...not a fan :sick:

stickguy

I guess BMW had gotten bored with just making truly ugly rear ends, and decided to make all the cars hideous from the front too.

yuck.

I love BMWs, but really have not liked the more recent models. Not attractive, too heavy, too techno gadget laden, etc. Not that I can come close to affording one!

a 2002 325iT or a 2003-4 5 series would be just fine to me. Pinnacle of BMW design quite likely. and I can afford one that old!

andys120

Yup, that's a 2012 BMW 6 series. I like it very much, it's a huge improvement on the current model.

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

Man, that's livin' :P