The
Search for Montezuma's Ferrari
Reprinted
from VeloceToday.com
December 11th, 2002
Of the three works of fiction by Burt Levy, Montezuma’s Ferrari
will probably be read by Italian car enthusiasts first—primarily
because of the title, and the stirring painting depicting the 340
Vignale Ferrari Mexico (S/N 0224 AT) on the cover. Well, the 340 Mexico
ain’t Montezuma’s. Or Buddy Palumbo’s either.
S/N 0171 EL and 0161 EL
Levy recounts the 1952 Carrera Panamericana in vivid detail, putting
young Palumbo in the co-pilot’s seat of a Mexican-owned and
entered 212 Ferrari, which was promised to be sold to Big Ed Baumstein
after the race. Levy’s Mexican driver, Javier Premal, had purchased
the 212 immediately after the 1951 event, and was going to buy one
of the new team Ferrari cars entered in the 1952 race, after that
event was finished. In which case Premal would be free to sell the
old Ferrari coupe to Big Ed, who wanted a Ferrari even more than a
C-type Jag. Got that?
In the book, all of the steamy financial arrangements were made by
Carlo Sebastian, a prettty good stand-in for Luigi Chinetti. Premal
was loosely based on Pablo Aguilar, who indeed did buy the 212 Ferrari
Vignale coupe, S/N 0171 EL, right after it won the 1951 Carrera in
the hands of Taruffi/Chinetti. And like Premal, Aguilar did enter
and drive it in the 1952 Panamericana.
The second Ferrari entered in the 1951 Panamericana was S/N 0161 EL,
driven to second place by Ascari and Villoresi. This too, was sold
to a Mexican by the name of Paco Ibarra right after the 1951 race,
and Ibarra finished 7th in the 1952 race with the car. To tell you
what happened to the Auguilar/aka/Premal Ferrari would be to give
too much away. Curiously, both 0171 EL and 0161 EL were sponsored
by Sinclair Oil Company, the same gas Palumbo’s pumped back
in New Jersey. Now remember not to put names to all those fictional
characters Levy created----
Where are they today?
As far as can be determined, S/N 0161 EL is still in the possession
of Lorenzo Zambrano of Mexico City, restored and featured in Prancing
Horse # 97. Panamericana race winner S/N 0171 EL is a bit of a mystery.
The search for Montezuma's Ferrari goes on. Reader's ideas and comments
are welcome.
Two of the four 340 Mexicos were sold after the 1952 race, but not
to Ibarra or Aguilar, but to Allen Guiberson, who was buying more
Ferraris than Big Ed could even dream about. The Mexico Spyder was
owned by Bill Spear, and the third coupe was retained by Chinetti.
Per Marcel Massini, the serial numbers of the 340s entered in the
1952 event were 0222 AT, 0224 AT, 0226 AT and the Mexico Spyder was
0228 AT.
The
Last Open Road
Description: The most celebrated motorsports story of all time! Likeable 19-year-old
New Jersey gas station mechanic Buddy Palumbo takes the reader along
as he gets sucked into the exciting, dangerous and glamorous world
of open road sportscar racing in the early 1950s. Now in its fifth
hardcover printing, Levy’s unique blend of historical accuracy
and outrageous humor have made The Last Open Road a genuine cult classic
on the motorsports scene. World Champion and 3-time Le Mans winner
Phil Hill gave copies as Christmas presents! Picked by England’s
Classic & Sports Car magazine as one of the top 20 enthusiast
titles of all time. Rave reviews everywhere. A must read.
Potside
Companion
Description: An utterly hilarious collection of author/racer “BS” Levy’s
“short stories, tall tales and outright lies.” Ride with
exotic-car-salesman Burt as he has a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow convertible
taken from him at gunpoint on a test drive! Join him as he brings
his new wife to her first-ever race and rolls the car over right in
front of her! What happens when one of his mechanics drops a customer’s
car off the lift at his sports car repair shop? And what was it like
to cause the single most expensive accident the Skip Barber Racing
Series had ever seen? Find out -- and laugh yourself silly in the
process -- when you read A Potside Companion.
Montezuma’s Ferrari
Description: Sequel to The Last Open Road (it starts one week after the first book
ends). More and bigger racing, wrenching and open-road adventures
with Buddy and his pals. Ride in the shotgun seat of a Ferrari in
the 1952 La Carrera Panamericana. Endure the heat and pounding of
the 12 Hours of Sebring. Try to balance your girlfriend and family
commitments against the demands and travel of your racing addiction!
More great reviews everywhere, plus Benjamin Franklin “Book
of the Year” award winner. “May be even better than the
original,” says Atlas F1.
The Fabulous Trashwagon
Description: Brand new third installment of The Last Open Road saga. Now the adventure
broadens as Buddy attempts his own “backyard special”
racecar, plus a trip to Bonneville, a visit to the mostly forgotten,
never repeated sports car vs. stock car road race at Linden Field
in New Jersey and an absolutely stunning portrayal of the tragic 1955
24 Hours of Le Mans, all leading up to a tremendous climax at the
first-ever race at Road America in September of 1955. Once again,
it’s a whirlwind rollercoaster ride through the real characters,
cars and events of racing history, but presented with all the insider
insight and wry humor of a racer buddy on the next barstool.
|