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VINTAGE: Rare Ferrari 500 TRC At Auction
At its inaugural Villa d'Este concours sale, RM Auctions with offer the two-liter lightweight that raced in the final Milla Miglia.
The Ferrari 500 TRC that RM will auction in Italy has been seen often over the years at vintage-racing events. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Canadian auctioneer RM Auctions will hold the first ever Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza collector-car sale on May 21 in nearby Villa Erba with an event that very much reflects the exclusive nature of the world-renowned Italian concours.
Only a limited number of lots have been entered with a staggering average pre-sale estimate of around one million euros (about $1.4 million).
One of our favorite cars in the sale is this Ferrari 500 TRC with the chassis number 0670 MDTR. Originally sold to Sicily, this Testa Rossa eventually went to the United States where it was meticulously restored to its current striking finish of red with yellow. We previously captured the beautiful machine a few years earlier at various events.
Chassis 0670 MDTR was the sixth of 19 total TRCs produced in 1957. The Sicilian buyer used the 2-liter machine in the final Mille Miglia, finishing 12th overall and third in class. Passing through several hands, it continued to be raced until it was acquired by Giulio Dubini in 1966.
Dubini’s family retained the car until 1998 when it was sold to Italian historic racer Corrado Cupellini. He campaigned chassis 0670 MDTR for the better part of five years before selling the car in the United States.
Its new American owner had the car meticulously restored by Bert Skidmore's Intrepid Motorcar Company. He repainted the car in its original two-tone finish of red with a yellow band. Since then, it has been regularly shown and raced at events across the United States for several years.
In 2006, the current owner acquired the car at RM's Monterey Sports and Classic Car auction for just shy of $2.3 million. He offered the car Two years later for the first time at Gooding's Pebble Beach Auction but refused a high bid of $3.2 million. The car will now be offered again at RM Auctions' Villa d'Este sale, where it is estimated to sell for 2.6 million to 3.2 million euro ($3.65 million to$4.5 million).
History of the Ferrari 500 TRC Testa Rossa:
Ferrari will always be most famous for the lovely V12 engines that have powered the company's road and racing cars from the very beginnings in 1947. The first two of the manufacturer's Grand Prix World Championships (1952 and 1953) were nevertheless won by the four-cylinder 500 F2. By 1953, this Aurelio Lampredi designed four also made its way into a sports car for the first time.
In its original sports-car guise, the twin-cam four-cylinder engine displaced just under 2.5 liters, soon followed by production versions with 3- and 2-liter displacements, powering the 750 Monza and 500 Mondial respectively. Although usually in contention for class victories, the four-cylinder Ferraris also scored outright victories with a win in the 1956 Sebring 12 Hours with the 3.4-liter 860 Monza as a highlight.
The sheer number of different models and engines Ferrari produced at this time was startling and the company, understandably, decided to simplify the line-up.
The only four-cylinder car made available to customers in 1956 was the new 500 TR. Powered by a 2-liter version of the inline-four, it was a replacement and an evolution of the 500 Mondial. It was developed under the guidance of Ferrari's new chief-engineer, Vittorio Jano, with the latest two-liter model featuring a straightforward steel tubular frame.
Double wishbones were used at the front, while a solid rear axle replaced the heavier and much more complicated DeDion setup used on the earlier cars. The Tipo 131 chassis again featured large, finned drum brakes.
The reason for the TR or Testa Rossa (red head) name was found in the engine compartment; the latest version of Lampredi's four featured red cylinder heads. The Tipo 131 engine sported two Weber carburetors, twin-spark ignition and a dry-sump system. It produced a formidable 180 bhp, which was 10 more than the outgoing 500 Mondial's engine.
This power was transferred to the rear wheels through a sturdy five-speed gearbox. The 500 TR was tightly wrapped by Scaglietti with a slippery aluminum body that featured two blisters on the engine cover to clear the cam covers.
The first-ever Ferrari Testa Rossa debuted in Africa in the hands of the great Belgian privateer Jacques Swaters. He immediately scored a class win, beating the previously dominant Maseratis. While the factory produced the customer cars, the works team developed a 2.5-liter version specifically for Le Mans.
Only a limited number of lots have been entered with a staggering average pre-sale estimate of around one million euros (about $1.4 million).
One of our favorite cars in the sale is this Ferrari 500 TRC with the chassis number 0670 MDTR. Originally sold to Sicily, this Testa Rossa eventually went to the United States where it was meticulously restored to its current striking finish of red with yellow. We previously captured the beautiful machine a few years earlier at various events.
Chassis 0670 MDTR was the sixth of 19 total TRCs produced in 1957. The Sicilian buyer used the 2-liter machine in the final Mille Miglia, finishing 12th overall and third in class. Passing through several hands, it continued to be raced until it was acquired by Giulio Dubini in 1966.
Dubini’s family retained the car until 1998 when it was sold to Italian historic racer Corrado Cupellini. He campaigned chassis 0670 MDTR for the better part of five years before selling the car in the United States.
Its new American owner had the car meticulously restored by Bert Skidmore's Intrepid Motorcar Company. He repainted the car in its original two-tone finish of red with a yellow band. Since then, it has been regularly shown and raced at events across the United States for several years.
In 2006, the current owner acquired the car at RM's Monterey Sports and Classic Car auction for just shy of $2.3 million. He offered the car Two years later for the first time at Gooding's Pebble Beach Auction but refused a high bid of $3.2 million. The car will now be offered again at RM Auctions' Villa d'Este sale, where it is estimated to sell for 2.6 million to 3.2 million euro ($3.65 million to$4.5 million).
History of the Ferrari 500 TRC Testa Rossa:
Ferrari will always be most famous for the lovely V12 engines that have powered the company's road and racing cars from the very beginnings in 1947. The first two of the manufacturer's Grand Prix World Championships (1952 and 1953) were nevertheless won by the four-cylinder 500 F2. By 1953, this Aurelio Lampredi designed four also made its way into a sports car for the first time.
In its original sports-car guise, the twin-cam four-cylinder engine displaced just under 2.5 liters, soon followed by production versions with 3- and 2-liter displacements, powering the 750 Monza and 500 Mondial respectively. Although usually in contention for class victories, the four-cylinder Ferraris also scored outright victories with a win in the 1956 Sebring 12 Hours with the 3.4-liter 860 Monza as a highlight.
The sheer number of different models and engines Ferrari produced at this time was startling and the company, understandably, decided to simplify the line-up.
The only four-cylinder car made available to customers in 1956 was the new 500 TR. Powered by a 2-liter version of the inline-four, it was a replacement and an evolution of the 500 Mondial. It was developed under the guidance of Ferrari's new chief-engineer, Vittorio Jano, with the latest two-liter model featuring a straightforward steel tubular frame.
Double wishbones were used at the front, while a solid rear axle replaced the heavier and much more complicated DeDion setup used on the earlier cars. The Tipo 131 chassis again featured large, finned drum brakes.
The reason for the TR or Testa Rossa (red head) name was found in the engine compartment; the latest version of Lampredi's four featured red cylinder heads. The Tipo 131 engine sported two Weber carburetors, twin-spark ignition and a dry-sump system. It produced a formidable 180 bhp, which was 10 more than the outgoing 500 Mondial's engine.
This power was transferred to the rear wheels through a sturdy five-speed gearbox. The 500 TR was tightly wrapped by Scaglietti with a slippery aluminum body that featured two blisters on the engine cover to clear the cam covers.
The first-ever Ferrari Testa Rossa debuted in Africa in the hands of the great Belgian privateer Jacques Swaters. He immediately scored a class win, beating the previously dominant Maseratis. While the factory produced the customer cars, the works team developed a 2.5-liter version specifically for Le Mans.
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