LE MANS APRIL TESTS: RECORD FOR FERRARI 330P, FORDS GT40 NOWHERE

THE 3.3 FERRARI 275P (CHASSIS 0820), having three weeks earlier finished second at Sebring, is with 3'43"8 fastest of the Le Mans Test Trials.

April 18-19, 1964. Immediately after his triumph at Sebring Carroll Shelby gives a press conference, announcing that his cars will do all rounds of the Manufacturers Worlds. That implies that they'll come to Europe for much more than alone the Le Mans 24 hours. In the three weeks between Sebring and the Le Mans April Trials the famous 4.2 Ford GT40 is at least finished. Instead of starting immediately a series of test on the British circuits, the two cars are flown over to the States where they are shown to the press. Two days before the Le Mans April Trials they arrive by plane in France and are driven by trailer over the road to Le Mans.

THE ENTRY
This year's Le Mans practice session is a historical moment. Journalists from all countries elbow each other to make pictures of the famous American computer car. Television networks send in a hurry their best teams to La Sarthe to produce a special on it. Shell starts already the first day a publicity campaign under the slogan "Ford challenges Ferrari on the track, agrees with him on motor oil: both pick Shell". Apart from the two Fords GT40 under direction of John Wyer Ford has also flown over the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona having been raced at Daytona and Sebring. Next to those three works cars A.C. Cars Ltd. is present with a 4.7 A.C Cobra 289 Hardtop for Peter Bolton. There are so two private A.C. Cobras 289. If one adds the 4.2 Sunbeam Tiger Ford of the Rootes Group that implies that there are seven Ford-powered cars on the track.
Ferrari shows with three works cars: the 4.0 Ferrari 330P with chassis 0822 having finished third at Sebring, the 3.3 Ferrari 275P with chassis 0820 having finished as runner-up at Sebring and a new 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM. The Prancing Horse is especially interested to see why at Sebring their LM was completely outdistanced by Shelby's Cobra Daytona Coupe. There is only one GTO, entered by Écurie Francorchamps.
Maserati France is at the Trials with its 4.9 Maserati Tipo 151/1. At last year's edition of Le Mans the same car was leading the race easily during the two first hours, even outdistancing all works Ferraris. It's perhaps a more dangerous opponent for Ferrari than the Ford GT40 prototypes having been even never tested in practice. There is also a 5.4 Iso Grifo A3C Chevrolet, a private entry by Auguste Veuillet.
Porsche was expected to show with its new 4-cylinder 904 GTS, now the model was homologated, but Porsche System Engineering came with an 8-cylinder prototype of the 904 GTS. Five other Porsches 904 GTS are private entries. Alfa Romeo is present with two of their TZ-1s having been raced at Sebring. The only other works cars being present are two Alpines A210 (M64 and M63) entered by Société Automobiles Alpines and two Triumph Spitfires entered by Standard Triumph.
Jaguar is present with the E-Type Lightweights sold to Peter Lindner and to Peter Sargent. However they enjoy no longer works assistance. A third E-type is a street version.

THE TIME TRIALS
Although most journalists are interested in the performances of the new 4.2 Ford GT40, insiders are much more interested too see if the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona will be again so more faster than the 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM, as was the case at Sebring. The LM will be driven by Mike Parkes, the Cobra Coupe by Jo Schlesser and by Phil Hill. Already after the first laps it becomes obvious that nothing is left of Ford's superiority at Sebring. Lap by lap the Ferrari LM goes faster than the Cobra Coupe. At the end of the meeting Parkes clocks 3'47"1 against 4'02"3 for the Cobra. That proves that, if the LM should have been homologated in Div III, it should had not the problems the two year older Ferraris GTO have to do the same. The Belgian 250 GTO, e.g., in hands of Pierre Dumay and Gérard Langlois van Ophem, comes no further than 4'12"7, that's more than 10 full seconds slower than the Cobra Coupe.

HAVING NEVER TESTED ON THE TRACK, the brand new 4.2 Ford GT40 suffers from a completely unreliable road holding. John Wyer and his engineers try to correct it on the field by adding a small front spoiler under the car's nose, later by perforing openings in the car's nose. All this will be at no avail since the car seems even not able to go faster than a 1.6 Alfa Romeo TZ-1, being even slower than a privately entered Porsche 904 GTS. What is wrong with America's computer car?

MAIN PROBLEM OF THE FORD GT40 at its first outing is that the car came without the smallest fast back. The lack of down force at the long straight of Hunaudières  provoked the two accidents resulting in Ford's retirement.

For Ferrari the Le Mans Trials give full evidence that they have no opponents among the prototypes. At the wheel of the 3.3 Ferrari 275P with chassis 0820 Ludovico Scarfiotti realises a new record in 3'43"8. John Surtees clocks the second time with the Ferrari 330P (chassis 0822) in 3'45"9. At Mulsanne Surtees reaches a top speed of 193.8 mph (315 kph). Apart from the three Ferrari prototypes the ugly unpainted 4.9 Maserati Tipo 151/3 of André Simon and Maurice Trintignant is the only car to go under 4 minutes, but with 3'56"1 the car is more than 10 seconds slower than the Ferraris 275P and 330P, what lets think that this year one has not to expect during the first hours the same show as last year. Not convincing, just as in Sebring, is the 5.4 Iso Grifo Rivolta A3C Chevrolet, realising 4'13"4 and being headed by the two private Jaguars E-Type Lightweight and the Écurie Francorchamps Ferrari 250 GTO.
The new 4.2 Ford GT40 flops miserably at the Le Mans practice session. On Saturday it's raining and there stays a strong wind. Jo Schlesser is the first to achieve a couple of laps at the wheel of the #9 with chassis GT/101. Back in the pits he complains that the car misses stability on the long straight. Then he rejoins the track for an eight lap. At Hunaudières, however, the #9 flips into the trees at the kink in the Mulsanne straight. The car is totalled, but Schlesser escapes injuries. Shortly after he jumps in the Cobra Coupe to realise its fastest lap. During the rest of Saturday until late in the night Ford engineers try to find a solution for the instability problem. On the second car with chassis they add a front spoiler under the nose, making three openings in the nose. On Sunday team director John Wyer sends Roy Salvadori out with the modified #10 with chassis GT/103. During his 18th lap he looses control at the end of the straight and spins into the bank at the Mulsanne hairpin. The car is only superficially damaged, but poor Salvadori will be fired immediately (just as it was his fault and not of the responsible engineers for the car's wrong aerodynamics!) In total only 26 laps have been achieved in two days and realised lap times are horrible. Disappointment among the motoring journalists is high. John Wyer decides to pack in before the other team drivers (Phil Hill, Bruce McLaren and Richard Attwood) had a chance to drive the #10.
In the under 2-litre class a stock Porsche 904 GTS, in hands of Robert Buchet, is 8.1 seconds slower than the 8-cylinder prototype and only 2.3 seconds faster than Auto-delta's fastest Alfa Romeo TZ-1. Disappointing too.

ROUND #3: 48TH TARGA FLORIO TO NEW PORSCHE 904 GTS

FIFTH VICTORY FOR PORSCHE AT THE TARGA FLORIO! Here the winning 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS with chassis 005 of Antonio Pucci and Colin Davis. One can believe that this is a picture, but in fact it's an automotive painting in hyperrealistic style.Most model car assemblers always (wrongly) believe that the wide strip in the middle is light green, but in fact it was white.

THE 2.0 PORSCHE 904 GTS OF HELBERT LINGE AND GIANNI BALZARINI with chassis 005 finished second, nearly 13 minutes behind the #86.

THE 3.0 FERRARI 250 GTO-64 WITH CHASSIS 3413 GT of Corrado Ferlaino - the later president of soccer club F.C. Napels - finished fifth and won Div III (GT3). Source: Alan Lis (s.d.), Ferrari 250 GTO, s.l.: Heel, pp. 42-43.

THE #118 3.0 FERRARI 250 GTO-64, CHASSIS 4675 GT, is despite its provincial plate CN 110711 a 100 per cent SpA SEFAC works car. Since Ferrari is plagued by strikes, to avoid the appearance of strike-breaking, the car - initially destined for local hero Nino Vaccarella - is given to the Scuderia Dant Ambroeus. In hands of Jean Guichet the car moves easily into second position, following the leading #78 Porsche 9804 GTS of Bulgari/Grana as its shadow. After driver change in the fifth lap Carlo Facetti - leading on the road, but not already in time - commits a driver's error resulting in a broken gearbox. The race is over just when the car was ready to take over the lead.

IN THE SICILIAN MOUNTAINS THE HAIRY 4.7 SHELBY COBRAS 289 ROADSTER are shaken into pieces. Here the car of Dan Gurney and Allen Grant, surviving as only one out of five, the chequered flag. The car finished eighth overall. By finishing third in class the car won 4 x 1.6 = 6.4 points for Ford in FISA's Manufacturers World Championship, making a total of 24.7 points after three rounds. Since Ferrari won the Div III (GT3) class with its #114 250 GTO-64, having finished fifth overall, its total after three rounds was up to 16.5 + (9 x 1.6) = 30.9 points.

WITH THE #142 SHELBY COBRA 289 ROADSTER Phil Hill and Bob Bondurant could achieve 9 laps out of 10 when they were victims of a broken suspension in the last lap. Normally they should have been ranked as 11th since only ten cars could achieve the full ten laps. As they didn't reach the chequered flag they were not classified.

ULF NORINDER SHARED HIS GTO (CHASSIS 3445 GT) WITH PICO TROBERG. The car, in Norinder's familiar blue and yellow colour scheme, passes a crowd of locals in the mountains on its way to third in class and ninth overall. SOURCE: Keith Bluemel and Jess G. Pourret (1998), Ferrari 250 GTO, Bideford (Devon): View Books, p. 144.

EGIDIO NICOLOSI ON HIS WAY TO FOURTH IN CLASS with the 3705 GT Ferrari 250 GTO in scenery typical of this arduous Sicilian event. GTOs with the old body style were still being in anger into 1964... Source: Keith Bluemel and Jess G. Pourret (1998), Ferrari 250 GTO, Bideford (Devon): View Books, p. 141.

WHILE LYING SECOND OVERALL JERRY GRANT'S Cobra thunders through the main street of the village Cerda and shakes the houses. Each time an American Cobra passes the villagers shelter in their houses.  The car will fail to reach the chequered flag with a broken suspension at the last lap. It's a miracle that such unadapted cars could be so competitive through the Sicilian mountains. Source: CAR and DRIVER, July 1964.

April 26, 1964 - Nowhere in the world there exists a road race like the Targa Florio. Yes, it is pure madness to let race cars, going as fast as 300kph, through narrow streets of Sicilian villages, with inhabitants sitting on reversed chairs on the pavement, through mountains with hair pins and curbs, all without serious save guards, along pastures with sheep being startled, crossing the road. Each year one wonders that this surrealistic spectacle can end without injured spectators. But it happens year after year since in heaven someone must love this race: the most incredible, most romantic, most impossible, most surrealistic, most exciting on earth. You should be an Italian to understand it. God must be an Italian. The Targa Florio is something you should have seen. If not, lots of sublime pictures can give you a better idea.

THE ENTRY
This year there are "only" 220,000 spectators. Yes, only. There is an obvious reason for this, nl. the absence of the local hero, of Nino Vaccarella, God himself, here in Sicily. Why Nino is not here? At Modena Ferrari is plagued by strikes. They fear that the appearance of strike-breakers on the treacherous mountain roads will perturb the race. So the 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 with chassis 4675GT, initially scheduled for Nino Vaccarella is given to the Scuderia Sant Ambroeus, with Jean Guichet and Carlo Facetti as drivers. Even the plate - originally Roma 634374 - is changed. The car is registrated on provincial plates (CN 117011) to distance it even further from Modena or Rome. It is a rebuilt version of a 1962 bodied car, having been rebuilt as a 1964 version with long roof, after the car crashed in the Tour de France of last year. Only well informed insiders know that it is the former TdF car, but the press believes that it is a brand new car. At Cerda, where the start is given, the car with racing number 118, recieves works mechanics. The 275P prototypes stay at Modena, so that only one (hidden) works car is entered by Ferrari. A second rebodied example with chassis 3413 GT (#114) is present for Luigi Taramazzo and Corrado Ferlaino, racing for Scuderia Sant Ambroeus. Four other 250 GTO Ferraris are present, among them the sky blue #112 of Ulf Norinder. A 250 GT Lusso and an old Dino 196SP complete the Ferrari entry.
Ford is present with no less than six of its hairy monsters, four of them being works Shelby Cobras 289 Roadsters and having been flown over from the States. The other cars are the private Cobras owned by Tommy Hitchcock and rVincenzo Arena. At the practice session some 200,000 Sicilians are out. But after having seen the American monsters thundering through the streets, inhabitants fly home to shelter from all that violence. 
Porsche is here with its strongest entry. Now it becomes obvious why Huschke von Hanstein of Porsche System Engineering showed only with one car at the Le Mans Test Trials: at Zuffenhausen they were preparing the five works cars for the Targa Florio, since Porsche had the ambition to win that race for the fifth time (after OA victories in 1956, 1959, 1960 and 1963). The works effective counts one 904-8 GTS, two 904 GTS, one 718 RS Spyder and one 365B Carrera 2000GS GT (already raced at Daytona and Sebring). Five other Porsches 904 GTS - one entered by count Georges Filipinetti, one entered by Scuderia Sant Ambroeus, one entered by Jacques Rey, one entered by Hasse Radefalk and one bought by Andrea Vianini - plus a private 356B Carrera complete the German entry (eleven cars strong).
Alfa Romeo is as always massively present at the Targa. However only three of the entered cars have winning chances: the two works TZ-1s prepared by Autodelta for the Scuderia Sant Ambroeus and the private TZ-1 of Antonio Nicodemi/Francesco Lessona. Other Alfas at the start are the 1.3 Giuliettas SZ (no less than ten), a 1.3 Giulietta SS and a a 1.3 Giulia S.
Maserati - having won the Targa four consecutive times from 1937 to 1940 - is present with two 2.0 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcages, entered by gentleman drivers.
Abarth comes this year to the Targa to win it. Indeed the 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT is at least ready. Two works cars are present and will go to Hans Hermann/Franco Patria and to Tommy Spychiger/Antonio Riolo. A third 2000 GT (#80) is a private entry by Luciano Conti. Three 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialberos - all  private machineries - will compete in Div I (GT1).
Alpine has four cars on the start, three of them being works entries: one 1.0 Alpine Renault A210 M63 and two 1.3 Alpine-Renault A110 Berlinette. The private entry is also a Berlinette. René Bonnet is present with two works cars in Div I (GT1). The rest of the field - 67 cars strong - is the same exotic picture as always, with two prototypes 2.5 ATS 2500 GT Coupe, a strange Mini-Cooper S prototype, a Fiat 8V Sport, a trio of Lancia Flaminias, two works 1.6 Lancia Flavia Sport Zagato proto-types, an Austin-Healey Sprite, a 1.0 Osca MT4 1000 sports car (S), a 1.6 Osca 1600, Jackie Epstein's Brabham BT8 Climax sports car (S), and a private MGB.

PRACTICE
The Targa Florio is essentially a road race over 10 laps, each lap being 72 kilometres long and counting some 720 turns. There are only two straight sections: the first being 6 kilometres long (that's longer than the Le Mans Hubnaudières), starting at Campofelice di Roccella and following the coast line along the see; the second at the narrow Cerda main street.  All the rest are treacherous mountain roads. At the Targa Florio there are no official clocked time trials. Most cars are already present on Thursday, when the public roads are still open for traffic. Never-theless most racers start early in the morning practicing on the open roads. That is well-known by the local farmers making their oldest sheep crossing the road, right for the wheels of an approaching race car. Then follows the traditional Comedia del'Arte with the whining peasant claiming solid compensation for the death of his most beautiful, his best, his youngest, his irreplaceable dead sheep.

AT THE 48TH TARGA FLORIO SCUDERIA SANT AMBROEUS had not only two Ferraris 250 GTO at the start, but also two Alfa Romeos TZ-1 (a red one and a white one), one new Porsche 904 GTS and an older Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ. Here the red Alfa Romeo TZ-1, probably with chassis 750 006 (and certainly NOT with chassis 750 031 as some sources pretend). The TZ-1 was an excellent car on difficult circuits (as Sebring, the Targa Florio, the Nürburgring, the Tour de France), but realised also good performances at the Le Mans 24 hours. The #58 finished third OA at the 48th Targa Florio, the white sister car with #60 fourth OA.

THE NEW ABARTH-SIMCA 2000 GT makes it first outing at the Targa Florio in the Sicilian mountains. Carlo Abarth has three similar cars at the start. During practice the one shared by Franco Patria and Hans Hermann causes a stir since it clocks better times than most Porsches 904 GTS, is faster than the works Alfas TZ-1, and can even follow most of the Ferraris 250 GTO. Here Luciano Conti's Abarth-Simca 2000 GT, having started two minutes earlier than the #84 Porsche 904 GTS (the later winner) at the end of the first lap.

At Saturday practice, on closed roads, the #186 2.0 Porsche 904-8 GTS - the 8 cylinder car - realises the fastest (unofficial) time, immediately followed by the #118 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64. We note two major suprises. Primo the #76 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT is faster than all 4-cylinder Porsches 904 GTS. Especially Franco Patria is very spectacular. Secundo the 4.7 Shelby Cobras 289 Roadster cause a stir. On the 72 kilometre bleak, never straight roads through unforgiving never-flat Sicilian countryside with 720 curbs for one complete lap, the Cobras do much better than expected, ranking three of them among the (unofficial) top-10. At the long straight of Campofelice di Roccella, at see level, they reach speeds around 300 kph. Two cars are victims of an accident during practice: the 2.0 Brabham-Climax BT8 of Jackie Epstein and the 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS of Hasse Radefalk. They cannot be repaired in time and will not start, just as a local Alfa Romeo Giulia.

THE RACE
Under a blue cloudless sunny sky cars start every 30 seconds, the slowest cars first. With 64 cars lining up that means that the last car starts more than a half hour later than the first. Since classification is made on base of realised time for ten laps, there is no real handicap. First car to start is the #2 1.3 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, followed by the #4 Pegaso 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero and the #6 works 1.0 René Bonnet Djet Renault. Then follow two other Giuliettas SZ. On the road all those cars are easily passed by the #12 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero of Pietro Laureati, having started 3 minutes later than the first starter. Fastest man after one complete lap is Joachim Bonnier in the #188 8-cylinder Porsche 718 RS Spyder, coming through after 41 mins 18.2 secs. He is followed - not on the road, but in time - by the #186 Porsche 904-8 of Umberto Maglioli. An astonishing third is Dan Gurney in the #146 open Cobra, immediately followed by Jean Guichet in the #118 works Ferrari 250 GO-64. The French shipbuilder realises 42 mins 25.9 secs and is thus more than one minute behind. Then follows Phil Hill with the #152 works Cobra.
Just out of Cerda Bonnier breaks a universal joint on his leading Porsche 718RS Spyder and is out with the #188. During lap 2 Jean Guichet passes Gurney's Cobra and is now second behind the #186 Porsche 904-8 of Maglioli. Then follow the two works Cobras of Gurney and Phil Hill. Gianni Bulgari, in the Scuderia Sant Ambroeus Porsche 904 GTS leads Div II (GT2) after two laps. Several cars are no more coming through, among them the MGB, the Osca, the two Lancias Flamia, the Fiat, an Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero, a works René Bonnet and ... the works Abarth-Simca 1300 GT of Tommy Spychiger. Still 53 cars out of 64 are in the race.
During the third lap Maglioli has to come into the pits to replace a front shock absorber. Meanwhile the #78 Bulgari/Grana Porsche 904 GTS passed the two Cobras and even the #118 Ferrari 250 GTO-64, to take the overall lead in time. Guichet follows at 7 seconds, followed 13 seconds further by Dan Gurney's #156 Cobra. The #186 Porsche 904-8 drops in the standings. The #76 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT, having started 30 seconds earlier than the #78 Bulgari/Grana Porsche 904 GTS is since the start in trouble with a misfiring engine. During lap 4 the car falls out with a broken gearbox. Meanwhile we lost again eleven cars, among them Vianini's 904 GTS, the second works Bonnet, the strange Morris Cooper prototype, a private Alpine Berlinette, the two works Lancias Flavia Sport Zagato and the two ATS 2500 prototy-pes. Starting lap 4 we have still 42 cars in the race. Order is #76 Porsche, #118 Ferrari, #146 Cobra, #86 works Porsche, #142 Cobra, #84 works Porsche. Five other cars have to retire, among them the works Alpine A110 and the #132 Ferrari 250 GTO of Mosca/Fortinbras. Still 38 cars on the road.
The astonishing #78 Bulgari/Grana Porsche 904 GTS - no works car! - is still leading at the end of lap 5, with Guichet and the #118 works Ferrari coming closer in time. He hands over the car to Facetti with nearly the same time as the 904 on the lead. Facetti - being only 10 seconds in time behind Bugari - attacks, goes too high in the revs and falls out with a broken gearbox.

THE PORSCHE 904 GTS OF PUCINI/DAVIS was during the first half of the race dominated by the Bulgari/Grana similar car of Bulgari/Grana, not a works car, but a private entry by the Scuderia San Ambroeus. Eventually Pucci/Davis won the race after the retirement of the leading Bulgari/Grana Porsche and the #118 works Ferrari.

THE COBRA 289 ROADSTER OF MASTEN GREGORY AND INNES IRELAND is eliminated during lap 7  with a broken throttle linkage and the steering going wonky. Those bothers will send the car off the road as first of the four works Cobras, followed one lap later by the retirement of the #150 private Cobra of Vincenzo Arena and the #152 similar car of Tommy Hitchcock and Zourab Tchkotoua.

Lap 6 is a churchyard for several cars. The Ferrari Dino 196SP falls out witch clutch problems. The road opening #2 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ is parked along the sea. The third Abarth-Simca 2000 GT - Conti's #80 - has a blown engineand the #162 Settecolli Maserati Tipo 60 comes no longer through, reducing the field to 30 cars after 6 laps.  In front the Bulgari/Grana #78 Porsche 904 GTS seems to suffer from a broken universal joint and falls out, officially with a broken chassis. Pucci/Davies, in the #86 works Porsche 904 GTS have meanwhile passed the Gurney/Grant #146 and take the lead. Two minutes behind the Cobra and the #74 Porsche 365B Carrera 2000GS GT are dicing for second place, followed at several minutes by the Hill/Bondurant #142 Cobra and the #84 works Porsche 904 GTS. Then follows the #114 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Taramazzo/Ferlaino and the two Autodelta Abarths with the red #58 heading the white #60.
Lap 7 sees Günther Klass in the #74 works Porsche 365B passing the Gurney/Grant Cobra. Having just gained the second spot Klass has to pit with a broken brake line, dropping the car seriously in the standings. The #148 Ireland/Gregory works Cobra bursts a radiator, breaks the throttle linkage and finally has the steering go wonky, sending Masten Gregory out of the road. Struggle for victory goes now exclusively between the #86 Pucci/Davis Porsche 904 GTS and the #146 Gurney/Grant Cobra. The #84 Porsche 904 GTS, followed by Ferlaino's #114 Ferrari 250 GTO-64, the two works Alfas TZ-1 and the Hill/Bondurant #142 Cobra are more than nine minutes behind with 3 laps to go.
Lap 8 sees two Cobras falling into pieces: Hitchcock's quitting the road with a bent body due to broken spring coils, Areto's with a broken oil pipe. That reduces the Cobra effective from seven to two units. Only 30 cars are left with 2 laps to go. Meanwhile the #86 Porsche 904 GTS increases the gap with the #146 Cobra in second position.

AFTER THE EARLY WITHDRAWAL OF THE #188 PORSCHE 718 RS SPYDER the #186 !-cylinder Porsche of Umberto Maglioli was leading the race until the Italian had to come in to replace early at lap 3 a broken shock absorber. Replacement made the car some 20 minutes. Eventually the #186 finished as seventh, twenty minutes behind the winning #86 Porsche.

Lap 9 shows us the Pucci/Davis Porsche pulling more and more away from the #146 Cobra, now followed within three minutes by the #86 Linge/Balzarini Porsche and the #114 Taramazzo/Ferlaini Ferrari. Then come the two Alfas TZ-1, split up by the #72 Filipinetti Porsche 904 GTS of Herbert Müller.
The last lap is a disaster for the Cobra boys. Popping out of gear since more than one lap, Dan Gurney brakes - just as happened two laps earlier with the Hitchcock Cobra - a rear spring mount, dropping him in the standings from second to eight place. Pucci/Davis have now more than 13 minutes in hand over the sister works car of Linge/Balzarini. Sure about their win in Div III (GT3) Taramazzo/Ferlaino insist no longer to maintain the third place with their #114 Ferrari, continuously attacked by the two Alfas TZ-1. Another contender on Div III honours, the Phil Hill/Bob Bondurant #142 Cobra will never see the chequered flag, being victim of - once moe - a broken suspension. Eventually Pucci/Davis will win with their #86 Porsche 904 GTS the 48th Targa Florio, 12 min 18.0 ahead over the #86 sister car of Linge/Balzani, 16 min 13.7 ahead over the red #58 Alfa Romeo TZ-1 of Bussinello/Todaro and 31.2 seconds more over the white #60 Alfa Romeo TZ-1 shared by "Kim" and Alfonso Thiele. The #114 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Taramazzo/Ferlaino finishes as fifth and Div III winner 17 min 31.7 behind the winners; First prototype, on rank 6, is the #186 Porsche 904-8 GTS of Maglioli/Barth, having seen out on the lead until they had to replace a shock absorber. A 2.0 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage finishes as second proto-type on rank 11, one lap down to the winners. Great performance of the works 1.0 Alpine-Renault A210 M63 finishing third among the prototypes and 15th overall. In Div I (GT1) the 1.3 Abarth-Simca Bialbero of Laureati/Ridolfi are the winners, beating five Alfa Romeos Giulietta SZ following at the five following ranks.
One of the noteworthy Bourbon-Parmes - Michel in case - finished the race as tenth overall in the Filipinetti Ferrari 250 GTO. It was his real first race. "My God," exclaimed an outlooker, "if he has a shunt and scratches himself, he'll bleed to death." However, he did not. 

Eventually 28 cars out of 64 will reach the chequered flag after - in Sicily a fixed tradition - a gruelling race. After three rounds provisional standings for the 1964 FISA Manufacturers Worlds are as follows:
Ferrari leads in Div III (GT3) with 16.5 + 14.4 = 30.9 points against 18.3 + 9.6 = 27.9 points for Ford. In Div II (GT3) Porsche leads with 26.1 + 14.4 = 40.5 points, against 6.4 + 6.4 = 12.8 points for Alfa Romeo, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 points for Sunbeam and 1.6 points for Ford-Lotus. In Div I (GT1) Abarth leads with 28.8 points against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, and 4.8 points for Lotus. No points could be won at the Targa Florio for Div I (GT1) cars.

After three rounds stand in the international Ford-Ferrari combat is up to 1-2, whilst the stand in the Porsche-Abarth combat in the two litre-class is 1-0. Porsche won also the two first rounds, but there the new 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT was not already present.

THE OLD MASERATI TIPO 60 BIRDCAGE, owned by  Mennato Boffa, and raced by himself and Odoardo Govoni finished unexpectedly eleventh overall.

HUNDREDS OF TIMES I SAW THIS PIC, BUT IT IS 100 PER CENT FAKE. One should realise that in 1964 colour pictures were rare. Magazines published, except for the front cover, nearly exclusively pics in black and white. When in later years one could find no colour pic of the car having won the 48th Targa Florio someone sketched one. Not knowing the colour of the mid-stroke he coloured it green. Moreover nowhere there were safe barriers as on the pic along the whole Targa Florio road!

ROUND #4: GARDA LAKE 3 HOURS TO ABARTH-SIMCA 1300 BIALBERO

LEFT THE BETTER PROFILED NEW 1.3 ABARTH-SIMCA 1300 BIALBERO S2. RIGHT the older 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero S1 without the rear spoiler, without the reworked front spoiler  and without the openings for engine cooling.

ENTRY AND PRACTICE
With only 22 cars showing, 13 of them being a 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero, entry is lower than was expected. Of the 13 Abarth-Simcas three are works cars of type Series II, enjoying a better road holding after the addition of a rear spoiler. Those works cars go to Hans Hermann, Franco Patria and Tommy Spychiger. Among the other cars we find only one 1.2 Lotus 14 Elite (Pierre de Siebenthal's) what let's suppose that Lotus - last year still third in its class - is no longer interested in the champion-ship. But what to think about Alfa Romeo, last year still winner of the Div I Worlds? Of the dozen 1.3 Alfa Romeos Giulietta SZ still present at the Targa only a single one - a private car - is here in Monza, proving that Alfa Romeo will not defend its title. The remaining cars are exclusively 1.0 Fiat-Abarths.
Practice is completely dominated by the works cars with Patria heading Hemann and Spychiger. It's the start of a painful controversy. That privateers have to drive the old Series I, without access to the new Series II, is the start of heavy protest. Several racers claim that in the lowest division of the Manufacturers Worlds there can be no place for factory cars. Organisers have not the smallest legal ground to accept the protest. They can do nothing else than allowing the three works cars. This results in 11 competitors abstaining to start, whittling down the field from 22 to 11.  

THE RACE
With the three works cars pulling away from the rest of the field, quite up from the start, one can hardly speak over a race. The lonely surprise is that the young Franco Patria  succeeds to beat Abarth's number one driver - Hans Hermann - with more than 700 metres. Twenty kilometres down to the winner the 1.2 Lotus 14 Elite of Pierre de Siebenthal finishes as fourth ... one car length ahead of Antonio Zucchi in the 1.0 Fiat-Abarth Bialbero. In the championships standings for Div I (GT ) Abarth counts now 14.4 + 11.7 = 26.1 points,  against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, 4.8 + 4.2 =  9 points for Lotus and 2.6 points for Fiat.

Final Results
1. #19 Abarth-Simca 1300 S2 (w)	Franco Patria	90 laps	1st GT1
2. #21 Abarth-Simca 1300 S2 (w)	Hans Hermann	89 laps	2nd GT1
3. #20 Abarth-Simca 1300 S2 (w)	Tommy Spychiger	89 laps	3rd GT1
4. #15 Lotus 14 Elite (private)	Pierre de Siebenthal	86 laps	4th GT1
5. #4 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialbero (p)	Antonio Zucchi	86 laps	5th GT1
6. #3 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialbero (p)	Giuseppe Pessina	84 laps	6th GT1
7. ##26 Abarth-Simca 1300 S1 (p)	Giancarlo Giraudi/G. Varesi	83 laps	7th GT1
8. #146 Fiat-Abarth 1000	Marino Moselli	63 laps	8th GT1
non-finishers
#11 Abarth-Simca 1300 S1 (p)	Oddone Sigala	49 laps	GT1
#9 Abarth-Simca 1300 S1 (p)	Denis Borel	32 laps	GT1
#5 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialbero (p)	Benedetto Guarini	9 laps	GT1

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: 16th DAILY EXPRESS TROPHY TO FERRARI

JOHN WILLMENT A.C. COBRA 289 HARDTOP - Here the 1964 car after a complete restauration. The car was seen already in 1963 at the Tourist Trophy, where it was raced with the number 4.

ROUND #5: 500 KILOMÈTRES DE SPA WITH 1-2-3-4-6 TO FERRARI

THE START OF THE MOST THRILLING OF ALL SPA GRAND TOURING RACES HAS JUST BEEN GIVEN. Fastest away is Phill Hill in the Shelby Cobra Daytona, followed by the Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Mike Parkes, the Lightweight Jaguar of Dick Protheroe, the green "lowline" Ferrari 250 GTO of David Piper, and the red Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Lucien Bianchi. On the other side of the track, three cars at the same height. It are the orange Porsche 904 GTS of Ben Pon (having passed four competitors at the start!), the Aston Martin DP214 of Mike Salmon and the Filippinetti Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Lorenzo Bandini. One row further we find a Porsche 904 GTS sandwiched by two Cobra Roadsters. The Porsche is undoubtedly Edgar Barth's. the left Cobra is probably Bob Bondurand's, the right Innes Ireland's. Then follow two cars on a raw, the dark green Jaguae E-type Lightweight Roadster of Peter Sutcliffe and the Porsche 904 GTS of Gerard Koch, followed by the third Cobra Roadster: Schlesser's. The light blue Abarth-Simca 2000 GT, in the mid on the last row, has already passed the Filipinetti Porsche 904 GTS of Herbert Müller and the Aston Martin DP214 of Brian Hetreed.   SOURCE:  Delsaux Jean-Paul (2008), Circuit de Francorchamps: 1000 Kilomêtres ...et autres courses organisées par le Royal Automobile Club de Spa 1950-2010, Tôme 1, pp. 296-297
.

May 17, 1964. Sky is cloudless blue, sunny and hot during the week-end of the Spa 500-kms, fifth round for FISA's Manufacturers World Championship. It's the second round where only Grand Touring cars are allowed to start (just as at the Daytona 2000-kms).

THE ENTRY
Having been dominated by the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona, as well at Daytona, and , Sebring, Ferrari has only a small 3 points lead over Ford on going to the Belgian Ardennes for a 500-kms race on the fastest European circuit. Having won the Manufacturers Worlds eleven times on twelve entries, Eugenio Dragoni - Ferrari's race director - can convince Il Commendatore that times have changed. In the past the Worlds could be won with the help of privateers in the GT cars. But now Ford is in place, and shows with some of the best racers on earth, the Prancing Horse should send at least some works Grand Touring cars to the championship's rounds. Enzo Ferrari, however, is (only on paper) not convinced to change his old strategy and maintains (officially) his traditional policy: Ferrari GT cars have to be raced by clients, not by works drivers. The truth, however, was other.
Ferrari thus comes to Spa with no less than eleven GTOs and two 250 SWB Drogos. all driven by clients. However, rumour goes that the two Ferraris 250 GTO-64, officially entered by the Scuderia Filipinetti are full works cars. It concerns the 4675 GT (having retired at the Targa Florio after Facetti's driver's error) for Jean Guichet, and the 5573 GT (having been disqualified at Sebring) for Lorenzo Bandini. There can be not the smallest doubt that it are two full works cars since they were as well at the Targa as at Sebring assisted by Modena's works crew. The local Écurie Francorchamps - officially the Écurie Nationale Belge - of Jaques Swaters has the new 250 GTO-64 with chassis 5575 GT for Lucien Bianchi, the 250 GTO with chassis 4153 GT for Gérard Langlois van Ophem and the old 250 GT SWB Drogo with chassis 2053 GT for Francis van Lysbeth at the start. The colonel of Maranello Concessionaires is present with the 250 GTO-64 (chassis 4399 GT) having won the Daily Express; but now with Mike Parkes as driver. The other 250 GTOs are private entries by David Piper, Peter Clarke, Manfred Ramminger, Xavier Boulanger, Ulf Norinder and Pierre Noblet.
Ford is present with four full works cars: the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona (chassis CSX2287) having won Div III (GT3) at Sebring for Phil Hill, and three 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadsters for Bob Bondurant, Innes Ireland and Jo Schlesser.
Porsche has no less than eleven new 2.0 Porsches 904 GTS at the start. Among them the silver grey works 904 GTS having won the Targa Florio with Edgar Barth as driver, a similar works car for Gerard Koch, two orange 904 GTS of Racing Team Holland for Ben Pon and Henk van Zalinge, and the red 904 GTS with the white cross of the Scuderia Filipinetti for Herbert Müller. It will be the first open confrontation with the new 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT. Indeed Abarth Corse is present with three such works cars for Hans Hermann, Franco Patria and Giancarlo Baghetti. The rest of the field is mainly made up by British cars, among them the two ex-works Aston Martins DP214, two Lightweigt Jaguars Type E, three new Lotus Elan 26R, two MGBs, two Triumphs TR4 and two Morgans Plus 4 already seen at last year's Tourist Trophy. In total 50 cars showed for the race.

THE QUALIFICATIONS
Fastest qualifier is Mike Parkes in the #20 Maranello 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 in 4'09"0, immediately followed by Phil Hill's #1 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona in 4'09"2, by Jean Guichet in the #21 works Ferrari 250 GTO-64 in 4'12"0, and by Dick Proteroe in his very quick #9 3.8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight in 4'12"2. In Div II the #41 works Porsche of Edgar Barth is fastest (10th overall) in 4'18"0, ahead over Ben Pon in the orange #47 904 GTS in 4'22"7, whilst the fastest 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT of Franco Patria comes no further than 4'24"2. Two Porsches 904 GTS are crashed during the qualifications and will not start: the orange #48 one of Henk van Zalinge and the wine red #49 of Edmond Meert. No complete files of the qualifications were left, so that we could only base upon what was published in Virage Auto of June 1964.

THE RACE
Fastest away on the dropping flag was Phil Hill (#1 Shelby Cobra Daytona). Contrarily to what happened at Daytona and Sebring, he was not flying away from the rest of the field, but already at the first lap surrounded by no less than four Ferraris 250 GTO-64: the two works cars of Guichet and Bandini, Maranello's of Parke and the Belgian one of Lucien Bianchi. After the race America's Phill Hill told that he felt himself as a modern gladiator surrounded by four wild lions. The leading five are followed initially at a striking distance by the fast #6 Aston Martin DP214 (runner-up at the Daily Express Trophy) and the #9 Jaguar E-type of Dick Protheroe. During the second lap, a highly frustrated Phill Hill saw the Ferrari armada flying away from his Cobra Coupe, when at once the car lost a high bit of its power. He thus planted the American machinery straight for his pit, reporting a lack of fuel pressure. After a further stop the problem was traced to a filter blockage, and Phil set then off in anger three laps in arrears on the swarm of four GTOs-64.

ORGANISERS OF THE SPA 500-KMS AND THE ADAC NÜRBURGRING 1000-KILOMETER RENNEN used several years the same bill board on which they changed only year after year the dates and the prices. On applying the Belgian general price index the best places (the so-called loges) were sold at the equivalent of € 35.00 of our days. That was pretty cheap compared with the actual prices but expensive if one considers that an average monthly wage income was just above the equivalent of € 350.

Pace of that swarm, however is so high, that after 12 laps the gap between the leading quartet and the duo Salmon-Protheroe is already more than 40 seconds. Meanwhile we lost already two of the three works Abarths-Simca 2000 GT: Hermann's #54 on brakes woes and Baghetti's #53 on a broken transmission. Far behind Phil Hill is consistently breaking the lap record in an effort to vent his frustration over what he (error!) considered a certain victory lost. Eventually his fasted lap time will be 4'04"5, that is an average of 207.607 kph. Never before a Grand Touring car went so fast over the Spa track. Freed from the Cobra Daytona the four front runners returned to their steamroller schedule. 
Of the three works 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadsters with the numbers #2 (Innes Ireland), #3 (Bob Bondurant) and #4 (Jo Schlesser) none was able to follow the pace set by the Ferraris. Under the burning sun at 26° Celsius they even could not follow the Lightweight Jaguars (#8 Sutcliffe and #9 Protheroe) and the #6 Aston Martin DP214 of Mike Salmon (having realised the eight fastest time in 4'13"0 at the Qualifications). Keith Bluemel wrote: "The Cobra roadsters were well off the pace on this high-speed circuit, proving to have the proverbial aerodynamic properties of a brick on the long straight", op. cit., p. 145. Eventually the fastest roadster - Bob Bondurants - should finish as ninth, even headed by three 2-litre Porsches 904 GTS. 
At mid-race order is Lucien Bianchi (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), Bandini (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), Guichet (Ferrari 250 GTO-64) and Parkes (Ferrari 250 GTO-64), all four within a handful of seconds, followed at more than two minutes by the Ferrari 250 GTO of David Piper and the Jaguar E-Type Lightweight of Protheroe, racing nose to tail. The Aston Martin DP214 of Mike Salmon comes a half minute later, followed by Gérard Langlois van Ophem in the #27 4153 GT Ferrari 250 GTO and a trio of Porsches 904 GTS under commando of Edgar Barth. 

SECOND PLACE IN THE SPA 500-KMS went to Jean Guichet in the works 4675 GT 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (entered under the banner of the Scuderia Filipinetti). Here we see Guichet, the French ships builder, exiting La Source hairpin. The shot admirably shows the long-roof configuration, used only on this car and the 3413 GT as raced by Corrado Ferlaino and Luigi Taramazzo (#114) at the 1964 Targa Florio at Madonie Piccolo. SOURCE: Keith Bluemel and Jess G. Pourret (1998), Ferrari 250 GTO, Bideford (Devon): View Books, p. 146.

The lonely surviving Abarth-Simca 2000 GT - Franco Patria's #55 - is still there, but already one lap down to the trio of Porsches. The private GTO Ferraris of Peter Clarke (#29), Boulanger (#30) and Ramminger (#31) are already retired, just as the two Drogo Ferraris 250 GT. Shortly later its the turn of Brian Hetreed to abandon one of the two Dawney Racing Astons (the #7). The nine Porsches 904 GTS are still all nine racing, the fastest of them reaching average speeds of 200 kph. Despite their great driving talent Bob Bondurant, Jo Schlesser and Innes Ireland cannot follow the fastest Porsches with their Cobra roadsters.
In front positions switch no longer from lap to lap when the Colonel gives Parkes instructions to go flat out. He pulls away from Lucien Bianchi and Jean Guichet. After a prolonged pit stop Lorenzo Bandini follows one minute later. When, with five laps to go, Bianchi tries to close the gap with Parkes he blows his engine and is out. Not already out, but progressing at moderated speed, Phil Hill has forced the engine of his Shelby Cobra Daytona and drops from 18th position (at three laps) into 22nd position at seven laps. He'll not reach the finish line, but will be classified. One of the nine Porsches 904 GTS is disqualified for irregular help: Gerhard Osterfeld's. Two other 904 GTS Porsches are ill-fated and follow at considerable distance: the Belgian ones of "Eldé" (Lucien Dernier) and Émile-Claude Clemens.
With Lucien Bianchi out and five laps to go only five cars are still in the lead lap; In fifth position, struggling with the green Ferrari 250 GTO of David Piper, we find Dick Protheroe in his personal Lightweight Jaguar. Unfortunately he'll drop from fifth to twelfth position when, one lap further, he has only two gears left. So, Edgar Barth (#41 Porsche 904 GTS), can move up in fifth position, but more than a full lap down to Mike Parkes, who'll win after 2h32'05"2 the race, 1'08"9 seconds ahead over Jean Guichet and 2'15"2 over Bandini in the other works Ferrari 250 GTO-64. David Piper and érard Langlois van Ophem make the success of the Prancing Horse complete by finishing as fourth and sixth. Div II (GT2) is easily won by Edgar Barth, finishing fifth OA, 1'09"0 ahead over Gerhard Koch in the other works Porsche and 1'32"0 over Ben Pon in the orange Dutch Porsche. First Ford, finishing only sixth in Div III (GT3) is Bob Bondurant's roadster, beating Peter Sutcliffe's #8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight for the ninth place OA on the finish line.
After five rounds provisional standings for the 1964 FISA Manufacturers Worlds are as follows: Ferrari leads in Div III (GT3) with 30.9 + 11.7 = 42.6 points against 27.9 + 1.3 = 29.2 points for Ford. In Div II (GT3) Porsche leads with 40.5 + 11.7 = 52.2 points, against 12.8 points for Alfa Romeo, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 points for Abarth and Sunbeam, and 1.6 points for Ford-Lotus. In Div I (GT1) Abarth counts always 26.1 points,  against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, 9 points for Lotus and 2.6 points for Fiat. No points could be won at Spa for Div I (GT1) cars, even not allowed to start. After five rounds stand in the international Ford-Ferrari combat is up to 1-3, whilst the stand in the Porsche-Abarth combat in the two litre-class is 2-0.

OF THE FOUR WORKS FORDS only the Shelby Cobra Daytona was competitive. The car improved the lap record, going in the race five faster than at the qualifications. A filter blockage made the car loosing three laps very early in the race. During the first lap the Cobra Daytona was struggling with a swarm of four Ferraris 250 GTO-64.

ENGLAND'S DAVID PIPER FINISHED FOURTH at the Spa 500-kms, proving that his "lowline" model was aerodynamically efficient. Indeed, Piper modified this car by cutting the windscreen down and lowering the roof. Picture above is not the 4491 GT as raced at Spa, but Piper's first GTO with chassis 3767 GT with which he won in 1962 the Kyalami 9 hours. He sold the car end 1963 to America's Ed Cantrell. Bonnet louvres and a third exhaust slot were added. Here the 3767 GT at the 1963 Sebring 12 hours. We could not find a good ORIGINAL colour picture of the 4491 GT as raced in 1964.

ROUND #6: CONSUMA HILL-CLIMB FOR MASERATI TIPO 60, POINTS TO ABARTH

THE FAMOUS MASERATI TIPO 60 BIRDCAGE WITH CHASSIS 2465 was already in 1960, when driven by Mennato Boffa, a serious contender in hill-climbs. It won that year the climbs of Trieste-Bondone and Schauinsland and was second OA at Bolzano-Mendola and Ollon-Villars. In 1962 the brothers Vincenzo and Antonio Riolo entered the car (without success) at the Targa Florio. The same year it was sold to Nino Todaro who won in 1963 the Trapano-Monte Erice hill-climb with it. In 1964 Odoardo Govoni bought the car, winning with it the famous Consuma hill-climb with it.

May 24, 1964. - Contested one week after the Spa 500-kms and one week before the Nürburgring 1000-kms the famous Coppa del Consuma hill-climb in Italy saw 247 cars in practice. Of them only the less than 1,300 cc Grand Touring cars of Div I (GT1) could win points. Since Lotus was no longer interested in FISA business after ACO refused Colin Chapman's Lotus 23 at the 1962 Le Mans 24 hours, Abarth Corse has no serious competition in its class. Of the 247 starters only 14 are Div I cars. The reason is quite simple: most manufacturers of small cylinder cars are preparing their cars for the Nürburgring 1000-kms and have no time to show at Consuma.

THE ENTRY
After the strong controversy at Monza - where privateers refused to start if factory cars were allowed to compete in Div I - there were no works teams present at Consuma. Twelve sports cars (S) showed, among them three Maseratis Tipo 60 Birdcage - always excellent at hill-climbs - and a heavily transformed Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ driven by Piero Amato. In Div III we note eight starters five Ferraris 250 GTO with Edoardo Lualdi and Ernesto Prinoth as highly specialised hill-climb racers. In Div II there are 14 starters, among them the Porsche 904 GTS of Paolo Colombo and the Abarth-Simca 2000 GT of Herbert Demetz. It's already the third time this year that a confrontation Porsche-Abarth is at the stake. Of the 14 Div I nine are an Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero, three an Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, one Alfa Romeo Giulietta SV and one Lancia Flamina Zagato. The rest of the field are all kind of Italian Touring cars from 2.6 Lacias Flaminia to 0.5 Fiat 500. There are also two F3 cars, but they have to compete off-championship. Curiously there is not one single Alfa Romeo TZ-1 at the start. Although the Consuma Hill-Climb is a round for the world championship we find exclusively 247 Italians at the start, no one from outside Italy!

THE CLIMB 
At the start there are six potential winners: Mario Casoni in De Sanctis Ford F3, Edoardo Luali in his Ferrari 250 GTO-64 with chassis 409 1GT, Ernesto Prinoth with his Ferrari 250 GTO (chassis 3851 GT), Egidio Nicolosi in his 3705 GT Ferrari 250 GTO (having finished second overall at the 1962 Le Mans 24 hours), Paolo Colombo in the Porsche 904 GTS, Herbert-Dieter Demetz in his personal Abarth-Simca 2000GT and Odoardo Govone in the ex-Boffa, ex-Todaro 2.0 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage. The last name will be the lonely one out of 242 starters to go under the magic 7 minutes limit. Helped by the legendary superb handling of the car - so often praised by racers like Stirling Moss, Roger Penke and Carroll Shelby, who drove a similar car in earlier days - Odoadro Govoni won the climb in 6'54"17. Second best time was realised in 7'01"21 by specialist Eduardo Lualdi in the 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64. Third time was realised by Mario Casoni with his 1.6 De Sanctis Ford F3 (7'06"9), although he was not officially ranked. The official third was Paolo Colombo with the 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS, having been with his 7'09"58 a sharp 15"82 faster than Herbert Dechent in the 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT, finishing seventh OA. The other F3, a 1.6 de Tomaso Ford F3 of "Miro Gay", clocked with 7'11"10 the fifth best time, but was, just as Mario Casoni, not classified. Official fourth was Ernesto Prinoth with his 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO. In Div I (GT1) the nine first places all went to a 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero, with Secondo Ridolfi as class winner in 7'25"71, classified as ninth OA.

Final Results
1. #349 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage	2465	Odoardo Govoni	6'54"17	1st S
2. #328 Ferrari 250 GTO-64	4091GT	Edoardo Lualdi	7'01"21	1st GT3
-. #- De Sanctis Ford F3		Mario Casoni	7'06"90	F3
3. #323 Porsche 904 GTS		Paolo Colombo	7'09"58	1st GT2
-. #- De Tomaso Ford F3		"Miro Gay"	7'11"10	F3
4. #329 Ferrari 250 GTO	3851GT	Ernesto Prinoth	7'15"36	2nd GT3
5. #340 Lotus 23 Giannini		Cesare Toppetti	7'19"54	2nd S
6. #337 Fiat-Abarth 1000 S		Vittorio Venturi	7'20"60	3rd S
7. #325 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT		Herbert Demetz	7'25"40	2nd GT2
8. #304 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Secondo Ridolfi	7'25"71	1st GT1
9. #285 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Giuseppe Dalla Torre	7'26"10	2nd GT1
10.#291 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Erasmo Andreini	7'26"68	3rd GT1
11.#309 Lotus Elan 26R		Bruno Deserti	7'26"69	3rd GT2
12.#346 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage	2466	Raffaello Rosati	7'26"91	3rd S
13.#344 De Sactis-Osca 1000 S		Sergio Bettoja	7'29"64	4th S
14.#347 Maserati Tipo 60 Birdcage	2460	Turillo Barbuscia	7'33"96	5th S
15.#293 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Adolfo M. Brocchi	7'34"12	4th GT1
16.#332 Ferrari 250 GTO	3705GT	Egidio Nicolosi	7'40"12	3rd GT3
17.#287 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Angelo Giliberti	7'41"67	5th GT1
18.#331 Ferrari 250 GTO-64	3413GT	Corrado Ferlaino	7'42"59	4th GT3
19.#336 De Sactis-Osca 1000 S		Sesto Leonardi	7'45"82	6th S
20.#345 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ		Sergio Bettoja	7'46"54	7th S
22.#284 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Alberto Luti	7'49"97	6th GT1
23.#294 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		"Nicor"	7'50"83	7th GT1
24.#286 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Renato Arfe	7'51"14	8th GT1
25.#333 Ferrari 250 GTO		"Lothar"	7'54"09	5th GT3
24.#286 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Roberto Bertuzzi	7'54"13	9th GT1

The Consuma Hill-Climb was already the third round of the Manufacturers World Championship where Div I cars could score points. After that third round, where only Abarth scored points - since they trusted the nine first places - In Div I (GT1) Abarth counts now 26.1 + 9 = 35.1 points,  against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, 9 points for Lotus and 2.6 points for Fiat. Next round where Div I cars can win points is the Schauinsland Hill-Climb in Freiburg on August 9. The stand in the Porsche-Abarth combat in the two litre-class is 3-0.

NO FERRARI 250 GTO ENTERED SO MANY HILL-CLIMB RACES AS THE 4091 GT bought in February by the Scuderia Sant Ambroeus from its first owner, Sergio Bettoja. It concerned a rebodied GTOwith the short roof and a built-in spoiler. Transformation was done by the end of 1963. There is no evidence that the car was raced in 1962 and 1963. During the complete 1964 season the car was exclusively raced by Edoardo Lualdi. He won six hill-climb races with it, all six in Italy.In 1965 the Scuderia let its 4091 GT being raced by Clemente Ravetto.He finished twelfth with it in the Targa Florio and sixth at the Coppa di Citta d'Enna. For the rest the car was again used at Italian hill-climbs. Ravetto won one of them OA SOURCE: Keith Bluemel and Jess G. Pourret (1998), Ferrari 250 GTO, Bideford (Devon): View Books, p. 73.

ROUND #7: ADAC 1000-KM RENNEN OF NÜRBURGRING TO FERRARI

AT THE NÜRBURGRING FIVE FERRARI PROTOTYPES - three 3.3 Ferraris 275P and two 3.3 Ferraris 250 LM - stood for the first time eye to eye with Ford's new 4.2 GT40 prototype. The American machinery did better than at the Le Mans April Tests but was retired with a broken suspension after 15 laps out of 44. Ferrari won the race with its #144 275P, shared by Ludovico Scarfiotti and Nino Vaccarella. With the #143 sister car John Surtees/Lorenzo Bandini - having realised the pole and the fastest racing lap - were on their way to victory after the #142 Maranello 275P was disqualified for non-allowed refuelling outside the pits. Unfortunately the #143 lost after 32 laps a wheel so that the #144 Ferrari 275P finished as winner.

PHIL HILL, SHARING WITH BRUCE MCLAREN, WAS SECOND QUICKEST IN PRACTICE AT THE NÜRBURGRING 1000-KMS for the Ford GT40's racing debut but after frightening the (prancing) horses the car retired from third spot with a suspension failure on lap 15 with McLaren at the wheel. During its early career the GT40 used Ford's all-alloy Indy 4.2-litre Fairlane engine, but by Reims an iron block 4.7-litre (289cu in) unit was first used as the special Fairlane engines were becoming scarce. Here, chassis 102 races up the hill just past Adenau bridge with the outlying town visible beyond. SOURCE: Parker, Paul (2007), Sports Car Racing in Camera 1960-69, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing, p. 110.
  

May 29-31, 1964. No less than 96 cars show at the Nürburgring for round #7 of the Manufacturers World Championship. There are two practice sessions, on Friday and on Saturday.

THE ENTRY
Since the wandering at the glacial age, never such crowd has been on the move in the German Eifel. Legend-builders speak about 95,000 visitors on Friday, 300,000 on Saturday and 350,000 on Sunday. Even Indianapolis' Brickyard never saw such crowd. Even if reality should be 50 per cent lower, attendance still remains fabulous. What happens? America's Ford GT came to Europe to contest its first race. All they want to see the famous miracle car so highly praised in the press.
Ferrari is present with thir49) teen cars. Of them three are works cars, this time openly entered by SpA SEFAC. There is the #143 3.3 Ferrari 275P with chassis 0822 for John Surtees/Lorenzo Bandini (it's the moral winner of the Sebring 12 hours, having finished third after a driver's error by Big John) and the #144 similar car with chassis 0820 for Ludovico Scarfiotti and Nino Vaccarella (it's the car having finished second at Sebring). Third works car is the #83 Div III (GT3) 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 with chassis 5573 GT for Mike Parkes/Jean Guichet (having finished third at Spa). Maranello Concessionaires shows with a third 275P prototype (#142 with chassis 0818) for Graham Hill/Innes Ireland. The Écurie Nationale Belge comes with its new 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM (#134, chassis 5843) for "Jean Beurlys"/Pierre Diumay, with the new 250 GTO-64 (#74 chassis 5575 GT) for Lucien Bianchi/Langlois van Ophem, and with the silver 250 GTO (#75 chassis 4153 GT). Rest of the Ferrari entry concerns the personal 250 GTOs of Peter Clarke, David Piper, Ulf Norinder, and Manfred Ramminger, the 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM of Gottfried Koechert for Umberto Maglioli/Jochen Rindt (#137, chassis 5909) and an old 250 GT SWB.
Ford is via Ford Advanced Vehicles [F.A.V.] present with its absolute eye catcher, the #140 4.2 Ford GT40 (chassis GT/102) for Phill Hill and Bruce McLaren. After its disastrous show at the Le Mans April tests race director John Wyer and engineer Roy Lunn let the car be thoroughly tested by Bruce McLaren. Addition of a rear spoiler increased significantly the car's stability at high speed. The nose section with the three openings was changed for a rectangular wide opening. Wyer insisted to replace the fragile Colotti gearbox by a more reliable ZF, specially created for the Ford GT, but the Germans let know that the study of a new gearbox could take several months. Rest of Ford's works entry is restricted to  three 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadsters: #99 for Jo Schlesser/Richard Attwood, #100 for Vincenzo Arena and #101 for Bob Bondurant/Jochen Neerpasch. Tony Hitchcock shows with its own roadster (#95)Willment Racing has its own #96 A.C. Cobra Hardtop for Bob Olthoff/Paul Hawkins and #97 for Jack Sears/Frank Gardner. What makes seven Ford entries in total.
Porsche shows on the holy German home ground with a complete armada of twenty one cars. Five of them are works cars, three 8-cylinder prototypes 904 GTS-8: #126  for Jo Bonnier/Ritchie Ginther, #127 for Colin Davies/Edgar Barth plus the #127T spare car;the #46 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS for Herbert Linge/Gerhard Mitter and the #36 Porsche 356B 2000GS GT for Günther KLass/Sepp Greger. Fourteen Porsches 904 GTS are private entries, among them the orange #45 of Racing Team Holland  for Ben Pon, the red #55 of Scuderia Filipinetti for Herbert Müller/André Knörr, the S.M.A.R.T. #50 for David Hobbs/Lloyd Casner and the two Belgian 904s of Léon Dernier (#49) and Émile-Claude Clemens (#44) entered under the banner of the Écurie Nationale Belge. The Porsches 904 GTS of Günther Selbach (#43), Rudolf W. Moser (#47), Hessen Racing (#53), Andrea Vianini (#63), Peter Ruby (#64), Heinz Schiller (#65), Heini Walter (#66), Bernhard Reyers (#67) are all simple client versions. Two old Porsches 356B Carrera, entered under the banner of Lufthansa complete the Porsche armada.
Alfa Romeo came with three 1.6 Alfa Romeos TZ-1 entered by the Scuderia Ambroeus for Jean Rolland/Fernand Masoero (#33), Giampiero Biscaldi/Ernst Furtmayr (#34), Roberto Businello/Giorgio Pianta (#35). Two Giuliettas SZ complete the entry.
Abarth Corse let its unreliable 2000 GT home and showed with four works cars, all 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialberos: #6 for Herbert Müller (yes also on the #55 Por-sche) and Tommmy Spichiger, #7 for Roger Delageneste/Walter Schneider, #8 for Hans Hermann/Fritz Jüttner and #23 for Franco Patria/Kurt Ahrens. The two other Bialberos are private entries. René Bonnet shows with five works cars, Alpine with three, Willi Martini with four. The rest of the field is nearly all private owned English machinery: Aston Martin DP214, Jaguar E-type Lightweight, Lotus Elan, Lotus Elite, MG Midget, Austin-Healey, Marcos, Diva, Deep Sanderson, Lister-Jaguar, Ginetta G4, Turner Sprint and Triumph TR4. A new 5.4 Iso Grifo A3 Chevrolet (#138), a Lancia Flavia Zagato and a Glas 1300 GT complete the impressive entry list.

PRACTICE
Practice was perturbed by a series of accidents, as well on Friday and Saturday, eliminating no less than nine cars. Already on Friday, under a sudden thunderstorm, the #92 3.7 Aston Martin DP214 of Brian Hetreed - a Dawney Racing entry - left violently the road at Bergwerk, falling down at an embankment. Car was total loss and its poor driver died in the wreck. One day later Rudolf Wilhelm Moser, driving his brand new #47 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS for its real first racing airing, went of the road at Antoniusbuche, being suddenly killed. Other accidents were not as fatal, but resulted in injuries of several drivers (Dick Protheroe, Vincenzo Arena). Eliminated were the #64 Porsche 904 GTS of Peter Ruby, the #94 Jaguar E-type Lightweight of Dick Protheroe (the hero of the Spa 500-kms), the #97 John Willment A.C. Cobra Hardtop shared by Jack Sears and Frank Gardner , the #127 works Porsche 904-8 of Edgar Barth/Colin Davis (fortunately they could start on the spare car), the #128 Ian Walker Racing 1.6 Lotus Elan R26 of Peter Arundell/Mike Spence, the #100 works Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster of Vincenzo Arena, and a #111 Ginetta G4. Security is certainly the highest priority for track owners and car builders. What counts is winning money at the lowest cost for the organisers and winning races for the car builders. Fatal accidents are never worth more than one or two lines in the specialised press. Crowds should not know how dangerous 1964 racing is, not know how low the protection in cases of accident. Very touched by the death of his friend and commercial partner Mike Salmon decides to retire  his #135 Aston Martin DP/214. Porsche, due to its commercial interests in Germany, refuses to go into mourning after the death of one of their clients (Moser). No Porsches are withdrawn. The show must go on. Deutsch Marks are so more important than human life is a capitalist society where profit is the highest of all values.
When Roy Nunn and John Wyer let go their #140 Ford GT40 for practice, and when their driver Phil Hill records a sharp 9'04"7, Moser and Hetreed are already forgotten. Only John Surtees, at the wheel of the #143 works Ferrari 275P goes faster. But then really faster, since his best time, 8'57"9, is 6.8 seconds lower than Ford's. The two other Ferraris 275P - the works #144 of Scarfiotti and the #142 (a 330P having been reduced to 3.3-lire) - follow as third and fifth in res. 9'05"9 and 9'09"9. This duo is split by the #126 Porsche 904-8 of Joachim Bonnier/Richie Ginther, having clocked with 9'08"8 the fourth best time. The other works 904 GTS, the #127T, having received the 8-cylinder motor, comes next in sixth position with 9'13"2 (fastest in Div II). Fast as always Tommy Hitchcock, in his private #95 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster, is fastest in Div III (GT3). With 9'29"4 he clocks the seventh best time, heading the Belgian #134 Ferrari 250 LM of Jean Blaton ("Beurlys") and Pierre Dumay (9'30"3). The other 250 LM, #137, is ninth in 9'31"4. First in Div III (GT3) and tenth OA is the works #83 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Parkes/Guichet in 9'32"5. Second in Div II (GT2) is the #46 works Porsche 904 GTS of Linge/Mitter with 9'34"9, followed by the #45 orange Porsche 904 GTS of Ben Pon, the #88 Lightweight Jaguar of Peter Lindner, the #101 works Cobra Roadster of Bob Bondurant, the #50 S.M.A.R.T. Porsche 904 GTS and the Belgian #74 Ferrari 250 GTO-64.

Qualification Results
#143 Ferrari 275P (SEFAC)	0822	John Surtees/Lorenzo Bandini	P	8'57"9
#140 Ford GT40 (F.A.V.)	GT/102	Phil Hill/Bruce McLaren	P	9'04"7
#144 Ferrari 275P (SEFAC)	0820	L Scarfiotti/Nino Vaccarella	P	9'05"9
#186 Porsche 904-8 (Porsche Syst)	009	Jo Bonnier/Richie Ginther	P	9'08"8
#142 Ferrari 275P (Maranello)	0818	Graham Hill/Innes Ireland	P	9'09"9
#127 Porsche 904-8 (Porsche Syst)	005	Edgar Barth/Colin Davis	P	9'13"2
#95 Shelby Cobra 289 (Hitchcock)	CSX2155	Tommy Hitchcock/Gunter Thiel	GT3	9'29"4
#134 Ferrari 250 LM (Éc.Nat.Belge)	5843	"Jean Beurlys"/Pierre Dumay	P	9'30"3
#137 Ferrari 250 LM (Koechert)	5909	Umberto Maglioli/Jochen Rindt	P	9'31"4
#83 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (SEFAC)	5573GT	Mike Parkes/Jean Guichet	GT3	9'32"5
#46 Porsche 904 GTS (Porsche Sy)	006	Herbert Linge/Gerhard Mitter	GT2	9'34"9
#45 Porsche 904 GTS (RT Holland)	055	Gerard Koch/Ben Pon	GT2	9'35"6
#88 Jaguar E-type Lightweight (p)	S850662	Peter Lindner/Peter Nöcker	GT3	9'37"9
#101 Shelby Cobra 289 (Shelby A)	CSX2345	Bob Bondurant/J Neerpasch	GT3	9'38"8
#50 Porsche 904 GTS (SMART)	025	David Hobbs/Lloyd Casner	GT2	9'48"3
#74 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (Éc.Nat.Be)	5575GT	L Bianchi/G Langlois vOphem	GT3	9'49"3
#65 Porsche 904 GTS (H Schiller)	069	Jo Siffert/Heinz Schiller	GT2	9'51"0
#99 Shelby Cobra 289 (Shelby Am)	CSX2301	Jo Schlesser/Richard Attwood	GT3	9'51"4
#72 Ferrari 250 GTO (D Piper)	4491GT	David Piper/Tony Maggs	GT3	9'51"8
#43 Porsche 904 GTS (G Selbach)	054	Günther Selbach/H Schultze	GT2	9'52"6
#66 Porsche 904 GTS (H Walter)	033	Heini Walter/Rudolf Jenzer	GT2	9'52"6
#91 Jaguar E-type Lightweight (p)	S850666	Peter Sutcliffe/Dickie Stoop	GT3	9'52"8
#63 Porsche 904 GTS (A Vianini)	078	Andrea Vianini/Nasif Estéfano	GT2	9'56"7
#77 Ferrari 250 GTO (U Norinder)	3445GT	Picko Troberg/Chris Amon	GT3	9'56"8
#96 A.C. Cobra 289 (Willment)	CSX2130	Bob Olthoff/Paul Hawkins	GT3	9'59"1

THE LEGENDARY ASTON MARTIN DP214 WITH CHASSIS 0195/R, ex-works car of David Brown, is destroyed at the Nürburgring on May 29, 1964 when, under a sudden thunder-storm,  Brian Hetreed left the track at Bergwerk and fell down at an embankment. Poor Brian was killed in the accident. Interestingly, #0195/R apparently was rebuilt and was destined to be sold in the Coys Auction, Silverstone in 1995. After inspection by Aston Martin experts, the car was declared 'a replica' made up of a DB4GT engine and gear box, contemporary Aston Martin parts and a body showing a fairly close resemblance to the original. Thus the car cannot be considered an Aston Martin and Coys withdrew it from the sale. Here we see the car at the 1963 Tourist Trophy. At the end of the season, when Aston's race director - John Wyer - moved to Ford, David Brown sold his two DP214s to Mike Salmon's Dwaney Racing. The DP214 was the first car able to beat the Ferraris GTO. It happened at the Coppa Inter-Europa at Monza on September 8, 1963, when the #0194/R in hands of Roy Salvadori could beat the GTO of Mike Parkes by less than one metre. The #0195/R driven by Lucien Bianchi finished third that day. 

THIS 2.0 PORSCHE 904 GTS WITH CHASSIS #032 WAS SOLD on February 27, 1964 to Rudolf W. Moser of Frankfurt.M. He entered it for its real first race at the Nürburgring 1000-kms. On May 30, 1964, one day after the fatal accident of Brian Hetreed, Moser perished in the car during practice when the car crashed at Antoniusbuche and was found with its four wheels in the air. Moser was immediately killed. Above the email blue car less than one minute before the fatal accident. SOURCE: Jürgen Barth, Patrick Albinet and Bernhard Weigel (2003), Porsche 904. Die komplette Dokumentation - Entwicklung, Evolution, Fahr-zeughistorie, Köningswinter: Heel Verlag, p. 174.

THE RACE
Weather is grey and cold on Sunday. After practice, having been a series of disasters, the situation is hardly better once the German flag is dropped. Especially Ford - still hoping that they can at least win the Manufacturers Worlds with their Cobras - came handicapped at the start, since they lost two of their roadsters on practice. Only now the press is informed about what happened yesterday with the two eliminated Cobra roadsters. The #100 works Cobra  was rounding a bend to encounter a wet surface, causing the car to fly off the circuit, over a drop and into the trees, badly injuring driver Vincenzo Arena. The #97 Willment A.C. Cobra was sidelined when Frank Gardner flipped and rolled his car, So only four Cobras - and not the scheduled six - had to fight against seven GTO Ferraris for the win of Div III (GT3). The start is hardly given, with Surtees (#143 Ferrari) pulling away, when Bob Olthoff, in the second Willment #96 A.C. Cobra catches fire. After the fire is extinguished Olthoff can go, at the tail of the field.
The Le Mans start procedure is not directly Phil Hill's cup of tea. He takes his time to fasten his seat belt and takes off in the mid of the field. But once going he passes all cars except one, to finish the first lap in second position. Order is thus 1. Surtees (Ferrari 275P), 2. Phil Hill (Ford GT40), 3. Scarfiotti (Ferrari 275P), 4. Graham Hill (Ferrari 275P), 5. Jo Bonnier (Porsche 904-8).
Still during the first lap two cars - a works Bonnet and Eldé's #49 Porsche - are eliminated by accidents and the #101 works Cobra is hit hard by Peter Linder's #88 Jaguar. Despite a deflated rear tyre and a stoved-in rear wing, Bondurant manages to limp back to the pits, where mechanics pull the bodywork clear, fit a new wheel and sent him on his way. That makes a second Cobra as back bencher. But still it's not enough: in the other works Cobra Jo Schlesser has the lead fall of the coil. He manages to cadge a replacement wire from a spectator. When his #99 is again going, he's already the third roadster-driver to join the the tail of the race. Only the fast private #95 Cobra of Tommy Hitchcock bares now the Snake's hope to win its class; That hope, however, lasts only until the end of the second lap. Early in the third lap Hitchcock spins off into a bank, sees his Cobra catapulting back on the track, in the path of Sutcliffe's #91,making a complete flip, to land back on its wheels. Both cars are too badly damaged to continue their race. 
During the third lap the Ford GT comes through as fourth, having been passed by the 275Ps of Scarfiotti and Graham Hill, but without being outdistanced by them. Insiders can only show admiration for the great work done at Slough: at the April test the Fords GT were not going at all, but now, a month later, the white and blue car has not the smallest problem to follow the fastest race cars on earth: the Ferrari prototypes. Meanwhile a second Bonnet, coming no longer through, is out. Until lap 10 - just before the regular refuelling pit stops - order is always three 275Ps in front with Phil Hill behind in fourth. Positions of the 275Ps switch a couple of times. Just before coming in for refuelling, and handing the #140 over to team mate Bruce McLaren, the Ford GT is only 1'30" down to the leader. When the three Ferrari prototypes made their scheduled stops the #142 Maranello 275P of Graham Hill/Innes Ireland is leading, followed by the #143 of Surtees/Bandini and the #144 of Scarfiotti/Vaccarella. The Ford GT, however is always fourth with a quarter of the race having been achieved. In fifth position we find the Parkes/Guichet #83 Ferrari 250 GTO-64. They could pass the #126 Bonnier/Ginther works Porsche 904-8 when that car lost early in the race more than one minute at an unscheduled pit stop.
Meanwhile we lost half of the British machinery, but also - already after four laps - the #77 Ferrari of Ulf Norinder after an accident, and later also the #127 works Porsche 904-8 of Barth/Davis - also on an accident after having been long time sixth. Out too is the yellow #134 Ferrari 250 LM with a broken suspension after nine laps and Ian Walker's lonely surviving #30 Lotus Elan, also victim of an accident.
Purchasing the Maranello #142, out on the lead, John Surtees set a new racing lap record in 9'09" shortly before handing the car over to Lorenzo Bandini. After 15 laps the Ford GT is always fourth, at striking distance (45 seconds) from the three 275P Ferraris, but then drama knocks at Dearborn's door when the beautiful and quick computer car falls off with a broken suspension. Just before the back benching #101 works Cobra of Bondurant/Neerpasch was abandoned with a blown engine. Same problem for the #33 Alfa Romeo TZ-1 of Jean Rolland/Fernand Masoero.
At mid-race order is 1. Graham Hill/Ireland (#142 Maranello Ferrari 275P), 2. Scarfiotti/Vaccarella (#144 works Ferrari 275P), 3. Surtees/Bandini (#143 works Ferrari 275P), 4. Maglioli/Rindt (#137 Ferrari 250 LM), 5. Parkes/Guichet (#83 works Ferrari 250 GTO-64, leading Div III), 6. Bonnier/Ginther (#126 works Porsche 904-8) and 7. Koch/Pon (#45 Porsche 904 GTS, leading Div II). When Maglioli's LM has to pit with technical bothers, the cars behing win all one place. Due to a second series of pit stops for refuelling Scarfiotti takes the lead, followed by Ireland and Surtees with 20 laps to go.

FIRST RACE OUTING FOR THE FORD ADVANCED VEHICLES #140 FORD GT at the Nürburg-ring 1000-kms. Here we see the American challenger in the pit lane together with the #78 Ferrari 250 GTO of Peter Clarke. SOURCE: Anthony Pritchard (2004), Scarlet Passion. Ferrari's famed sports prototype and competition sports cars 1962-1973, Spark-ford,Yovil, Sommerset: Haynes Publishing, p.67.

Ferrari holds thus the four first positions. Their victory is no longer threated when the fastest Porsche - the #126 8-cylinder of Bonnier and Ginther - looses a complete lap in the pits, so that the first non-Ferrari is the orange Div II Porsche 904 GTS of Ben Pon and Gerhard Koch. One rank further we find again a Ferrari, now the #74 250 GTO-64 of the Belgian National Team. Instead of things setting down, Innes Ireland in the Maranello 275P starts to put pressure on Vaccarella and spurs the Sicilian teacher to start challenging Bandini in the other works car. This makes race director Eugenio Dragoni just frantic, especially as Ireland comes the following lap round ahead of the two factory cars.
As Ireland wishes to come in after 29 laps to hand over Maranello's 275P to Graham Hill, he never completes the lap as the fuel tank splis and runs out of fuel on the circuit. He parks the car, jumps out and runs the 400 metres he is from the garage. He returns to his car with a one gallon can and rejoins the race, only to be disqualified for infringing the regulation that stated refuelling can only take place in the pits. Surtees/Bandini seem now assured of victory, but at three-quarter distance Surtees is driving when the #143 factory 275P looses a wheel. He stays on the road, slowing the car by running against the hedges.
In three laps time the Prancing Horse lost its two fastest cars. Scarfiotti/Vaccarella are thus the new leaders, being a complete lap ahead over Parkes/Guichet in the Div III leading 250 GO-64. They are followed at 3'10" by the orange Porsche 904 GTS of Ben Pon, having 3'25 in hand over the #74 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Lucien Bianchi, who passed the ill-fate #126 factory Porsche 904-8 for fourth position.
A third GTO Ferrari - Piper's green "lowline" #72 - is now 1'35" down from the #126 8-cylinder Porsche on rank 5. He's followed by a swamp of no less than six Porsches 904 GTS, except for the #46 in rank 12, all client cars. Meanwhile the #137 Ferrari 250 LM of Umberto Maglioli and Jochen Rindt - during the first half of the race steadily in the top-5 - is loosing already its tenth lap in the pits after an accident.

indeed, it rains accidents on the Ring: after nine cars lost on accidents in practice, now twelve are lost on accidents during the race. That makes a quarter of all entered cars.
Of the seven GTO Ferraris having started the race six will reach the finish, against only one out of six Cobra roadsters: the #99 of Jo Schlesser and Richard Attwood, brought home as 23rd. Once more the big cylinder cars are mainly dominated by the more agile 2-liter Porsches. Ford may be lucky that they won still 1 x 1.6 points for their sixth place in Div III with Schlesser's Cobra, because it was headed for that sixth place in class by the new 5.4 Iso Grifo A3C Chevrolet of Pierre Noblet and Edgar Berney, finishing as 19th overall. Despite the fact that the Iso is a pure Grand Touring car, it's not homologated as such since not hundred copies of it were released.
During the last quarter of the race positions change no longer and Ludovico Scarfiotti/Nino Vaccarella take the chequered flag, one lap ahead over the works Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Mike Parkes/Jean Guichet (winning Div III) and the orange Porsche 904 GTS of Gerard Koch/Ben Pon (winning Div II). The Ferrari success is completed by the #74 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 of Lucien Bianchi/Gérard Langlois van Ophem finishing fourth overall and by the #72 Ferrari 250 GTO of David Piper/Tony Maggs, finishing seventh. Porsche has ten of its cars in the top-17. The old 365B 2000GS GT of Günther Klass/Sepp Greger still finishes as 15th, headed by the two Scuderia Sant Ambroeus 1.6 Alfa Romeos TZ-1 on ranks 13 and 14. Fastest Div I car and class-winner is the #8 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero of Hans Hermann/Fritz Jüttner finishing as 16th overall. The six following cars in Div I are except for the #18 Glas 1300 GT (fourth in Div I) all an Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero. Of the British machinery mainly the under 1.3-litre cars reached the finish, with 24th as best for an MG Midget. Of the five Jaguars at the start a street version finished as 24th, Lumsden's Lightweight as 51st and last.

After seven rounds provisional standings for the 1964 FISA Manufacturers Worlds are as follows: Ferrari leads in Div III (GT3) with 42.6 + 14.4 = 57.0 points against 29.2 + 1.6 = 30.8 points for Ford. In Div II (GT3) Porsche leads with 52.5 + 14.4 = 66.9 points, against 12.8 points for Alfa Romeo, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 points for Abarth and Sunbeam, and 1.6 points for Ford-Lotus. In Div I (GT1) Abarth counts always 35.1 points,  against 9.6 points for René Bonnet, 9 points for Lotus and 2.6 points for Fiat. No points could be won at the Nürburgring for Div I (GT1) cars, even not allowed to start. After seven rounds stand in the international Ford-Ferrari combat is up to 1-4, whilst the stand in the Porsche-Abarth combat in the two litre-class remains 3-0 since no Abarth-Simca 2000GT showed on the Ring. Among the prototypes, after three rounds Ferrari and Porsche count 28.8 points, followed by Alpine with 9.6 points, Iso Grifo with 6.4 points, MG with 4.8 points, Corvette-Chevrolet with 3.2 points and Austin-Healey with 1.6 points. Ferrari won two of the three rounds (Sebring and the Nürburgring), Porsche one (Targa Florio).

WITH HIS SILVER FERRARI 250 GTO - the lonely one sold in Germany - Manfred Ramminger leads here the Alpine M64 Renault of Mauro Bianchi and José Rosinski and the #44 Porsche 904 GTS of Émile-Claude Clemens and Marcel van Bierbeek. Of those three cars only Ramminger's will take the chequered flag (as fifth in Div III and twentieth OA).

ROUND #8: ROSSFELD HILL-CLIMB FOR PORSCHE WITH ELVA MK7S PORSCHE

June 7, 1964. - Two weeks before the famous Le Mans 24 hours Div II (GT2) cars - only they -  can win points for the Manufacturers World Championship. It's already the second of four hill-climbs on the calendar. Having won the Europa-Bergmeisterschaft from 1957 thru 1963 (with one interruption in 1962 when Scarfiotti won with the Ferrari 196 SP - Porsche showes with two works cars: the 2.0 Elva Mk 7S with an 8-cylinder 225 bhp motor for Edgar Barth and the 2.0 Porsche 718 Spyder with a similar engine for Herbert Müller. For the rest Zuffenhausen counts on its Porsche 904 GTS to score a maximum of points.

THE ENTRY
Of the 90 cars showing at Rossfeld only 18 are of class Div II (GT2), 16 of them being Porsches. There are eight 2.0 Porsches 904 GTS, four Porsches 356B Carrera, one Porsche 356A Carrera and four Porsches 356 S90 at the start. There lonely opponents are an Abarth-Simca 2000 GT driven by the unknown Swiss amateur Hans Kühnis and an Alfa Romeo Giulia for the local Herbert Wrobel.  So, even in the worst case, a Porsche should be third. Competition for those GT2 cars has to come from the twelve sports-cars with among them two 2.0 Elvas Mk7S Porsche (an 8 and a 4-cylinder for res. Edgar Barth and for Sepp Greger), the 2.0 Porsche 718 Spyder of Herbert Müller, the 1.8 Elva Mk7S BMW of Switzerland's Sidney Charpilloz and of the three Lotus 23 of Karl Foitek, Anton Fishhaber and Peter Westburry. In Div III (GT3) we note only seven cars, among them one single 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (Lualdi's, having finished second at Consuma), two standard E-type Jaguars, one Triumph TR4 and one Corvette street car. Div I (GT1) is mainly restricted to 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialberos, BMW 700S and Steyr-Puch 650TR. The rest of the field are Touring cars. Of the 90 entrants 66 are Germans, 8 Swiss, 7 Ausrians, and 2 are Brittons (Dickie Stoop and Peter Westburry). There is even one American with a very old Lotus Eleven.

PRACTICE
The race goes over one practice round, followed by two climbs where the two times are added. Fastest in practice was Edgar Barth (#1 Elva Mk7S Porsche) in 3'10"47, followed by Anton Fishhaber (1.8 Lotus 23 BMW) and Herbert Müller having clocked the same time: 3'16"42. First Div II car was the Porsche 904 GTS of Heini Walter (3'22"42) in rank 5, heading the fastest Div III car: Lualdi's Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (3'24"26) in rank 6.

THE WINNING 2.0 ELVA MK 7 S PORSCHE OF EDGAR BARTH WAS A FACTORY ENTRY. Equipped with a fibre glass body, dry weight of the car was less than 525 kg for 240 bhp. The above car is a restoration. Originally there were no front indicators on the Elva Mk7S.

THE CLIMBS 
After his fabulous 3'10"47 record the previous day, there is not the smallest doubt that Edgar Barth - in 1959 and 1963 already European Hill-Climb Champion - will win Rossfeld, the more since his direct opponent at the 1964 European Hill-Climb Championship, Ludovico Scarfiotti, received no free from Ferrari's race director Eugenio Dragoni, due to his duties at Le Mans. Barth and Müller too have duties at Le Mans, but Porsche's race director, Huschke von Hanstein, is not such a tyrant like the never laughing Dragoni. Even next week the two factory drivers have to do another hill-climb, that of the Mont-Ventoux in France. Only after that race they are expected to show at La Sarthe. At Rossfeld it becomes obvious that Ferrari will enter no works car at all at the 1964 European Hill-Climb Championship.
It's tropical hot when the first cars start for their first climb. It's even more hot when at noon the fastest cars have to take off. Edgar Barth realises 6'31"18 over the two climbs which corresponds with a record average of 108.5 kph. In the other factory Porsche Müller looses only 4"66 over the two climbs, against 6 seconds for one climb at practice. Sepp Greger makes the 1-2-3 round for Porsche by finishing third overall. Div II is won by Michel Weber with his personal 904 GTS finishing as sixth, nearly 2 seconds faster than Edoardo Lualdi in the Scuderia Sant Ambroeus Ferrari 250 GTO-64. The lonely 2.0 Abarth-Simca 2000GT is once more beaten, now headed by five Porsches 904 GTS. In Div I Hans Dieter Dechent is fastest with a 1.3 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero, finishing twentieth OA.

In the Porsche-Abarth combat score is now 4-0. And in the provisional ranking for Div II (GT2) cars Porsche counts after six rounds - the two others were reserved for Div I - 66.9 + 9 = 75.9 points against 12.8 points for Alfa Romeo, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 + 1 = 3.6 points  for Abarth, 2.6 points and Sunbeam, and 1.6 points for Ford-Lotus.

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