ROUND #17: 13TH TOUR DE FRANCE - FERRARI WINS, COBRA IS K.O.

Tour de France 1964. We recognise the #188 Shelby Cobra Coupe of Maurice Trintignant and Bernard Saint-Auban, hidding the #186 sister car of André Simon and Maurice Dupeyron, and the #163 Porsche Carrera 904 GTS of Jacques Rey and Jean-Pierre Hanrioud .The #155 Ferrari 250 GTO of Claude Dubois and marquis Philippe de Montaigu finished 8th among the GT cars.

September 10-20, 1964 - This year the famous Tour de France Automobile is a round with co-efficient 1.6 for the Manufacturers World Championship. If Ford wishes to win that championship in Div III it's absolute necessary that it it the Snake is beaten by by Ferrari, Shelby must at least finish as second, otherwise the title is lost with two more rounds to go after the Tour. At the start of the Tour Ferrari counts 80.1 points with 6 points as lowest of the seven scored results. [One should remember that at the end of the season only the seven best results are considered.] If Ferrari wins the Tour de France it will have collected 80.1 + (1.6 x 9) - 6 = 88.5 points. Imagine that one of the three works Cobras finishes second at the Tour. Which is then the situation? Ford's seventh lowest points is 3.9. A second place is good for 6 x 1.6 = 9.6 points. In that case Ford should have collected 75.6 + 9.6 - 3.9 = 81.3 points. At the two last rounds (Bridgehampton and Paris) victory is good for res. 11.7 and 14.4 points. The two lowest scores to be dropped should then be twice 9 points. On winning the two last rounds Ford should have won, after its second place at the Tour, 81.3 + 11.7 + 14.4 - 9 - 9 = 89.4 points. Imagine that the first Cobra is only third, what then? Then Ford will count, starting the two last rounds, 75.6 + (1.6 x 4) - 3.9 = 79 points. On winning the two last rounds 11.7 + 14.4 - 9 - 9 = 8.1 extra points can be won, what results in a total of 79 + 8.1 = 87.1 points, which is not enough to beat Ferrari for the title.

At the start Ford knows extremely well that its chance to become world champion is extremely low. The Shelby Cobras Daytona are not well-adapted at seven of the eight hill-climbs on the way from Lille to Nice. Should they have entered Cobra Roadsters the situation should be worse, since with their poor aerodynamically properties the Roadsters should have not the smallest chance at the several sprint races on the quick French circuits. So at Ford they bet on another topic to save the publicity efforts: they asked Alan Mann to prepare four Ford Mustangs to win the Tour from Jaguar among the touring cars. A complete report on the Tour de France can be found here. As could be expected Ferrari - only present with its clients, not with factory cars - won the two first places ahead over four Porsches 904. None of the three works Cobras - having dominated during the three first stages - could be brought home. That implies that the world title is now definitively lost. Situation after the Tour de France is as follows. In Div III (GT3) Ferrari has now 88.5 points against 75.6 points for Ford. Maximum that Ford can still obtain on winning the two last rounds is 75.6 + 8.1 = 83.7 points. In Div II (GT2) Porsche counts 96.6 - 14.4 - 11.7 = 99.3 points against 21.3 + 3.2 = 24.5 points for Alfa Romeo, 23.5 points for Abarth, 4.8 points for MGB, 2.6 points for Sunbeam and 3.2 points for Lotus (including the 1.6 points won by the Cortina-Lotus at Sebring). In Div I (GT1) Abarth has 62.1 points against 3 + 14.4 = 17.7 points for Triumph, 11.6 points for Fiat, 9.6 points for Alpine and René Bonnet, 4.8 points for NSU, 4 points for Honda, 3 points for Glas and 1 point for Marcos. Among the prototypes - not at the start in the Tour - situation is unchanged. Ferrari counts 46.8 points, against 34.8 points for Porsche, followed by Iso Grifo with 10.4 points, by Alpine with 9.6 points, by MG with 4.8 points, by Corvette-Chevrolet with 3.2 points and by Austin-Healey with 1.6 points. Score in the Cobra-Ferrari duel is 5-6, in the Porsche-Abarth duel is 5-2, and in the Ford-Ferrari prototypes duel is 0-4. Consolation for Ford's definitive loss of the title is that the Alan Mann Mustangs finished first and second of the Tour among the Touring cars.

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: ROAD AMERICA AT ELKHART TO MECOM'S FERRARI LM

ROUND #18: BRIDGEHAMPTON 500-A TO PORSCHE 904 GTS

September 19, 1964 - The Tour de France is still at its last legs when prototypes are expected at the Bridgehampton Double. There are two races over 500-kms, one for cars with an engine capacity under 2-litres and one for over-2-litre cars. Since weeks before it was already sure that the Ford GT40 should not show, public attendance around the desolate circuit is the lowest of the season. In the 2-litre race no factory cars show.  There are three private Porsches 904 GTS, an Abarth-Simca 2000 GT, an Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, an MGB, and seven so-called 1.6-litre modifieds. No European racers show for this race.
Two modifieds qualify fastest, ahead of the three Porsches 904 GTS and the Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1 of Harry Theodoracupoulos. In the race, however, the two modifieds disappear already after the first quarter so that the three Porsches can go out on the lead. After 48 laps Jack Ryan goes off. Of a fight between the two remaining 904 GTS Porsches and the lonely Abarth-Simca 2000GT at the start, nothing materialises. The Abarth is hopeless too slow. Only 15 out of 27 cars reach the finish. Bill Wuesthoff/Joe Buzetta win with their 904 GTS, one lap ahead over Skip,Scott in a similar machinery. An old Porsche 718 RSK finishes as fourth and first prototype. GT1 goes to an even older Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ.

Qualifications
#40 Genie Mk.10 Alfa Romeo	Don Rosendale/George Alderman	P	1'54"4
14.#45 Elva Mk.7 Ford	Ralph Treischmann/Dick Young	P	1'54"4
#30 Porsche 904 GTS  (066)	Bill Wuesthoff/Joe Buzetta	GT2	1'57"2
#37 Porsche 904 GTS	Skip Scott	GT2	1'57"2
#32 Porsche 904 GTS (043)	Mike Garton	GT2	1'57"8
#19 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1	H Theodoracopoulos/BGrossman	GT2	1'58"6
#5 Brabham BT5 Ford (SC-1-63)	Peter Sachs	P	no time
#41 Denmacher Porsche	John Dennis	P	2'01"4
#15 Porsche 356B Carrera	Bruce Jennings	GT2	2'02"4
#47 Alpine A110 Renault	William Haenelt	GT1	2'02"8

Final Results - no works entries
1. #30 Porsche 904 GTS  (066)	Bill Wuesthoff/Joe Buzetta	1.GT2	110 laps
2. #37 Porsche 904 GTS	Skip Scott	2.GT2	109 laps
3. #19 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1	H Theodoracopoulos/BGrossman	3.GT2	107 laps
4. #44 Porsche RSK	Herb Wetanson	1.P	106 laps
5. #34 Abarth-Simca 2000 GT	Jody H Porter/Bud Patterson	4.GT2	102 laps
6. #7 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ	Tom O'Brien/Jim O'Brien	1.GT1	101 laps
7. #31 Volvo P1800	Art Riley	5.GT2	101 laps
8. #38 MGB 1800 Roadster	Mark Donohue	6.GT2	100 laps
9. #17 Datsun SPL 310	Bob Sharp	7.GT2	97 laps
10.#14 Alpine A110 Renault	Paul Richards/John Norwood	2.GT1	96 laps
11.#41 Denmacher Porsche	John Dennis	2.P	96 laps
14.#45 Elva Mk.7 Ford	Ralph Treischmann/Dick Young	3.P	85 laps
15.#4 Austin Healey Sprite	Ted Glaser	3.GT1	80 laps
some non-finishers
#32 Porsche 904 GTS (043)	Jack Ryan	GT2	48 laps
#40 Genie Mk.10 Alfa Romeo	Don Rosendale/George Alderman	P	24 laps
#8 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero	Robert Ennis	GT1	10 laps
#5 Brabham BT5 Ford (SC-1-63)	Peter Sachs	P	0 laps

BRIDGEHAMPTON DOUBLE 1964 - Bill Wuesthoff in his Porsche 904 GTS leads Skip Scott in the early stages of the race. SOURCE: Sports Car Graphic, December 1964, p. 51.

ROUND #19: BRIDGEHAMPTON 500-B TO SCARAB MK.IV CHEVROLET

September 20, 1964 - The Tour de France runs toward its end when the prototypes and big GT cars have to do their Bridgehampton 500-kms.

THE ENTRY - Biggest deception is that the Ford GT40 prototype, now equipped with the 4.7-litre engine coupled to a ZF gearbox is absent. Ferrari sends not one single factory car to the Bridge. Their 275P, having won at Sebring, has been sold to N.A.R.T., entering it for Pedro Rodriguez. N.A.R.T. has two other prototypes on the grid, one for Ludovico Scarfiotti and one for Buck Fulp. In Div III a 250 GTO was seen at practice but not at the start after engine failure during the qualification. That means that there will be no Ford-Ferrari combat in Div III. Ford is present with ten Cobra Roadsters, five of them being works entries. Apart from a slow 3.0 Austin Healey 3000 (only 26th on 29 on the grid) there are no works types. There are five "big bangers" with the Scarab Mk.IV, the Cooper Monaco T61 and the Genie Mk.10 as eye catchers. PRACTICE - Scarfiotti, driving a 330P with lowered front screen, is fastest qualifier, followed by the Scarab and the Cooper Monaco. The Ferraris of Rodriguez (275P), Pabst (250 LM) and Grossman (250 LM) are 4-5-6. Fastest GT is the Cobra Roadster of the new USRRC champion Ken Miles. THE RACE - Provoking a real explosion the 29 car field blasts off. Although Scarfiotti is fastest away his 4.0 Ferrari is passed nearly immediately by the 5.4 Scarab Mk.IV Chevrolet of Walt Hansgen. Scarfiotti will shadow the blue and white Scarab during 105 laps out of 110, when in an effort to close the gap with the Mecom Scarab he spins off the road. Of the quartet of Ferraris following Hansgen and Scarfiotti during the early stages of the race Augie Pabst, in the Mecom Ferrari 250 LM is the first to retire (after 15 laps) with a broken clutch. Fulp (Ferrari 330P), having engine firing problems, is passed by Ken Miles who'll win Div III (GT3). Freed from Scarfiotti Walt Hansgen  wins the race, despite serious attacks of Pedro Rodriguez (Ferrari 275P). Bob Grossman finishes third with the Suderia Bear Ferrari 250 LM. Of the ten Cobras at the start, six will be brought home, trusting the six first places in their class.

Qualifications
#80 Ferrari 330P (NART)	0824	Ludovico Scarfiotti	P	1'43"0
#90 Scarab Mk.IV Chevy (Mecom)		Walt Hansgen	S/P	1'43"4
#86 Cooper Monaco T61 Ford		Sherman Decker	P	1'46"2
#81 Ferrari 275P (NART)	0812	Pedro Rodriguez	P	1'46"4
#91 Ferrari 250 LM (Mecom)	6047	Augie Pabst	P	1'48"6
#85 Ferrari 250 LM(Scuderia Bear)	5909	Bob Grossman	P	1'48"8
#98 Shelby Cobra Roadster	CSX2431	Ken Miles	GT3	1'49"4
#97 Shelby Cobra Roadster	CSX2494	Ronnie Bucknum	GT3	1'50"0
#82 Ferrari 330P (NART)	0810	John Fulp	P	1'50"6
#96 Shelby Cobra Roadster	CSX2513	Bob Johnson	GT3	1'51"2

Final Results
1. #90 Scarab Mk.IV Chevy (Mecom)	MkIV	Walt Hansgen	1.S/P	110 laps
2. #81 Ferrari 275P (NART)	0812	Pedro Rodriguez	1.P	110 laps
3. #85 Ferrari 250 LM(Scuderia Bear)	5909	Bob Grossman	2.P	108 laps
4. #98 Shelby Cobra Roadster	CSX2431	Ken Miles	1.GT3	107 laps
5.#82 Ferrari 330P (NART)	0810	John Fulp	3.P	107 laps
6. #97 Shelby Cobra Roadster (Shelby)	CSX2494	Ronnie Bucknum	2.GT3	107 laps
7. #96 Shelby Cobra Roadster(Shelby)	CSX2513	Bob Johnson	3.GT3	106 laps
8. #60 Shelby Cobra Roadster(Hilton)	CSX2290	Chuck Parsons	4.GT3	102 laps
9. #65 Shelby Cobra Roadster(pr)	CSX2128	Pete Harrison	5.GT3	102 laps
10.#88 Genie Mk.10 Chevrolet (Wulp)		Eno de Pasquale	2.S/P	100 laps
11.#96 Shelby Cobra Roadster(Shelby)	CSX2558	John Morton/J Freitas	6.GT3	99 laps
12.#86 Cooper Monaco T61 Ford		Sherman Decker	3.S/P	98 laps
some non-finishers
#80 Ferrari 330P (NART)	0824	Ludovico Scarfiotti	P	105 laps
#87 Genie Mk.10 Ford		William Wonder	S/P	50 laps
#95 Shelby Cobra Roadster (Shelby)	CSX2557	Charlie Hayes	GT3	48 laps
#99 Shelby Cobra Roadster (Shelby)	CSX2488	Ed Leslie	GT3	48 laps
#62 Shelby Cobra Roadster (H Keck)	CSX2127	Harold Keck	GT3	18 laps
#91 Ferrari 250 LM (Mecom)	6047	Augie Pabst	P	15 laps
#66 Shelby Cobra Roadster (Florence)	CSX2459	Lew Florence	GT3	14 laps

With one round to go standing for the prototypes is: Ferrari with 58.5 points, against 36.1 points for Porsche, followed by Iso Grifo with 10.4 points, by Alpine with 9.6 points, by Elva with 5.2 points, by MG with 4.8 points, by Corvette-Chevrolet with 3.2 points and by Austin-Healey with 1.6 points. In Div III (GT3) Ferrari has now 88.5 points against 75.6 + 11.7 - 9 = 78.3 points for Ford, 6.6 points for Jaguar and 4 points for A.C.. Maximum that Ford can still obtain on winning the last round in Paris is 78.3 + 14.4 - 11.7 = 81 points. In Div II (GT2) Porsche counts 99.3 + 11.7 - 11.7 = 99.3 points against 24.5 + 5.2 = 29.7 points for Alfa Romeo, 23.5 + 3.9 = 27.4 points for Abarth, 4.8 + 1.3 = 6.1 points for MGB, 3.2 points for Lotus (including the 1.6 points won by the Cortina-Lotus at Sebring)2.6 points for Sunbeam and Volvo. In Score in the Cobra-Ferrari duel remains 5-6 since no Div III Ferrari came at the start. In the Porsche-Abarth duel score is 6-2, and in the Ford-Ferrari prototypes duel score remains 0-4 since no Ford prototype came at the start in Bridgehampton.

NOTE - On September 13, 1964, when most "big bangers" were involved at Road America, N.A.R.T. enters its Ferrari 330P with chassis 0812 at the 100 Miles of Mont-Tremblant at Canada's twisty St-Jovite circuit. Here Pedro Rodriguez beats the Canadian champion Ludwig Heimrath, in his 4.7 Cooper-Ford by 14"3 at an average speed of 114.72 kph (after 1h22'35"). A 4.7 Lotus 30 Ford with Peter Lerch at the wheel finishes third at one lap. The two litre class is won by Kelly with his Porsche 904 GTS.

BRIDGEHAMPTON DOUBLE 1964 - Of the three Ferrari prototypes at the start not one was conform with FISA's regulations: all three had their windscreen lowered to be more competitive against the 5.4 and 4.5 litre "big bangers". Two weeks earlier, on September 13, 1964 - the same day that Road America was contested, N.A.R.T.'s Ferrari 275P came at the start of the 100 miles of Mont Tremblant for the Players Quebec Trophy. He won that race in 1h22'35", 14"3 ahead over the Cooper-Oldsmobile of Ludwig Heimrath.

BRIDGEHAMPTON DOUBLE 1964 - Ludovico Scarfiotti (N.A.R.T. Ferrari 330P) leads Pedro Rodriguez (N.A.R.T. Ferrari 275P), Sherman Decker (Cooper Monaco T61 Ford), Augie Pabst (Mecom Ferrari 250 LM), Bob Grossman (Scuderia Bear Ferrari 250 LM). Note the long string of seven snakes. Sports Car Graphic, December 1964, p. 51. 

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: CANADIAN GP MOSPORT TO FERRARI 330P

September 26, 1964 - Road America (September 13) was the first of five popular races for "big bangers", which, up from 1966 will be extended to six rounds forming the Canam Series. The Bridgehampton Double (September 20) was the second. The Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport (September 26) is the third round. Fastest qualifier is Jim Hall (Chaparral 2A) in 1'29"5, followed by Bruce McLaren and George Wintersteen. Jim Clark (Lotus 30 Ford) clocks the fifth time. The race is won by the #2 N.A.R.T. Ferrari 330P of Pedro Rodriguez, beating Scarfiotti in a similar (but white) machinery and Bruce McLaren in his new 3.9 McLaren Elva M1A Oldsmobile. [On June 5 McLaren still won the Player's 200 at the same circuit, but with his Cooper T53 Oldsmobile, also seen in pole position at the Tourist Trophy.]  With 52,000 spectators the attendance record was broken. At the Canadian Grand Prix Jim Hall's #66 Chaparral was involved in a spectacular accident where the car was literally disintegrated. A broken arm was the consequence.

Next round of the 1964 Pre-Canam is the Los Angeles Times GP at Riverside on October 11. It's the one but last round of the fall series for "big bangers". No Ferraris show. The Chaparral 2A, now we Roger Penske behind the wheel is fastest qualifier. During the four first laps Bruce McLaren's sensational 3.9 McLaren-Elva M1A leads, until the moment it breaks a gasket. So Parnelli Jones wins the race with the 5.3 Cooper Monaco Ford, ahead of the Chaparral. Jim Clark is third in the disappointing Lotus 30 Ford.Among the retired cars we find the second Chaparral 2A (Hap Sharp), the monstrous 7.1 Hussein Mk.1 of A.J. Foyt, the 4.7 Lotus 19G Ford of Dan Gurney and the 4.6 John Mecom Lola Mk.6 GT Chevrolet of Augie Pabst, destroyed after an accident. Of Carroll Shelby's four 4.7 Cooper-Cobras only two finished (5th & 7th).

One week after the Canadian Grand Prix the F1 racers are active at the Watkins Glen circuit for the American F1 Grand Prix. Jim Clark is unlucky when after 54 laps the Lotus' fuel injectors cease feeding the engine. At that moment Clark is leading the race, far ahead over John Surtees (Ferrari) and Graham Hill (BRM). Clark continues the race in the Lotus of team mate Mike Spence, but this machine also begins to be balky. Surtees is now the new leader, followed by the championship's leader Graham Hill. With 46 laps to go Hill can pass the Ferrari to win eventually his second Grand Prix of the year (he earlier won the F1 curtain opener: the Monaco F1 Grand Prix). Surtees finishes second, 30 seconds behind the Briton. Without oil pressure Clark, third after 97 laps, has no more oil pressure, and has to retire. Although he doesn't reach the finish he wins still one point, reaching now a total of 31 points. John Surtees adds 6 points to his 28 won earlier, and counts now - with only one Grand Prix to go - 34 points. Graham Hill adds 9 - 2 points to his total of 32, and has now 39 points (he had to drop 2 points;, since only the six best results are considered). All this implies that we have still three candidates to win the 1964 F1 World Championship: Graham Hill, John Surtees and Jim Clark.

On October 18, 1964 the American "big bangers" are present at the Monterey circuit in Laguna Seca for the Pacific Grand Prix. Up to now the new Chaparrals 2A were dominating the qualifications since they entered competition, but without winning one race. Withy their automatic transmission and glass fibre body the new sports car still miss reliability. This time it's up to Roger Penske to realise the pole with a Chaparral 2A, letting Dan Gurney with his Pacesetter Lotus 19G and Parnelli Jones with his new Cooper Monaco behind. Then follow the Cobra Roadsters, again massively at the start.  Of the 81 cars only 33 are qualified for the eventual race. Run over two heats of 100 kilometres the Chaparral supremacy is at least confirmed. Penske wins the combined standings, beating Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant (Cooper-Cobra).

CANADIAN GRAND PRIX 1964 - Jim Hall's Chaparral 2A looks a total wreck after his accident. It is a miracle that Hall is not badly hurt. A broken arm is the only consequence.
RIGHT PICTURE - START OF THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX with f.l.t.r. the Maranello Concessionaires Ferrari 330P, N.A.R.T.'s similar car and Jim Hall in the revolutionary Chaparral 2A. SOURCE: SPORTS CAR GRAPHICS, December 1964.

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: AUTOSPORT 3 HOURS TO WILLMENT COBRA COUPE

September 26, 1964 - The annual Autosport Three Hours, organised by the British motoring magazine, is certainly not what the organisers expected of this race earlier in the season. It is the tenth and last round of the British Championship and the fifth time that Ford and Cobra stay eye into eye. Circuit is that of Snetterton. Attempts to have Jim Clark at the start failed, since he is on his way to the American F1 Grand Prix and to the Riverside Los Angeles Grand Prix. Jackie Stewart, still great at the Ilford Trophy in July doesn't show now that John Coombs sold his quick Jaguar E-type Lightweight. On the C.T. Atkins A.C. Cobra Roadster Roy Salvadori has been replaced by Chris Amon. And of all Ferraris 250 GTO on the British soil not one single is sent to Snetterton. Eventually there are only two Cobras (a Willment Coupe and the HEM-6) at the start and two Ferraris - two LMs: Maranello's for Graham Hill and Piper's. Of the 22 cars at the start half are racing in the group of the Sport-prototypes. In the lower classes there are only three Div II cars (two Porsches 904 GTS and a Marcos) and three Div I cars (two MG Midgets and a Spitfire). In Div III the two Cobras will find on their way three Lightweight Jaguar and Skailes' Aston Martin DB4 GT.
At the start, with Graham Hill on the pole, it's raining the proverbial cats and dogs. There is no longer a circuit, there is a lake. Public attendance is extremely low. At the start Hill is running away from the rest of the field whilst Piper's 250 LM is eliminated in an accident. His 5897 is hopeless destroyed and will be rebuilt on an unnumbered chassis. It will be seen again in competition at Sebring in 1965. After the unexpected retirement of Hill - brilliant as always - Roger Mac takes the lead, thanks to the superior road holding in the wet of the Jaguars. As the track becomes less like a lake, Jack Sears is able to use some of the power of his Willment Cobra Roadster, passing Roger Mac and taking the lead. The closing stages are horrible when it's again raining and storming and once the track is afflicted by fog. The race has to be cut short after 84 laps and 2h45 of racing. Mac is a very fine second, beating the young Chris Amon in the C.T. Atkins Cobra Roadster. At the end of the season, Roger Mac, also performing well in F3 with his Brabham, will receive the Trophy of the best British young driver. His second place at Snetterton ccertainly contributed to this award. Another promising driver, Paul Hawkins, coming from Australia, cannot demonstrate his great talent, as his Lotus 23 suffers from firing problems up from the start. He'll finish the race as 18th.

AUTOSPORT 3 HOURS SNETTERON - Chris Amon finishes third O.A. with the HEM-6 Cobra Roadster of C.T. Atkins.

ROUND #20: PARIS 1000-KMS TO FERRARI 330P - PATRIA & LINDNER KILLED

October 11, 1964 - The Paris 1000-kms is the last important race of the season, also the last round of the Manufacturers World Championship. For the sixth time this year (Sebring, the Targa, the Nürburgring, Le Mans and Bridgehampton were the five previous confrontations) the over-2-litre prototypes meet each other. The world title for prototypes can no longer escape to Ferrari, having already collected 58.5 points. Even if Porsche should win the race, good for 14.4 points, Zuffenhausen can win no more than 36.1 + 14.4 = 50.5 points. Also in Div III, Div II and Div I the titles are already distributed to res. Ferrari, Porsche and Abarth.

THE ENTRY
As everything is already decided Ferrari and Ford have no works teams at the start. Carroll Shelby shows no longer with his factory cars. There is only one private Cobra Roadster. The Ferrari prototypes at the start - five LMs and Maranello's 330P - are all private entries. Willy Mairesse makes his come back after his terrible accident last year. Porsche is present with two works cars, one of them being the new 6-cylinder prototype. Bizzarini has also two works cars on the grid: twice the Iso Grifo A3C. Maserati is prent with one, just as Triumph. Alpine has four factory cars at the start, Abarth three, Alfa Romeo two. There are three private Lightweight Jaguars present.

PRACTICE
Already before the start of practice racers complain about a poor organisation. Graham Hill (Ferrari 330P) is fastest qualifier (and not Jacky Stewart as was written erroneously by some magazines; Stewart realised the fastest race lap in 2'45"1). The four following places on the grid go to four of the five LM Ferraris. Excellent performance by one of the two works Iso Grifos, realising the 8th time, despite the car's overweight (1,200 kgs!) Fastest in Div III (GT3) is the Ferrari 250 GTO having won this year's Tour de France. One of the Jaguars, Peter Lindner's, realises the fourth time in its class, letting the Belgian 250 GTO-64 behind. The poor time of Protheroe's Jaguar can be explained by the fact that he forgot his passport on the way to the ferry and that he drove with the race car as a mad man home to pick up the forgotten thing. In Div II (GT2) Slotemaker and Van Lennep are fastest, heading Robert Buchet/Herbert Linge in the French Sonauto (Auguste Veuillet) 904 GTS and the Dutch sister car of Ben Pon. Franco Patria is fastest in Div I (GT1).

Qualifications
#2 Ferrari 330P (Maranello)	0818	Graham Hill/Jo Bonnier	P	2'43"0
#4 Ferrari 250 LM (Filipinetti)	5899	Nino Vaccarella/Jean Guichet	P
#7 Ferrari 250 LM (Éc.Nat.Belge)	6023	Willy Mairesse/"Jean Beurlys"	P
#3 Ferrari 250 LM (Maranello)	5895	L Scarfiotti/Jackie Stewart	P
#5 Ferrari 250 LM (Filipinetti)	6119	Herbert Müller/Armand Boller	P
#9 Ferrari 250 GTO (Éc.Nat.Belge)	4153GT	L Bianchi/G Langlois van Ophem	GT3
#1 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (NART)	5573GT	Pedro Rodriguez/Jo Schlesser	GT3
#14 Iso Grifo A3C (G Bizzarini)		Edgar Berney/Pierre Noblet	P
#8 Ferrari 250 LM (Éc.Nat.Belge)	5845	Annie Soisbault/Guy Ligier	P
#16 Jaguar E-type Lightweight (pr)	S850662	Peter Lindner/Peter Nöcker	GT3
#30 Porsche 904-8 (Porsche System)	009	Edgar Barth/Colin Davis	P
#11 Maserati Tipo 151/3	002	Andre Simon/Maurice Trintignant	P
#34 Porsche 904 GTS (RT Holland)	023	R Slotemaker/David van Lennep	GT2
#10 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (Éc.N.Bel)	5575GT	Taf Gosselin/Claude Dubois	GT3
#32 Porsche 9804 GTS (Sonauto)	021	Robert Buchet/Günther Klass	GT2
#31 Porsche 904-6 (Porsche System)	906-001	Herbert Linge/Gerhard Mitter	P
#33 Porsche 904 GTS (RT Holland)	023	Ben Pon/Gerhard Koch	GT2
#15 Iso Grifo A3C (G Bizzarini)	B0207	Mario Casoni/Odoardo Govoni	P
#17 Jaguar E-type Lightweight (pr)	EC1001	Dick Protheroe/John Coundley	GT3
#19 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (Sc.S.Am)	4675GT	Oddone Sigala/Edoardo Lualdi	GT3
#18 A.C. Cobra Roadster (private)		J de Mortemart/J M Vincent	GT3
#35 Porsche 904 GTS ("Franc")	041	"Franc"/Jean Kerguen	GT2
#12 Aston Martin DB4 GTZ	0183/R	Andrew Hedges/John Turner	GT3
#37 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1 (SSA)		Giampiero Biscaldi/Jean Rolland	GT2
#55 Alpine A210 M64 (SA Alpine)	1710	Mauro Bianchi/Jean Vinatier	P

THE RACE
Weather is horrible with rain and violent wind. At the start the two wonder well prepared Maranello Ferraris pull away from the rest of the field with Jacky Stewart (250 LM) following Graham Hill (330P) as his shadow. As long as the track is poring wet the 5.4 Maserati Tipo 151/3 cannot use all its power, but once there is a dry lane on the track Maurice Trintignant moves up, reaching the third place after one hour of racing. A new storm after two hours of racing is the start of a long procession of accidents. Already at practice we lost the 1.6 Lotus Elan of Jean Wauters and Henri Quernette at an accident. Now Pierre Gelé, still brilliant at the Tour de France, goes off road with his Lotus writing the car off. Some minutes later Robert Buchet is involved in an accident: the Sonauto Porsche 904 GTS, having won its class at the Tour de France is out. Willy Mairesse - for the first time behind the wheel of a race car since his terrible accident of last year, struggles with the ignition and has to retire with the Belgian Ferrari 250 LM.

PETER LINDNER PERFORMED WELL AT THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE 1964 PARIS 1000-KMS. He realised the tenth best time overall (fourth in Div III). Here the car some moments before its fatal accident, killing Franco Patria and Peter Lindner himself together with three marshals.

After less than 40 laps we loose both Swiss Ferraris 250 LM: Müller's with a defect cooling system and Vaccarella's after a collision with André Simon's 5.4 Maserati Tipo 151/3. Both cars are out, offering David Piper, in his "lowline" Ferrari 250 GTO - his 250 LM is not repaired after his Snetterton accident - a provisional third place, with the 8-cylinderr Porsche and N.A.R.T.'s 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM close behind. At the end of the third hour we loose the 6-cylinder Porsche of Herbert Linge, again by accident.
As the track is soaking wet with overall deep puddles most accidents are caused by aquaplaning. That's what happens after 84 laps with the Lightweight E-type of the German Jaguar importer Peter Lindner. He is lying in eighth with Protheroe just behind, when, on quitting the banking, he looses control over the car and hurts the stationary Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero of Carlo Abarth's wonder boy, Franco Patria. Both racers are killed together with three flag marshals: Jean Pairad, René Dumoulin and Roger Millot. The race is not stopped and none of the other Abarths or the other Jaguar (Protheroe's) is retired.
In front the Ferrari LM of Jackie Stewart, having achieved the fastest lap in 2'43"1 (against 2'43"2 for the leading Ferrari 330P of Graham Hill, 2'55"8 for Protheroe's Low Drag and 2'59"0 for Lindner's) has problems with wet plugs and drops in the standings from second to twelfth position. Meanwhile Pedro Rodriguez, in the N.A.R.T. Ferrari 250 GTO-64, and Edgar Barth in the 8-cylinder Porsche passed the green Ferrari 250 GTO of Piper/Maggs, taking ranks 2 and 3 at res. two and three laps. Those positions will no longer change and Graham Hill/Jo Bonnier win. In Div II Rob Slotemaker/David van Lennep, involved in a close combat with the other orange Porsche 904 GTS of Ben Pon and Gerhard Koch, win. Div I goes to the Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero of Herbert Demetz and Tony Fishhaber. So the four champions - Ferrari among the prototypes, Ferrari among the Div III cars, Porsche in Div II and Abarth in Div I.

GIOTTO BIZZARINI CAME TO PARIS WITH TWO REVISED ISO GRIFOS. Powered by a 327cu in Chevrolet V8 motor the big car was, despite its alloy bodywork, still much to heavy, but a serious progress was noted since Le Mans (where the car finished eleventh) and the Nürburgring (where the car finished 19th). This time the Iso Grifo was much more competitive, letting the two Ferraris 250 GTO-64 behind. Here the car as seen during the 1964 Nürburgring 1000-kms. SOURCE: Parker, Paul (2007), Sports Car Racing in Camera 1960-69, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing, p.111.

PETER LINDNER WHO WAS KILLED AT THE 1964 PARIS 1000-KMS, HERE TOGETHER WITH HIS TEAM MATE PETER NÖCKER after both won in 1963 the ADAC 12 Stunden Rennen at the Nürburgring with their 3.8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight Low Drag.

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: 7TH KYALAMI 9 HOURS TO PIPER'S FERRARI 250 LM

October 21, 1964 - This is the third year that British drivers show at the Daily Rand Nine Hours of Kyalami. The two previous years David Piper won with his Ferrari 250 GTO, in 1962 with the 3757 GT and Bruce Johnstone as team mate, in 1963 with his new 4491 GT and Tony Maggs as team mate. This year he wanted to show with his green Ferrari 250 LM with chassis 5897, but unfortunately that car was destroyed at Snetterton at the Autosport 3 Hours. So Piper borrows the China red LM Ferrari of Maranello but shows with his own pit crew. He brings also his green Ferrari 250 GTO with. That car will be driven by Peter de Klerk and John Love. Now that the Ford-Ferrari combat is generalised both Ferraris will meet a strong opposition of two Fords and two "half-Fords". Indeed, Bob Olthoff could convince John Willment racing to bring over no less than three cars: the Willment Cobra Coupe, the team's Cobra Roadster and the team's 7.0 Ford Galaxie. Eventually the Roadster, serving as spare car, will not be raced. The half Fords at the start are David Prophet's Lotus 30 Ford and the 1.6 Lotus 23B Ford of Luki Botha and Steve Mellet. Three other Fords are no candidate winners as those named before: it are two local Fords Cortina GT and a Ford Anglia. Between the two Ferraris and the 2 + 2 competitive Fords we find the 3.8 Jaguar E-type Lightweight which Peter Sutcliffe will share with the English Porsche importer Dickie Stoop.
Those six British cars will be found at the six first places on the grid. There are 42 starters. Of the 36 local cars not one can be a serious opponent for the British machinery. Several makes such as Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Abarth or Alpine refuse to race in South-Africa for political reasons. It's politically not done to race in a country where blank rulers oppress the black majority. South-Africa is isolated and the majority in Europe and the States consider the South-African political leaders as half-criminals. At Dearborn they feel very unhappy that privateers let race Ford machinery in a country of apartheid. At Modena Enzo Ferrari is unhappy that David Piper represents the Prancing Horse in "a country of pure shame". The Britons defend themselves that sport - motoring especially - has nothing to do with politics. That Nelson Mandela has just been life long sentenced after a pure racist trial is certainly something none of the British racers know.
No less than 60,000 people show for the 7th Kyalami 9 Hours. At the start Peter Sutcliffe is fastest away in his Low Drag. He leads during the complete first lap to be passed in the second lap by the Ferrari 250 LM of David Piper. The three following laps he can maintain his second position, to be passed at lap 6 by the Willment Cobra Coupe of Jack Sears. The leading trio is followed by the Galaxie Ford, the Lotus 30 Ford of Dave Prophet and the Lotus 23 Ford of Luki Botha/Steve Mellet.
At the end of lap 6 Sutcliffe remarks that the track behind him is obscured by clouds of white smoke. After two pit stops his crew detects a large crack at the back of the motor block. By adding Barsleak to the water and running under 5000 rpm (instead of 6600) he and Dickie Stoop can continue their race, finishing as third overall at 20 laps.
Early in the race we loose the Galaxie Ford - fourth until then - with cooling problems and the Lotus 23 with electrical woes. So the top six is reduced to the two Piper Ferraris - the LM and the GTO - and the Willment Cobra Coupe. With the last named Sears and Olthoff are involved in a close combat with de Klerk and Love in the GTO.
Meanwhile the Ferrari 250 LM of Piper/Maggs pull away from the rest of the field. For Bob Olthoff - the winningest of all South-African racers - the merciless combat with the GTO Ferrari ends with a flat tire, damaging the complete suspension. He crawls to the pits where the Willment crew will need some 40 laps to repair. The car drops seriously in the standings, but will make its come-back once back on the track. It will finish fifth overall, two laps short to pass the much slower Renault 8 of Arnold Chatz and Scamp Porter, finishing as first local team on rank 4.
David Piper wins his third Kyalami 9 hours, with Tony Maggs as team mate, just as last year. For the 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM it's already its fifth victory of the season. Piper's 250 GTO finishes as second and Sutcliffe's Low Drag as third.

Final Results
1. #1 Ferrari 250 LM (D Piper)	5907	David Piper/Tony Maggs	1.P	299 laps
2. #2 Ferrari 250 GTO (D Piper)	4491GT	John Love/Peter de Klerk	1.GT3	293 laps
3. #4 Jaguar E-type Lightweight (p)	S850666	Peter Sutcliffe/Dickie Stoop	2.GT3	272 laps
4.  #26 Renault R8 (Lawson)		Arnold Chatz/Scamp Porter	1.T	252 laps
5. #8 Willment Cobra Coupe	CSX2130	Bob Olthoff/Jack Sears	3.GT3	250 laps
6. #32 Austin Cooper S (Clow Spring)		G Armstrong/Sonnenschein	2.T	250 laps
7. #24 Ford Corsair (Dart)		K Swanepool/Steve Botes	3.T	248 laps
8. #16 GSM Dart (UMW Campbell)		K Berrington-Smith/J Truter	2.P	248 laps
9. #40 Opel Kadett (Levitts)		Tim Potgieter/D Charlton	4.T	247 laps
10.#39 Opel Kadett (Williams Hunt)		John vd Broeck/Chr Wright	5.T	246 laps
11.#29 Renault R8 (P E Porter)		Colin Burford/Phil Porter	6.T
12.#11 Alfa Romeo Sprint (Euro M)		B Neunborn/Lionel Wilmot	3.P
13.#41 Volvo 122S (SJ Andrews)		Jimmy Andrews/T Woodley	1.GT2
14.#35 Renault Gordini (A Pera)		Angelo Pera/John Myers	7.T
15.#34 Volvo 544 Sport (Forest)		Dirk Marais/B Williamson	8.T
16.#15 Thompson 1500 (Thompson)		Bian Pole/Jürgen Niemann	4.P
17.#37 Renault Gordini (Lippiatt)		Spencer Schuktze/T Harris	9.T
18.#28 Alfa Romeo TI (Volare)		John Fritelli/Philo Pieterse	10.T
19.#44 Austin Healey Sprite (pr)		Leo v Popering/Kees Luyk	5.P
some non-finishers
#19 Ford Galaxie (Willment)		Frank Garder/Paul Hawkins	T	DNF
#3 Lotus 30 Ford (D Prophet)		D Prophet/Braush Niemann	P	DNF
#12 Lotus 23 Ford		Luki Botha/Steve Mellet	P	DNF
#22 Ford Cortina GT		Doug Bennett/Ritchie Jute	T	DNF
#23 Ford Cortina GT		Colin Celliers/Dawy Gous	T	DNF
#14 Lotus Elan		Jack Holme/Trevor Blokdyk	GT2	DNF

 KYALAMI 9 HOURS 1964 - In the Western world of those days South-Africa, where apartheid rules, is the most hated country of the world, even more than the Soviet Union or Cuba. I was at the Paris 1000-kilometres and heard how brave David Piper - having no political preferences - received catcalls from leftist students. Piper won in his career six times the Kyalami 9 hours: 1962-1963-1964-1965-1966-1969. Piper's own 250 LM with chassis 5897 was destroyed at the Autosport 3 hours and not available for the 1964 Kyalami 9 hours. He thus borrowed Maranello's 250 LM with chassis 5909 to go to Kyalami 1964. That car was NOT green but China red with a sky blue nose and a similar stripe in the middle of the roof (ABOVE PICTURE). The car on the PICTURE BELOW is the 5897 after having been rebuilt on an unnumbered chassis. Picture is from the 1965 Kyalami 9 hours.

KYALAMI 9 HOURS 1964 - ABOVE: The John Willment 7.0 Ford Galaxie, shared by Paul Hawkins and Frank Gardner. In 1965 Bob Olthoff wins the African Grand Touring Championship with this car. LEFT: John Willment bought a chassis from Carroll Shelby - the CSX2130 - to build his own 4.7 A.C. Cobra Coupe. There was nearly no co-operation from Shelby's side. Here the car shortly before the start. One recognises the Willment 7.0 Ford Galaxie behind the A.C. Cobra Coupe.

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: COPPA ETTORE BETTOJA TO FERRARI 330P

October 25, 1964 - Venue for the traditional Trofeo Ettore Bettoja - a three hour race at Vallelunga - is restricted to seventeen cars with only two entered by non-Italians. Racing Team Holland sends its orange Porsche 904 GTS for Ben Pon, and Maranello Concessionaires sends its Ferrari 275P having won this year the Tourist Trophy and recently the Paris 1000-kms at Montlhéry. The same car finished also second at this year's Le Mans 24 hours. Driver for Maranello is Ludovico Scarfiotti. Giotto Bizzarini shows with three copies of his 5.4 Iso Grifo A3C Chevrolet. Despite the fact that the car is still too heavy, the ones driven by Edgar Berney and Mario Casoni are faster than the two Ferraris 250 GTO-64 at the start. That proofs the serious progress realised since Le Mans.
At the race the two Iso Grifos try to follow the 275P of Scarfiotti, followed by the two 250 GTO-64s. Lualdi (250 GTO) and Berney (Iso Grifo) overrev the engine of their car, but Casoni causes a stir. After three hours he's less than six kilometres behind Ludovico Scarfiotti in the Maranello 275P. Casoni finishes second.

Final Results
1. #50 Ferrari 330P (Maranello)	0818	Ludovico Scarfiotti	1.P	3h00'00"
2. #54 Iso Grifo A3C Chevy (Bizzarini)	B0207	Mario Casoni	2.P
3.  Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (O Sigala)	4675GT	Oddone Sigala	1.GT3
4.  Porsche 904 GTS (Racing Team Holl)	055	Ben Pon	1.GT2
5. Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1(S Moser)		Silvio Moser	2.GT2
6. Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1 (Sc.S.Amb)		Giancarlo Baghetti	3.GT2
7. Iso Grifo A3C Chevy (Bizzarini)	B0201	Antonio Finiguerra	3.P
8. Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1 (Sc.S.Amb)		Antonio Nicodemi	4.GT2
9. Alfa Romeo Giulietta SVZ (private)		Ildefonso Torriani	5.GT2
10.Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ-1 (private)		Alma Cacciandra	6.GT2
11.Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero (pr)		Angelo Giliberti	1.GT1
12.Alfa Romeo Giulietta SVZ (private)		Giuseppe Sirugo	7.GT2
13.Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero (pr)		ErnestopVento	2.GT1
14.Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero (pr)		Secondo Ridolfi	3.GT1
some non-finishers
Ferrari 250 GTO	5895	Edoardo Lualdi	GT3	DNF
Iso Grifo A3C Chevrolet (Bizzarini)		Edgar Berney	S/P	DNF

THIS YEAR MARANELLO's FERRARI 330P WITH CHASSIS 0818 WON THREE MAJOR ENDURANCE RACES: The Tourist Trophy, the Paris 1000-kms and the Coppa Ettore Bettoja. At the Le Mans 24 hours the same car finished as runner-up to the winning factory Ferrari 275P.

October 25, 1964 - For Enzo Ferrari one race is today much more important than the one at Vallelunga. This year the Prancing Horse won already two world champion-ships: that for the prototypes and that for the Grand Touring cars. Today, at the Mexican F1 Grand Prix, Ferrari can win two world championships more: the F1 drivers world championship and the F1 manufacturers world championship. Situation before the start is as follows: at the drivers worlds Graham Hill (BRM) counts 39 points against 34 for John Surtees (Ferrari) and 30 for Jim Clark (Lotus). For the F1 Manufacturers Worlds - where only the best car per make can score points and where only the six best results are considered - Ferrari counts 43 points (with 4 as lowest out of six results), BRM counts 42 points (with 3 as lowest out of six results), and Lotus counts 36 points (with 2 as lowest out of 6). That means that BRM will come at 48 points if Graham Hill wins. If Surtees or Bandini finish as second (or lower) maximum for Ferrari will be 45 points. If Jim Clark wins Lotus comes on 43 points with four victories against two for Ferrari. So three manufacturers can still win the title.

The race is the most thrilling, the most dramatic in the complete history of F1 racing. In Mexico Jim Clark (Lotus) goes immediately on the lead, followed by Dan Gurney, Lorenzo Bandini (Ferrari) and John Surtees (Ferrari).
Graham Hill (BRM) has a difficult start, but moves - not without problems - to the third place, ahead over both Ferraris. At this very moment he's the virtual 1964 F1 world champion.
Then Hill has at once to pit. He comes back on the eleventh spot. A new world title seems now totally excluded for the Briton. Jim Clark is a strong leader. With Surtees in fourth position virtual standing for the F1 Worlds is now: 1. Jim Clark 39 points, 2. Graham Hill 39 points, 3. John Surtees 37 points. Since Cark won more Grand Prix than Graham Hill, he'll be the new world champion if this situation can be maintained until the finish.
With two laps to go Jim Clark is always leader, always the virtual world champion. But then the motor of the Lotus falls out, dropping Clark in seventh position. He has to abandon his car. Dan Gurney (Brabham) is now the new leader, heading the Ferraris V8 of Lorenzo Bandini and John Surtees. That means that Graham Hill - having already retired - is now the virtual world champion. He counts 39 points. Surtees comes thus one point short to win the title.
Surtees MUST pass Bandini if he wishes to win. At the Ferrari box race director Eugenio Dragoni turns completely mad. Bandini has no sight on the situation behind him and he continues his race without slowing down. Since he's already in his real last lap. The pit guys can thus no longer inform Bandini that he has to slow down. Eugenio Dragoni shouts that his pit men should run away to all sides to give signals to Bandini. And then, just before coming to the grandstands and the finish line, an Italian pit guy jumps over the wall, making desperate signs that Bandini has to brake. The distance between Bandini and Surtees is too big that Big John can still pass him on a normal way. First Bandini doesn't understand the signs of the excited pit guy, but then at once he brakes. He and Surtees go nearly together over the finish line, 19 seconds behind Dan Gurney. Since the nose of Surtees's Ferrari V8 passes a fraction of a second earlier than that of Bandini's car, Surtees is classified as second, good for 6 extra points. That implies that at the end of the race he counts 34 + 6 = 40 points, against 39 for Graham Hill and 31 for Jim Clark. John Surtees is thus the 1964 F1 world champion and Ferrari wins the Manufacturers Worlds. Two minutes before the end Jim Clark was still world champion. Some seconds later it was Graham Hill and at the real last second it was Big John. Even the scriptwriter of the most thrilling movie plot could have done any better!

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: 6TH ANGOLAN GRAND PRIX TO FERRARI 250 LM

November 28, 1964 - Nice venue at Luanda for the 6th Angolan Grand Prix.

THE ENTRY
At the start we find three LM Ferraris: Jacques Swaters with one for Willy Mairesse and one for Lucien Bianchi and the Colonel with one for Dave Piper (the one he borrowed to contest the Kyalami 9 hours). Swaters has also two Ferraris 250 GTO at the start: one for Gérard Langlois van Ophem/Philippe de Montaigu and one for the local hero António Peixihno. Piper's 250 GTO with chassis 4491GT, the green one, goes - just as at Kyalami - to Tony Maggs. Ferrari has thus six cars on the grid. Ford is not interested. Angola is no market for them. There are two Lotus 23B Ford, a white and a night blue, pure private entries. Porsche has five cars at the start, four 904 GTS and one old 718RSK Spyder. Normally there should have been also a Lotus 30 Ford, sent directly by Colin Chapman from Norwich to Luanda. The local champion Alvaro Lopez is expected to race the car. However, the Lotus 30 is equipped with a Tecalemit injection pump, and nobody knows how to handle it. During practice Lopez even didn't know how to start the engine.

PRACTICE
Fastest man is Willy Mairesse with the #7 Ferrari 250 LM in 1'21"95. Lucien Bianchi and David Piper take ranks 2, and 3 so that the first row is exclusively Ferrari 250 LM. On the second row we find Tony Maggs (Ferrari 250 GTO), Holland's Tony Hildebrand (Lotus 23B) and Jo Schlesser's Porsche 904 GTS. Third row goes to Ireland's Bill Bradshaw (Lotus 23B), Gerhard Koch's 904 GTS and Muller's 718 RSK. Fourth row is for Peixihno (Ferrari GTO having won Tour de France), Slotemaker (orange Porsche 904 GTS) and Langlois van Ophem/de Montaigu (Ferrari GTO). On the last row we find Baron Remordu in the ex-Clemens Porsche 904 GTS, Brausch Niemann in a Lotus 23 Alfa Romeo and some local racers.

THE RACE
Shortly after the start Rob Slotemaker (Porsche 904 GTS) moves up from position eleven to the lead. But even before the end of the first lap he is passed by the three Ferraris 250 LM with Mairesse leading Bianchi and Piper. During the following lap the orange Porsche is overtaken by the green Ferrari 250 GTO of Tony Maggs. A couple of laps further the Lotus 23 Alfa Romeo of Niemann is retired with brake problems. The bumpy track causes suspension breaks: Slotemaker and Piper are victims and out. Shortly before the race (300 kilometres) is half-way through, a severe thunderstorm benefits the lighter Porsches, and they gain on the two LM Ferraris setting the pace. Tony Maggs has no rain tyres and drops from rank 3 to rank 7. But the thunderstorm is short-lived and the track quickly dries. Finally Willy Mairesse and his Ferrari 250 LM win the race, one lap ahead over the other Belgian racer, Lucien Bianchi in a similar car. Gerhards Koch wins Div II, António Peixihno Div III.

THE 3.0 FERRARI 250 GTO WITH CHASSIS 3767 GT Piper finished third at the 4th Angolan Grand Prix in 1962. Earlier he won the 1962 Rand Daily News Kyalami Nine Hours with the same car. Early 1962 he sold the car to America's Ed Cantrell and bought a new 250 GTO with chassis 4491 GT  which he transformed to his famous "low liner" seen at the 1964 Angolan GP and Rhodesian GP.

5th RHODESIAN GRAND PRIX 1964 AT BULAWAYO - In the early stages of the first heath David Piper leads with the #11 Ferrari 250 LM. Dickie Stoop follows in second position in Sutcliffe's Low Drag Jaguar, preceding John Love in Piper's green 4491 GT Ferrari 250 GTO and Braush Niemann in Prophet's Lotus 30 Ford.

OFF-CHAMPIONSHIP: NASSAU SPEED WEEK TO CORVETTE GS & CHAPARRAL 2A

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - The 5.3 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet of Jilm Hall and Hap Sharp won both the Governor's Trophy and the main event. With its automatic gearbox, with its glassfibre chassis and body it was the most spectacular car at the start. At Ford they believe that the car is fully supported by General Motors, but no evidence for that suspicion could be found.

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - A.J. Foyt, winner of the 1964 Indianapolis 500 miles, and with Richard Petty a living legend of American motoring, showed at the Nassau Governor's Trophy and the Nassau Trophy with John Mecom's 7.1 Hussein Mk.1 Dodge. He finished second to John Penske's 5.3 Chaparral 2A Chevrolet at the Governor's Trophy; For the main race over three hours he realised the pole, and but was leading the race only once laps before he had to retire with a blown engine. Nevertheless he was ranked as 19th. SOURCE: Sports Car Graphics, February 1965.

November 29-December 6, 1964 - After their disastrous race at Reims John Wyer and his team are still waiting on the new gearbox they ordered at ZF in Germany. Meanwhile they continued to develop their Ford GT40. The nose of the car has been completely changed, letting less space between the track and the body. There is a wide opening for the cooling of the radiator and two smaller openings, on both sides, for the cooling of the brakes. At both exteriors of the nose anti-fog lights are installed. The light alloy 4.2-litre formula Indy engine has been replaced by a 4.7-litre engine, the same as used on chassis 105 at the Reims 12 hours. At Slough they still wait the ZF gearbox, ordered in Germany, to replace the much too fragile Colotti. The car is tested intensively at Goodwood and at Monza by - among others - Richie Ginther and Bruce McLaren. At one of those tests the car with chassis 102 is destroyed when the acceleration pedal blocks at once. The Borrani wheels have been replaced by magnesium wheels. All that implies that by the end of 1964 the car has already the definitive shape as we know from the later years.
Mid-November T.A.V. at Slough receives a phone-call from Dearborn: Lee Iacocca insists to send two cars to the Nassau Speed Week. Wyer is told that Roy Lunn and Leo Beebe insist that two Fords GT40 are present, since they have been informed that General Motors prepares a great show at Nassau with their 5.3 Chaparral 2A and a couple of 6.2 Chevrolet Corvettes Grand Sport. John Wyer replies that none of the cars is well prepped: they are in a Le Mans configuration and there is no more time to do the correct set-up for such track as Oakes Field Course. But Lee Iacocca doesn't change his view. He insists that two GTs has to go to Nassau, especially since Carroll Shelby will also be present with a new car: a 7.0 Cobra 427 Roadster mounted on a new chassis (CSX2196).
What the hell Dearborn wishes to do with two poor prepped GT40s at Nassau. Most historians believe that FoMoCo wished to offer all those who worked on the Ford GT project a week of vacation at the end of the season. I don't subscribe that theory. I remember that when I spoke the Shelby guys in Lille, before the start of the Tour de France Automobile, they told me that up from 1965 Shelby Inc. should do the set-up of the works cars and that F.A.V. at Slough should be ordered to develop only the client version of the Ford GT40. Lunn, Beebe, Iacocca & Co knew very well that Nassau could only be a disaster for F.A.V., giving Dearborn a good excuse to put F.A.V. and the Britons on the sidelines, and to manage the project up from now from the States. It's a bare fact that the cars with chassis 103 arrived already mid-December at Shelby's work shop and that Eric Broadley - the father of the Ford GT40 - withdrew definitively from the project.

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - Arrival of one of the two Fords GT40. The nose of the car has been completely changed. Here the one with chassis 105, being not already equipped with the magnesium wheels. There are serious indications that the Nassau entry was nothing more than a pretext to get rid off the Britons and F.A.V.,

Ford's direct opponent, Ferrari, is absolutely not interested in the commercial circus which Nassau is. At Maranello they work since months on a new car, the 4.0 Ferrari 330 P2 (and the 3.3 Ferrari 275 P2). On December 5 - when the Nassau Speed Week is still going on - Enzo Ferraris gives a press conference, unveiling his new car for the 1965 season. That car is even unpainted. There are two versions: a "sport" version with small windscreen for the American races, and one with the normal windscreen for the European races. The new V12 engine is now equipped with four camshafts and the body revisited for better aerodynamically properties. In the presence of the specialised motoring press John Surtees improves the track record: 57". The Prancing Horse is ready for the upcoming season. At Nassau only client cars are entered. Initially S.E.F.A.C. was intended to send a 330P factory car for John Surtees and a 275P for Jo Schlesser. But since Nassau is not interesting for testing, no works cars at all were sent to Oakes Field Course. The lonely competitive Ferraris in place are N.A.R.T.'s 275P (chassis 0820) for Pedro Rodriguez, their 250 LM with chassis 5909 for Bob Grossman and their 250 GTO-64 for Phil Hill. John Mecom shows with its 250 LM, just as Scuderia Bear does.

At Nassau three more important races are contested: a one hour race (The Nassau TT, exclusively for GT cars) on November 29, another one hour race on December 4 (The Governor's Trophy, for "big bangers", prototypes GT cars) and a three hour race, the main event: The Nassau Trophy on December 6, open for "big bangers", prototypes and GT cars. Prior to those three races there was a short sprint race over 5 laps, won by Roger Penske in his 6.2 Chevrolet Corvette GS, ahead over the 7.0 Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster of Ken Miles and the 4.7 Ford GT40 with chassis GT/103 of Phil Hill. The other GT40 was already retired after 3 of the 5 laps with a collapsed suspension.

The Nassau TT for GT cars was initially dominated by the 7-litre Cobra of Ken Miles, involved in a close combat with the two 6.2-litre Corvettes GS of Roger Penske and Jack Saunders and by the two Ferraris 250 LM. A blown engine after 18 laps for Miles as well as Saunders ended the combat won by Roger Penske ahead over the two LMs None of the two Fords GT40 - considered as GT cars in the Bahamas - reached the finish line. Phill Hill's was retired after 17 laps, Bruce McLaren's didn't start at all. N.A.R.T. didn't enter its LM for this race, only its two 250 GTOs. Normally Pedro Rodriguez (250 GTO-64) should have won the GT-class, but he shelled out the wire on one of his rear wheels and had to stop for a new wheel. When he rejoined the track he was headed by two Cobras. He still believed he could pass them before the finish, but at once the race was shortened for the dark. Note that the Mustang having finished ninth is the one having won the Tour de France for Touring Cars!

Final Results of the Nassau TT (38 starters)
1. #82 Chevrolet Corvette GS (Mecom)	005	Roger Penske	1.P	23 laps
2. #3 Ferrari 250 LM (Mecom)	6047	Walt Hansgen	2.P	23 laps
3. #90 Ferrari 250 LM (Sc Bear)	5909	Bob Grossman	3.P	23 laps
4. #92 Shelby Cobra 289 (Shelby A)	CSX2189	Bob Johnson	1.GT3	23 laps
5. #73 Shelby Cobra 289 (Shelby A)	CSX2430	Tom Payne	2.GT3	23 laps
6. #11 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 (NART)	5571GT	Pedro Rodriguez	3.GT3	23 laps
7. #68 Porsche 904 GTS (Brumos)	043	Jack Ryan	1.GT2	22 laps
8. #70 Ferrari 250 GTO (NART)	3767GT	Tom Fleming	4.GT3	21 laps
9. #199 Ford Mustang (Alan Mann)		Skip Scott	5.GT3	21 laps
10.#47 Porsche 904 GTS (Brumos)	051	David Lane	2.GT2	21 laps
11.#55 Porsche 904 GTS (Ch Kolb)	086	Lee Cutler	3.GT2	21 laps
12.#14 Porsche 904 GTS (P H Gregg)	018	Peter Gregg	4.GT2	21 laps
13.#74 Sunbeam Tiger	B9470605	Don Sesslar	6.GT3	20 laps
14.#34 Lotus 26R Elan (Duchess)	26-R-9	Peter Pulver	5.GT2	20 laps
16.#86 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Arthur W. Swanson	1.GT1	20 laps
some non-finishers
22.#98 Shelby Cobra 427 (Shelby)	CSX2196	Ken Miles	P	18 laps
23.#00 Chevrolet Corvette GS (Mecom)	003	Jack Saunders	P	18 laps
26.#91 Ford GT40 (FAV)	GT/103	Ken Miles	P	17 laps
#97 Ford GT40 (FAV)	GT/105	Bruce McLaren	P	DNS

At the Nassau Governor's Trophy 60 cars take the start. The Fords GT40 are no longer here after their disappointing show at the Nassau TT. The 7.0 Cobra 427 is not already repaired. Majority of the cars are group 7 "big bangers" with as eye catchers the 5.3 Chaparral 2A with the glassfibre body and chassis and with the automatic gearbox, the 7.1 Hussein 1 Dodge for this year's Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, the Scarab Mk.IV having won the Bridgehampton 500 and the two Corvettes GS.
Early in the race five cars pull away from the rest of the field. Four of those cars have an engine capacity above 5 litres: the 7.1 Hussein, the 5.3 Chaparral, the 5.3 Scarab and the 5.3 Lotus 19B of Gurney. The fifth is the 3.3 N.A.R.T. Ferrari 275P of Pedro Rodriguez. Although A.J. Foyt was leading during most of the 25 laps, we find at a given moment the little Ferrari 330P leading. Shortly before mid-race we loose Dan Gurney's Lotus 19B. Towards the end Roger Penske (Chaparral) can pass A.J. Foyt (Hiussein) to win 9.8 seconds ahead over the Indy 500 winner. Hansgen and Rodriguez follow one minute later. First GT car is the Cobra 289 of Tom Payne. Fastest Porsche is now Lee Cutler's.

Final Results of the Nassau Governor's Trophy (60 starters)
1. #6 Chaparral 2A Chevy (Chaparral)	003	Roger Penske	1.S/P	25 laps
2. #1 Hussein Mk1 Dodge (Mecom)	CM/2/64	A.J. Foyt	2.S/P	25 laps
3. #2 Scarab Mk.IV Chevy (Mecom)	MkIV	Walt Hansgen	3.S/P	25 laps
4. #10 Ferrari 275P (NART)	0820	Pedro Rodriguez	4.S/P	25 laps
5. #155 Cooper Monaco T61(Comstock)		Ludwig Heimrath	5.S/P	24 laps
6. #64 Brabham BT8 Climax (pr)	SC-2-64	Hugh Dibley	6.S/P	24 laps
7. #90 Ferrari 250 LM (Sc Bear)	5909	Bob Grossman	7.S/P	24 laps
8. #17 Elva Mk.7S BMW (J Scott)		James Scott	8.S/P	23 laps
9. #73 Shelby Cobra 289 (Shelby A)	CSX2430	Tom Payne	1.GT3	23 laps
10.#00 Chevrolet Corvette GS (Mecom)	003	Jack Saunders	9.S/P	23 laps
11.#76 Harrison Special Ford (pr)	19-954	Charlie Kolb	10.S/P	22 laps
12.#55 Porsche 904 GTS (Ch Kolb)	086	Lee Cutler	1.GT2	22 laps
13.#47 Porsche 904 GTS (Brumos)	051	David Lane	2.GT2	22 laps
14.#14 Porsche 904 GTS (P H Gregg)	018	Peter Gregg	4.GT2	22 laps
15.#34 Lotus 26R Elan (Duchess)	26-R-9	Peter Pulver	5.GT2	20 laps
20.#77 Abarth-Simca 1300 Bialbero		Jody H. Porter	1.GT1	21 laps
some non-finishers
40.#12 Chevry Corvette GS (Wintersteen)	005	Geo Wintersteen	S/P	12 laps
43.#9 Lotus 19B Ford	966	Dan Gurney	S/P	11 laps
59. #70 Ferrari 250 GTO (NART)	3767GT	Tom Fleming	GT3	2 laps
60. #3 Ferrari 250 LM (Mecom)	6047	Phil Hill	S/P	0 laps

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - The blue 7-litre Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster could not convince. At the preliminary race over 5 laps it was beaten by GM's 6.2 Corvette GS of Roger Penske. At the Nassau TT over one hour - again won by GM and Penske - the car was retired after 18 of the 23 laps. It realised the pole position, ahead over the two GM Corvettes GS of Jack Saunders and Roger Penske, but ran in troubles at lap 40 and was abandoned with an unreliable engine. For the Governor's Trophy it was not already repaired. And at the main event over 56 laps it finished as a poor 40th, 16 laps down to the winner, now another GM car, the Chaparral 2A of Hap Sharp and Roger Penske. The humiliation by GM could hardly be any stronger than that.

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - John Mecom's 5.3 Scarab Mk.IV Chevrolet finished third at the Nassau Gouvernor's Trophy, but the car - having won this year's Bridgehampton 500 - failed at the main event over three hours. There the car finished only as eighth. SOURCE: Virage Auto, January 1965.

NASSAU SPEED WEEK 1964 - With this Lightweight Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport II Roger Penske won the Nassau TT. Immediately after the race he sold the car to his friend George Wintersteen, who entered it at the two last races. Later Wintersteen will transform the car to make an open Roadster of it. Never he succeeded to score with the car the same excellent results as Roger Penske realised.

"Racing is changing. And perhaps the Nassau outing best reflects the change. The cocktail parties are less flamboyant. Gradually gourmet hors d’oeuvres are giving way to chips and dips … as racing drivers become a more professional breed …less interested in the good life … more eagerly seeking the glory of victory. The odd-balls … the wacks … who have given the sport much of its flair and colour have just sort of dwindled away without being replaced. Drivers are pressed harder, for suddenly the class win is even less important … and there may be ten or more cars on the grid … all very nearly equally able to win." Those are the first sentences of a report on the 1964 Nassau Speed Week as published by US Auto Sports of February 1965.

NASSAU TROPHY - THE ENTRY
Majority of the 65 entered cars are group 7 sportscars, with such prototypes as the Ferrari 275P, Ferrari 250LM, Austin-Healey Sebring Sprite and Alpine M63 Renault racing in het same group as the "big bangers". Ferrari six cars at the start. Most important is the 3.3 Ferrari 275P of Pedro Rodriguez. It is one of the S.E.F.A.C. prototypes having been sold immediately after the Le Mans 24 hours to N.A.R.T. It's the car with chassis 0820 having won this year the Nürburgring 1000-kms and having finished the Sebring 12 hours as runner up. After this race the car will be sold to John Mecom. There is only one 25 LM at the start (for Bob Grossman), because the one, scheduled to be raced by Phil Hill is not already repaired after its broken differential in the previous race. So N.A.R.T. gives its 250 GTO-64 to the former F1 world champion. Their 250 GTO goes, just as at the two previous races, to Tom Fleming. The two other cars are old front-engined 250 TRs.
Ford is present with the Cobra 427 for USRRC champion Ken Miles, with the works Cobras 289 Roadster for Tom Payne and Bob Johnson, with the private 4.7 Roadsters for suck back benchers as Ralph Noseda and Dan Gerber, with Alan Mann's Mustang having won the Tour de France and with Dan Gurney's Lotus 19B Ford, being a full Dearborn entry. There are also two private Lotus 30 Ford and three private Lotus 23 Ford. The two GT40s are already on their way back to Slough.
Officially General Motors is absent but the two Chaparrals 2A - one for Roger Penske and one for Hap Sharp - the Scarab Mk.IV, Jerry Grant's Lotus 19 Chevrolet, and the Corvettes GS of Jack Saunders and Geo Wintersteen enjoy factor support. The new McLaren M1A Oldsmobile is the sixth GM machinery at the start.
Chrysler has only the very quick Hussein Mk.1 Dodge at the start with A.J. Foyt as driver. Porsche is present with three 904 GTS entered by clients. Donald Healey has a Sebring Sprite for Clive Baker. The three cars of Abarth are privately entered, just as the Alpine. An Elva and two Brabhams - no works cars - and such "big bangers" as Cooper Monaco T61, Kelly Porsche, Genie Mk.8, etc complete the grid.

NASSAU TROPHY - THE RACE
We have no other info on practice except for Jack Saunders having failed to qualify his 6.2 Corvette GS. I copy the February 1965 report  by US Auto Sports.

Having won the Tourist Trophy event the preceding Sunday and the Governor’s Trophy race on Friday … Penske had a chance to be the first driver in the history of Nassau Speed Week to pull the hat trick – making it a three way sweep.
Penske drove the Chaparral Chevy started by Hap Sharp to victory in the 252-mile sports car classic with an average speed of 89.118 mph. Penske’s own Chaparral had been knocked out with suspension trouble much earlier in the race. Penske had already broken existing records in the previous Sunday’s Nassau Tourist Trophy Race and Friday’s Governor’s Trophy Races. In second and third places were New Zealand’s Bruce McLaren in a McLaren 1 Olds and Pedro Rodriguez of Mexico City in a Ferrari 330P. Both McLaren and Rodriguez had, at one time or another, held the lead during Sunday’s race.
Behind the top three in Sunday’s field of 65 drivers were Grant Clark, in a Kelly Porsche; James Scott, Elva-BMW; Bob Grossman, Ferrari 275 LM; Walt Hansgen, Scarab Zerex Special (last year’s winning car); Jack Ryan, Porsche 904; Ludwig Heinrath, Cooper-Ford and Phil Hill, Ferrari GTO.
The previous eight days’ sunny weather broke just as the race began. A light sprinkle began to fall, insuring that the resurfaced 4.5 miles of track would be very slick. As the green flag signalled five minutes to go, many crews switched feverishly to rain tyres. Gurney’s mechanics decided to reswitch to dry tyres, so he was delayed 10 seconds at the start. And as the field roared around for the first lap, Hap Sharp was in the lead. The end of the fifth lap saw Hap Sharp, despite a quick off-and-on earlier, still in first place, with Pedro Rodriguez close behind. Foyt was in third place. Gurney was already number 11.
Howard Hanna made a dramatic pit stop with a steaming engine after two laps. Don Skogmo was in pouring oil – as is his dust-controlling custom. Gurney moved his way forward between the fifth and tenth laps to make up for a late start.
A new leader had developed by the end of the tenth lap – Rodriguez, with Bob Johnson trailing second. Tom Payne was third. Sharp was relegated to fourth place. The future looked dim for Penske, who had gone out with broken suspension. Foyt went off the track before the 15th lap – losing two laps. Except for Rodriguez, the early pre-race favourites in the Nassau Trophy were having very rough times.
The track was drying up as the 15th lap came up and Gurney’s performance was expected to improve considerably. Still holding the lead at the end of 15 laps was Rodriguez, followed by Bob Johnson, Tom Payne, Bruce McLaren and Hap Sharp. By 15 laps, Gurney had climbed to seventh spot.
At the end of 20 laps, most of the course had dried up completely, rain having long since stopped. The 20th lap saw Rodriguez holding his lead. Tom Payne had moved up to number two spot, followed by Bob Johnson, Bruce McLaren and Hap Sharp. Gurney moved up to sixth.
On the 23rd lap Hap Sharp, riding in fifth place, stopped in the pits and turned his Chaparral over to Roger Penske. Rodriguez continued to lead the pack at the end of the 25th. Bruce McLaren had taken over second spot followed by Bob Johnson, Tom Payne and Gurney. Foyt was number nine.
Halfway through the race, with 126 miles to go Bruce McLaren had moved up to first spot. Foyt made a pit stop at the halfway point, jumped out and performed some quick surgery on his car.
McLaren held on to his lead at the end of the 30th lap, followed by Gurney, who was continuing his dramatic move upward. Penske, in Sharp’s car, was third, followed by Bob Johnson and a new contender in the first-five column, Walt Hansgen. But Hansgen’s car broke a suspension bolt, blowing a rear tyre and his chances with it.

McLaren was still in first place at the end of 35 laps, with Gurney still right behind him and Penske in Sharp’s car, third. The two leaders had not yet made their pit stops, but the Penske-Sharp Chaparral had. In fourth and fifth place were Bob Johnson and Tom Payne.
Gurney moved up to the lead on the 38th lap. Close behind were the Sharp-Penske Chaparral and Bruce McLaren. Gurney’s stop in the pits on the 42nd lap proved to be more than just a temporary one, spelling doom for his chances as a top contender. The facing of his clutch came off.
So in the 45th lap, fifty miles from the end, the field of leaders was Penske, Bruce McLaren, Rodriguez and Tom Payne. Average speed had climbed to 86.785 mph. Tom Payne dropped out on the 48th lap, and so it ended. Penske-Sharp won it.
McLaren, the only other driver to finish all 56 laps, was second followed by Rodriguez. Rounding out the top ten were, in order, Bob Grossman, Nyack, N.Y., Ferrari; Grant Clark, Miami, Fla., Porsche; Jim Scott, McHenry, Ill., Elva BMW; Ludwig Heinrath, Toronto, Cooper Ford; Walt Hansgen, Bedminster, N.J., Scarab Chevy; Jack Ryan, Griffin, Ga., Porsche 904; and Anson Johnson, Miami, Lotus 30.
Rain, which fell during the early stages of the race, washed out any chance for a record timing and speed. Penske was clocked in three hours, six minutes and 19.69 seconds. The average speed for the first lap was a slow 70.742 mph indicating that Penske toured some of the laps in speeds of well over 100 mph.

IT STIRS THAT CARROLL SHELBY'S COBRAS COULD WIN NOT ONCE O.A. OUTSIDE THE STATES, BUT THAT THE OLD FERRARI 250 GTO WON FOUR IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL RACES. The only Cobra victories outside the States came from the Willment Cobras obtaining three wins. Shelby himself refused close co-operation with John Willment who bought two chassis in Texas. Here Pedro Rodriguez in the N.A.R.T. Ferrari 250 GTO-64 passes Ralph Noseda's Cobra at the Sebring 12 hours. SOURCE: Parker, Paul (2007), Sports Car Racing in Camera 1960-69, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing, p.103.
  

A NEW ERA IN ENDURANCE RACING
If one looks a bit further than just the results one must conclude that the venue of Ford in European racing changed things thoroughly. Their approach was qualitatively different from what happened in the old continent. Ford's engineers understood that aerodynamics was one of the most important things in motoring. They introduced the generalised use of wind tunnels and computer practice in racing. Contrarily to the British and Italian manufacturers, using pure pragmatic solutions, Ford understood that a scientific approach was the way to go. This approach was less inspired by their combat in European racing with Ferrari, than their combat on the own American soil with small manufacturers supported by General Motors and already using complete new techniques. One has to realise that American racing was - apart from racing with old-fashioned stock cars as Nascar's - essentially "big banger" racing as practiced on American and Canadian circuits. There the famous Chaparral 2A was the star. Using glass fibre components, both for the body and the chassis, an automatic transmission and aerodynamically tricks, the new Chaparral 2A just smashed Carroll Shelby's King Cobras (in fact an improved Cooper Monaco T61). Chaparral won at the USRRC for group 7 sports cars at Pensacola, Watkins Glen, Meodowdale and Mid-Ohio and pulverised all Ford machinery at the Nassau Speed Week.   
At Dearborn they were unhappy with the typical British approach at Slough. They agreed with Eric Broadley that the self-bearing body of the Lola Mk.6 GT  was the way to go, but disagreed with the typical British way to let depend all modifications from test results at Goodwood or Monza. Practicing on circuits was not enough, computer analysis and wind tunnels were the correct way to go. After their smashing defeat at Oakes Field (Nassau), where the triumph of GM was complete, Ford decided to do the further improvement of their GT40 not longer at Slough, but on American soil. Despite the fact that the GT40 could reach only one the finish - third in a sprint race over ... five laps at Nassau - the car deserved admiration from all those having an open eye for the potential capacities of the car. At Dearborn they were convinced that their way of working was the correct way, and that sooner or later they should be able Ferrari.

COBRA SUCCESS?
The venue of Ford in international racing was also the very end of Enzo Ferrari manipulating since years the FISA and obtaining that cars, having been manufactu-red at only thirty copies (as the 250 GTO) were considered as GT cars having been made at hundred copies. That resulted in FISA's refusal to homologate the Ferrari 250 LM as a GT car. That refusal made Enzo Ferrari just mad and at several occasions he threatened the FISA to stop definitively all racing. At the two last Grand Prix of the season Ferrari showed with cars in white and blue, the colours of N.A.R.T. On one point Enzo Ferrari was absolutely right: the Cobra Daytona Coupe - not for sale and only existing at six copies - was no GT car either. So why FISA considered it well as a GT car and not the Ferrari 250 LM? Normally Shelby's Cobra Roadsters were no match for the Ferrari 250 GTO: with the aerodynamic capacities of an iron there were blown away at fast circuits (look what happened with the roadsters at the Spa 500-kms). There should never had been a combat between the 250 GTO and the Cobra 289 Roadster, but between the 250 LM and the Cobra Daytona Coupe. And in that fight the 250 LM - having won O.A. six important races in 1964 - was absolutely superior to Shelby's Daytona Coupe, having won not the smallest race O.A. The lonely Cobra Coupe able to win (minor) races O.A. was John Willment's (but each time without an LM hanging around).

THE FORD-FERRARI COMBAT BASED UPON MUTUAL HATE?
It's a secret for nobody that Carroll Shelby hated Enzo Ferrari as the great manipulator. He detested the Commendatore since the day that he, Shelby, applied for a seat in the factory Ferraris. Enzo refused to pay him the smallest wage, and Carroll had to understand that it should be a great honour for him if he could drive Ferrari works cars. Hate was for Carroll Shelby the most important incentive to beat Ferrari. At Dearborn, however, Roy Lunn, Leo Beebe and Lee Iacocca were enough sensible that the small success of the Cobras was only possible since they had not to fight in the same class with the faster Ferrari 250 LM. They used Shelby's hate versus Enzo Ferrari to offer him a much better challenge: beating the Ferrari prototypes with the Ford GT40. Indeed, up from December 1964 the development of the GT40 came in hands of Shelby American Inc. The combat to come was no longer a combat between GT cars, but a real fight among prototypes.
In that class - the prototypes - Ferrari met no real opposition in 1964. The Ford GT40 was too new to be a threat, the famous Porsches 904-8 or 904-6 had a too low engine capacity to beat the 275P and 330P, and the Maserati Tipo 151-3 was too "arts and crafts" to have any chance on success: at the three occasions it had to fight with the Ferrari prototypes it could even not be brought home.

1964: A FERRARI SUCCESS WHICH WAS LATER NEVER MORE IMPROVED
In 1964 Ferrari won it all. It won the F1 world championship with John Surtees, the F1 Manufacturers World Championship, the FISA Manufacturers World Champion-ship in Div III with its 250 GTO-64 and 250 GTO and the International Prototypes Trophy with its 275P and 330P. Of the thirteen most important endurance races Ferrari won eleven. Only at the Targa Florio they were beaten by the Porsche 904 GTS and at the Bridgehampton 500 by the Scarab Mk.IV Chevrolet (a "big banger"). The superiority of the Ferrari prototypes was that high that even in "big banger" racing they succeeded to beat at five occasions group 7 cars. They did it at the Tourist Trophy, at Road America, at the Mt-Tremblant 100 miles and at the Mosport Canadian Grand Prix. During the second half of the year it also appeared which fantastic car was the 250 LM. With six victories it won more races than the 275P and the 330P having won four times. It's perhaps good to remember that of all cars ever built by Ferrari, not the 250 GTO but the 250 LM won most races.   
In all following years, up to now, Ferrari was never able to do so well as in 1964. This year the Prancing Horse reached its absolute summit.

GRAHAM HILL BEST RACER, MARANELLO CONCESSIONAIRES BEST SCUDERIA
Although Graham Hill races for BRM in F1he's the first racer of Colonel Ronnie Hoare. He won four races (the Daily Express Trophy, the Reims 12 hours, the Tourist Trophy and the Paris 1000-kms), always at the wheel of a Maranello Ferrari. Nobody did better. Four racers won three times: Ludovico Scarfiotti (Ferrari), Nino Vaccarella (Ferrari), Pedro Rodriguez (Ferrari) and Roger Penske (Corvette and Chaparral). Should we consider the minor races of the USRCC-GT too, then Ken Miles (Cobra) was the winningest as he was found six times in victory lane. If we look also at the 20 races for "big bangers", and not only at those where GT cars were allowed at the start (as we did in our reports) we have to add Jim Hall (Chaparral) with four wins.
In the course of the year several racers where killed at the wheel of their car. That happened with Brian Hetreed at the Nürburgring, with Peter Lindner and Franco Patria at the Paris 1000-kms and with Dave McDonald (2 wins for Shelby with the King Cobra) at the Indianapolis 500 miles where Eddie Sachs was killed too.

FERRARI: 18 VICTORIES ON 28 OUTINGS - In 1964 ten long distance (> 3 500-kms) endurance races for prototypes and GT cars were organised. Of them Ferrari won (1) the Sebring12 hours, (2) the Nürburgring 1000-kms, (3) the Le Mans 24 hours, (4) the Reims 12 hours, (5) the Tourist Trophy, (6) Road America, (7) the Paris 1000-kms and (8) the Kyalami 9-hours. Twice Ferrari was beaten: at the Targa Florio by a 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS and at the Bridgehampton 500 by a group 7 5.3 Scarab Mk.IV Chevrolet.
There were three long distance races exclusively for Grand Touring cars. Ferrari won them all three: (9) the Daytona 2000-kms, (10) the Spa 500-kms and (11) the Tour de France. Note worth is that only in five of the thirteen endurance races S.E.F.A.C. works cars were entered. All other wins went to Ferrari clients.
Of the twelve sprint races Ferrari entered six were won: (12) the Daily Express Mail, (13) the Coppa Inter-Europa, (14) the Mt-Tremblant 100 mi, (15) the Canadian GP, (16) the Trofeo Ettore Bettoja and (17) the Angolan GP.
Although Ferrari had no specific works car for the hill-climb races it won (18) the Sierre-Montagna Crans Hill-climb, one out of four counting for the Manufacturers World Championship. In total Ferrari realised 18 victories on 28 outings. Most wins went to the FISA-banned 3.3 Ferrari 250 LM (six), against four for the 4.0 Ferrari 330P prototype, four for the 3.3 Ferrari 275P prototype, three for the 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO-64 and one For the old 3.0 Ferrari 250 GTO. The SEFAC works cars won three races. Maranello Concessionaires won seven races. North American Racing Team won three times. Scuderia Filipinetti and Swaters's Écurie Nationale Belge won each two races. John Mecom Racing won one race for Ferrari.

MOST MOTORING HISTORIANS CONSIDER THE CLASS VICTORY OF THE DAYTONA COBRA AS FORD'S BEST PERFORMANCE OF 1964. But I feel that the best performance of the year was realised by this 1.6 Ford Cortina Lotus, prepped by Alan Mann and Colin Chapman. In the hands of Jim Clark and Ray Parsons this simple Touring Car finished 21st and sixth in the GT2 class to which it even didn't belong as non GT car. Alan Mann entered this car later in the USRRC series, where it was driven by John Whitmore; Atb Pensacola it finished fourth O.A., at Watkins Glen seventh O.A., at Meadowdale eight overall. Other drivers were Mike Spence and Trevor Taylor. SOURCE: Parker, Paul (2007), Sports Car Racing in Camera 1960-69, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing, p.102.
  

NOTE: At none of the nine first rounds of the USRRC a single Ferrari was present to fight with the Shelby Cobras.

FORD: 11 VICTORIES ON 35 OUTINGS - In 1964 FVA entered 10 times their prototype Ford GT40 in international races, without scoring the smallest result at the finish. At the USRRC GT Championship Ford won nine of the ten rounds, eight of them with the 4.7 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster. It concerns all short sprint races over 200 to 250 kilometres. In Europe the Shelby cars could win not one important race, despite several class wins with the 4.7 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (among others at the Le Mans 24 hours). Eventually it will be John Willment Racing offering the Snake three victories: (1) The Ilford Trophy at Brands Hatch, (2) the Autosport 3 hours at Snetterton and (3) the first heat of the Rhodesian Grand Prix. Those successes and the other obtained by Shelby American at the American USRRC can hardly be compared with the successes of their direct opponent: Ferrari. Nevertheless Ford deserves the admiration from all motoring enthusiasts. Coming from scratch they proved that their new GT40 is fast enough, but lacks reliability since the 4.2 Fairlane Indy engine and the Colotti 37 gearbox need to be revisited. To do so the Nassau Speed Week was the easy pretext to move the racing division from Slough in England to Kar Kraft in the States and to sideway the Britons. At the end of the season the real father of the Ford GT40, Eric Broadley, will quit F.V.A. (Ford Advanced Vehicles)

THE NEW PORSCHE 904 GTS WAS ALMOST AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS. IN DIVISION II THEY HAD NO REAL OPPOSITION. ONLY TWICE THEY WERE BEATEN BY THE UNRELIABLE NEW ABARTH-SIMCA 2000 GT. As long as no 100 copies were manufactured Porsche System Engineering had to fight with its old 356B Carrera 2000 GS, as on the above picture at Sebring.It concerns the car with chassis 122-991 driven by Don Wester and Bruce Jennings. Here they are followed by one of the five 6.2 Corvettes GS ever manufactured. It's the car of A.J. Foyt and John Cannon (chassis 003)..SOURCE: Parker, Paul (2007), Sports Car Racing in Camera 1960-69, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset: Haynes Publishing, pp.104-105.
  

PORSCHE: 5 VICTORIES ON 42 OUTINGS - Early in the year the new 2.0 Porsche 904 GTS was not already homologated, such that at Daytona and Sebring the factory cars were still of type 2.0 Porsche 356B Carrera 2000 GS. New cars raced at Sebring were still considered as prototypes. Up from the Targa Florio a production of 100 copies was finished so that the homologation was accepted. Handicapped by a lack of horse power the Porsches had only a chance to win on twisty circuits or in hill-climbs. They won 5 races out of 42 outings, two of them being reserved for the 2-litre class. Porsche won in 1964 the European Hill-Climb Championship.

NOTE ON CAN-AMERICAN "BIG BANGER" RACING: COOPER vs CHAPARRAL

WILL BE FINALISED LATER