The first time a Ferrari takes the top prize in Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance history.
This immaculate 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe is owned by Jon Shirley of Medina, Washington .
It was only a few years ago thatJon Shirley of Medina, Washington, won his first Best of Show honor at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and 2014 was his year once again. Another of Shirley's vehicles, a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe, took the top award at this year's prestigious event.
The Pebble Beach Concours is arguably the most exclusive and highly regarded classic automotive competition in the world. Most participants will say it is an honor to simply have a vehicle chosen to make an appearance at the Concours — but of course, winning is the ultimate goal.
While we thought this car worthy of the Concour's highest honor, the idea of it winning was quickly dismissed since a Ferrari had never won Best of Show at Pebble Beach. It seems the judges decided it was time for a change. In addition to being the first Ferrari ever to take the top prize, the 375 MM is also the first post-war car to win since the late 1960s.
Most of the Ferrari 375 MM models were built for competition, but five were made for the road and Shirley's is likely one of the most famous of the five. It was originally ordered from the Italian automaker by film director Roberto Rossellini, and at that time the car was a Pinin Farina-bodied competition spyder. After an accident that destroyed the body, the chassis was sent off to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Modena, Italy, to have a replacement body created. This became the first passenger car for Ferrari designed by Scaglietti.
After going through a few owners, the 375 MM ended up in an underground garage in a suburb of Paris, France. Shirley purchased the car and restored it in 1995. Restoration took a few years, and in 1998 the car won its class at Pebble Beach. Restoration was performed by Butch Dennison, a premier automotive restoration specialist who has worked on all of Shirley's cars, including the 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta that won Best of Show at Pebble in 2008.
After driving the car in a number of rallies, Shirley decided to bring the 375 MM back to Concours standards so it could be shown at this year's event. This included removing beautiful leather seats and replacing them with vinyl — yes, vinyl — in the interim since its class win Shirley's research revealed that the original car had vinyl seats.
Shirley told us the car is quite powerful and enjoyable to drive, with a satisfying exhaust note burbling from its 4.5-liter V12 that reportedly produces 340 horsepower.
The Pebble Beach Concours Best of Show is chosen from among First in Class winners via independent, secret ballots cast by the Chairman, the Chief Judge, the Chief Honorary Judge, the Chief Class Judges, the Honorary Judge Team Leaders, and select Class Judges of the Concours.
No comments:
Post a Comment