Tag Archives: MimboloveVintage Race Cars
The aluminum body of this very rare car was built in Argentina on a French Rolland-Pilain chassis with a 4-litre 8-cylinder Continental inline engine, 4-speed manual transmission, 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes and an all aluminum “Ridge Baquet” racer body. This barn find was for sale at Motoreum in NW Austin.
Visiting Palermo, Sicily, a few years ago, while I was nosing round the old harbor area, I hit the jackpot stumbling across a specialty garage. Outside that garage, when I told the garage owner that I was from Texas and wanted to take a look inside, he gruffly turned away in apparent disgust. I stood at the entrance a few moments, looking at all the cars inside just out of my reach, but finally asked another mechanic if I could take a few pictures. Shockingly, I was given full access. Here is one of seven cars I photographed there. That mechanic even uncovered this car for me!
It took me a few years to identify it as a 1949 Fiat 1500 6C Sport Lanzarone Trasformazione with a Mille Miglia decal. Turns out that the Falanga Tommaso garage is well-know. This was one of my greatest discoveries, SCORE!! 
Built by three-time Indy 500 winner Wilber Shaw, the first appearance of the epic Offenhauser DOHC 4 cylinder race engine, based on the world-beating Miller race engine. Shaw drove it to second place at the Indianapolis 500 in 1935. Great story, exquisite workmanship, great car. Front wheel drive. 
Sadly, only five original Grand Sports were built in 1962 to compete against AC Cobras before GM brass pulled the plug when they learned of Zora Arkus Duntov’s secret program known as The Lightweight. These cars were 800 – 1350 lbs lighter than stock, several powered by a 377 cu. in. aluminum small block engine with four cross-ram Weber carbs, turning out 485-550 hp. All original Grand Sports survive, valued at about $5 million. This is an awesome recreation, and very compelling.
Browse my Pics on Posters & Notebooks
