 |
|
One of Ferrari's long line of racing Sports Cars,
the mid-engine, Flat 12 Boxer 512BB LM
(Image source: auto.howstuffworks.com)
|
As Planet Earth is apparently Ferrari's Oyster this
year...
By now, perhaps Y'all have heard that Ferrari
is celebrating its 70th Anniversary around the globe with gala events
extraordinaire, displaying many of Scuderia Ferrari's important motor racing
collection, with events ranging from Silverstone, Monterey, Singapore, Monza
and all points in-between...
As a key element in Goodwood'S recent celebration of Ferrari’s 70th anniversary at the Festival of Speed, held from June 29 to July 2 was more than 35 significant competition cars made in Maranello, including grand prix and sports car endurance racers, in addition to a number of road-going Ferraris taking part.
They were in action romping up Goodwood'S famous 1.16-mile hillclimb throughout the event, along with significant racing cars and star drivers participating.
From Ferrari’s long, continuous and hugely successful motor racing history were about 25 single-seater Ferraris, covering each of the key post-war Grand Prix eras, powered by tuneful four-, six-, eight- and 12-cylinder engines, including some with superchargers and turbochargers.
Single-seater Ferraris already confirmed prior to the event included a 1948 166, 1952 375 ‘Grant Piston Ring Special’, (IndyCar) a 1961 156 ‘Sharknose’, 1965 1512, 1974 312 B3, 1980 312 T5, 1984 126 C4/M2, 1990 641, 1995 412 T2, 2002 F2002, the F2007, not forgetting a pair of the Ferrari-powered Lancia D50s
Some
of the Ferrari sports cars expected at this year's Festival of Speed chart the
marque’s successes in all the great endurance races, from the 1947 125 S, via a
1950 166 MM Barchetta, 1958 250 TR58, 1962 250 GTO, 1971 365 GTB/LM
and 1979 512 BB/LM, right through to the 1993 F40 LM and 458 GT2.
(Source: telegraph.co.uk)
As some of those noted Star Drivers included
the likes of Sir Jackie Stewart, Derek Bell and Dario Franchitti, while
reportedly even Nico Rosberg was on hand.
Five of Ferrari's GT Drivers took part along
with Development driver Marc Gene. As Davide Rigon piloted Kimi
Raikkonen's championship winning F2007 up the nine turn Hillclimb course alongside
Goodwood House.
Olivier Beretta was at the keyboard of Alain
Prost's F1/90 Formula 1 car that the Four-times World Champion drove to score
Ferrari's 100th Grand Prix victory, whilst Gene was the chauffer of an evocative
F60.
Current Scuderia GT Pilotes Sam Bird and
James Calado
wheeled an FXX and a FXX K up Goodwood's drive respectively, with past Ferrari
luminary, or should that be Hot Head? The mercurial Rene Arnoux piloting a 599
XX.
Whilst I've got NO idea if the story I've read
recently about the 812 Superfast is Ferrari's latest Supercar?
And I would have loved to have been Thar,
although they'd just have been colourful Blobs to Mwah, as I'd had zero clue
that what will forever be the Monterey Historics to Mwah, now the Monterey
Motorsports Reunion was taking it's part in the round the world in however many
days? Mucho Grande Ferrari birthday extravaganza this past August.
Whilst lastly, apparently Italy wished to
partake in its own El Speciale version of the worldwide celebrations, by
hosting a Mega' party at Thar Home testing facility at Fiorano, where the
Formula 1 cars once pounded round 'N round during the Schumacher era...
