LOST & FOUND

Ghibli chassis 008 emerges after 20-plus years of storage in Modesto, California

Lola chassis is of historic ex-Redman car

008 was one of three Maseratis in the barn

Farm barn hides Trident trio

In 1966, Maserati brought out the two-seater Ghibli coupé, based on a shortened Mexico chassis with a body styled by Carrozzeria Ghia. It had actually been designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who is reputed to have said that it was among his best works. Some 1272 Ghiblis were built between 1966 and 1973, and Daniel Rapley has just found three of them in the same barn in Modesto, California, along with the remains of a Lola racer.

“The Ghiblis are chassis 008, 088 and 210,” said Rapley, “all very early cars. Maserati used only even numbers for its coupés, so these were the fourth, the 44th and the 105th cars built. The Lola was Brian Redman’s 1974 Formula 5000-winning T332, which is now in a deplorable state. Animals had been living in these cars for at least a couple of decades – cleaning them was a hazard to my health, with numerous Black Widow spiders sucked into the vacuum cleaner!

“The owner had previously restored two or three Ghiblis, plus a McLaren, and was planning to continue with these cars, but age and a reality check got in the way.”

Rapley would like to trace the full history of chassis 008. The car was sold new to Ford Italiana and it is reputed that Henry Ford II had one of the prototypes before passing it on to Edsel Ford. If that story is true, it could have been chassis 008. Rapley knows that the car was in Pennsylvania two owners ago, then Virginia, and at one time with an unknown owner in Cleveland. If you know any more, e-mail him at danielrapley @gmail.com

GAZELLE LEAPS NO MORE “I found this old girl while walking at Redstocks, near Melksham,” said reader Keith Jeffries of the sorry-looking Singer Gazelle he uncovered in Wiltshire. “It looks as if it had been in good condition before the garage collapsed and the brambles took hold.”

ON SAFARI IN FRANCE C&SC web man Graeme Hurst saw these mouldering DS Safaris while on holiday in the Languedoc region. They’re part of a cache of Citroëns – including two CXs – parked beside the D980 between Montclus and St-Michel-d’Euzet. Both DSs appear complete; one wears a 1997 tax disc plus bonnet cutouts to combat cooling issues.

Baby Ferrari unearthed in France

Mystery Car Competition Win a bottle of The Balvenie Signature 12 Year Old, a hand-crafted single malt (overseas winners will be offered an alternative prize)

Cute ASA Spyder has a desirable hard-top Fabulous cabin with its well-stocked dash

French classic dealer Autodrome makes a habit of discovering rare cars, and its latest find is a Ferrariengineered ASA 1000GT Spyder in a barn in the south of France.

Only 10 Spyders were built, of which there are just six or seven documented survivors. “This fine automobile was amazingly original,” said Autodrome’s Michel Levy, “even though it had been almost unused for at least the past 15 years. It was found to be structurally healthy, without rust, and ready for a proper ‘soft’ restoration.”

After some research, Levy has ascertained that the car was sold new in June 1967 to the sister of King Hassan II of Morocco: “The next owner was a rally driver, and the third and last was a French naval officer who registered the car in France and took it to Corsica.”

The ASA’s history file includes an invoice for 71mm pistons, which indicates that this Spyder could be one of very few fitted with a desirable larger 1092cc engine, and the car has already been a c q u i r e d b y a major European collector.

28 Classic & Sports Car January 2012

Something more futuristic this month, but what is it? Answers by 1 February to Mystery Car Comp (January) at the p8 address or e-mail mysterycar.c&sc@ haynet.com stating ‘January’ in the subject line. Please include your address.

OCTOBER’S MYSTERY CAR We were overwhelmed by the response to this microcar, and the division of opinion among them had us double-checking. We’re pretty sure, though – as were most of you – that it’s a Champion 400, not the similar Gutbrod. Nick Tate wins, with runners-up Andrew Graham and Joerg Strehmann. 1912 OldsmObile limited

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