The Ferrari 250 GT Drogo Berlinetta
Le Mans Winner
20-dic-2004 08:23
#1
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The Ferrari 250 GT Drogo Berlinetta  I’ve had a few cars built in my time in this hobby/business of exciting cars. Probably the most dramatic was a recreation of a car that I had loved since teenage years (yes, sad, isn’t it?). Let me explain. 2735 GT was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta. With the redoubtable Stirling Moss driving, she had won the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood apparently, as Moss himself later quoted: "Whilst listening to the radio(!)" Before this, 2735 GT had been a Rob Walker team car and had raced at Le Mans where the dark blue coupe, driven by Graham Hill and Stirling Moss, had uncharacteristically retired with engine failure. After this, Moss had reeled off five consecutive victories with the car and it had also done a spell with the U.D.T. Laystall team, where Innes Ireland drove it. 2735 GT was then sold to a wealthy privateer, Chris Kerrison, who had previously raced a sports-racing Lotus. Chris Kerrison entered the Ferrari for the 1962 Tourist Trophy and there, his co-driver Chris Benson crashed it, causing severe damage to the bodywork. As was normal in those days, Chris Kerrison phoned the Ferrari factory, who suggested that he send the crashed car to Piero Drogo’s establishment, "Modena Sportscars". Piero Drogo was an interesting man. He had gravitated to Modena from his homeland of Brazil and raced a Ferrari Testa Rossa. Realizing that he had to make a living, he founded his Carrozierra and had two well-known craftsman, Neri and Bonaccini, repair and rebody a wide number of Ferraris, some crashed, some with an owner who just wanted "something different". Sadly, Piero was killed in later years whilst at the wheel of a Ferrari 250 California on the street. So Neri and Bonaccini worked away to rebody Chris Kerrison’s Berlinetta. Of course, 1962 was the year of the 250 GTO’s introduction, and so something even lower and more dramatic was called for. Kerrison certainly got it! Although no-one would call the resulting Berlinetta pretty, it was one of the most dramatic looking bodies Drogo ever built on a Ferrari chassis. From the ground-hugging snout to the sharply cut-off tail, this car embodied the word "aggressive". The opportunity had been taken to move the engine back in the chassis and lower it, something that bore the trademark of Ing. Giotto Bizarrini, though whether he had anything to do with this Berlinetta, I do not know.  When Kerrison got his Berlinetta back, he must have had a shock. He is about six feet, three inches tall and now, it would be difficult to fit a five foot ten inch person into it. Nevertheless, Chris Kerrison accepted the challenge and put up some good performances with the car before selling it in 1964 as it was now, "just an old racecar." 2735 GT then passed through a succession of owners, losing its original engine (this is rumored to be in a GTO now) before being restored by Hugh Edgley in 1972. Hugh Edgley loved the old Berlinetta and kept her for several years. In 1983 the car was sold to Clive Beecham, who undertook a comprehensive restoration, a new SWB body in aluminum being fabricated. The old Drogo bodywork was discarded and bought by an enthusiast who had the paneling made good with new aluminum where necessary and then fitted that to a "GTO-ized" GTE chassis. That is when I came into the picture!  Having always loved the look of the Drogo Berlinetta, I bought the rolling chassis and took it to my old friend, Allen Goodall, who owns an excellent bodyshop in Redditch, Warwickshire, in England. Of course, I wanted to build this recreation as nearly as possible to resemble the real thing and thought to seek out Chris Kerrision. I dug out an old "Autosport" magazine from 1964, when Kerrison was advertising the car as: "The fastest breadvan in the World!" I called the telephone number on the page and a voice answered, saying: "Chris Kerrison." It was he! Thirty years later, Chris Kerrison was still living in the same house as he had when he owned the Ferrari. He gave me lots of information on the car, including: "I really wanted a GTO, but they were in such short supply the factory would never give me a delivery date."  Meanwhile, Allen and his crew set to work. I "found" a Ferrari engine and four-speed gearbox and, within six months, the car was completed. One problem – although I am five feet eleven inches tall, to begin with, I could not fit into the cockpit! By cutting a slice out of the chassis longeron that ran beneath the seat, and reclining that as far as possible, I was able to finally fit into it, arms straight and knees splaying the steering wheel. With a crash helmet on, I always had to drive it with my head bent to one side! When I questioned Chris Kerrison about this, he couldn’t remember it being that cramped, which somewhat surprised me. So, here I was at last with the Kerrison Drogo. I remember driving it to the local pub one Sunday lunchtime. The pub’s car park was festooned with new Porsches and Jaguars. They didn’t stand a chance! No-one coming out bothered to look at them just the "old" Ferrari.   The car drove beautifully, both on the road and the track. I entered her for races at Brands Hatch, Monza and Spa. Great handling, which I can only attribute to the even balance of the car, with the engine moved back and lower in the chassis. At Brands Hatch, I had an hour-long duel with an Aston Martin DB4 GT, the Aston running wide onto the grass at one time. We finished seventh and eighth after one of the most hectic hour-long duels that I can remember.  By 1998, I had decided to immigrate to America and didn’t really want to take the Ferrari with me. I sold her to Dan Ghose, who raced her a few times and then sold her on. I don’t know where she is now, but if I had a few million, I wouldn’t mind her back! |
Le Mans Winner
20-dic-2004 08:36
#2
Un amigo me ha mandado este exótico Ferrari por e-mail, lo subo al foro de clásicos, lo triste es q el texto esta en ingles y yo no entiendo nada de nada, espero q guste este peculiar deportivo Italiano  Subo la unica foto  Saludos 
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ForoCoches: Miembro
20-dic-2004 12:14
#4
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Ah, un Ferrari Drogo. Los diseños de esta casa eran "deliciosamente extravagantes", por decir algo. El post es muy bueno, racer. El texto explica la historia del modelo: inicialmente era una 250 SWB estándar, en concreto aquella tan famosa con la que Stirling Moss ganó el Tourist Trophy mientras escuchaba la radio a todo volumen. Luego se vendió a otro piloto que destrozó la carrocería en un accidente, siendo reconstruída por Piero Drogo con una forma distinta a la original, aprovechando la coyuntura para retrasar el motor y rebajar la altura del coche mejorando la aerodinámica. Años después el coche fue comprado por un coleccionista que le restituyó la carrocería original, vendiendo la carrocería Drogo a otro coleccionista, que la puso sobre una réplica de 250 GTO sobre chásis de 250 GTE. Ese es el coche que vemos en las fotos: el 250GTE con la carrocería Drogo. Para que comprendáis lo que quise decir con lo de "deliciosamente extravagante" pongo una foto del delirante 330 GT de Drogo. En el recuadro está el 330 original de Pininfarina. Más información sobre Drogo: http://www.tybrainstorm.de/drogo/drogo-3.html |
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20-dic-2004 16:59
#6
| buff que tremendos, por cierto un 250 gto que era como una furgoneta creo que era de drogo tambien, me equivoco? |
ForoCoches: Miembro
20-dic-2004 17:43
#7
| En efecto, el famoso 250 "Breadvan" también estaba carrozado por Drogo. Era un caso similar a este: un 250 GT SWB normal "actualizado" en plan GTO y recarrozado a posteriori. |
Man with no name
20-dic-2004 17:47
#8
Eso sí es un coche. Y no como algunos experimentos grotescos de ahora. Enseñadle un Mercedes CLS al propietario de ese coche y decidle que sí, que es un nuevo concepto de coupé de "4 puertas". 
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Le Mans Winner
20-dic-2004 17:57
#9
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Cita de DeSoto
En efecto, el famoso 250 "Breadvan" también estaba carrozado por Drogo. Era un caso similar a este: un 250 GT SWB normal "actualizado" en plan GTO y recarrozado a posteriori.
 Aun tengo más artículos de coches clásicos, cuando tenga un tiempito los sigo subiendo y poco a poco se van traduciendo
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ForoCoches: Miembro
21-dic-2004 01:31
#10
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Impresionante, yo tengo por algun sitio la historia de las ferraris breadvan y artefactos parecidos, alguna para llevar difuntos, etc... Saludos Gaby |
Le Mans Winner
21-dic-2004 01:50
#11
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Cita de gabym3
Impresionante, yo tengo por algun sitio la historia de las ferraris breadvan y artefactos parecidos, alguna para llevar difuntos, etc...
Saludos Gaby 
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ForoCoches: Miembro
23-dic-2004 05:37
#12
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escriba en español mijo no todos hablan ingles y algunos nunca lo haremos (me carga el idioma) saludos |
ForoCoches: Miembro
23-dic-2004 18:33
#13
Tengo que buscarlas, salieron en una motorclasico  habre si lo encuentro ;=)
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nabuconodosorcito
24-dic-2004 01:35
#14
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Me recuerda al Corvette Mako shark II, en las formas. Solo que en el mako las formas son mas pronunciadas! saludos |
I(L)Wheels
24-dic-2004 19:07
#15
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Hola amigos es un coche precioso os voy a poner una foto del mio para que lo podeis ver aunque no suelo hacerlo pero creo que en especial este merece ser visto un saludo! es un ferrari 250LM en este caso no es el mismo del que hablais pero si tiene mucho que ver.. un saludo ahora pongo la foto voy hacersela |
I(L)Wheels
25-dic-2004 04:58
#16
| Espero que os gusten de momento solo lo tengo en casa espero sacarle pronto un saludo y feliz navidad!!! |