1957 Ferrari 500 TRC #0708 MD TR
SPECIFICATIONS
- MakeFerrari
- Model500 TRC
- Year1957
- Serial #0708 MD TR
- Engine #708 MD TR
- Engine TypeTipo 131 C
- Chassis TypeTipo 518 C
- Build Sequence #19
- Number Built19
- Body TypeSpyder
- Body BuilderScaglietti
- First OwnerVon Neumann
We are pleased to offer 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR, with a well documented race history, well documented ownership history, matching engine and chassis numbers and “no stories”. New to John Von Neumann, the official Ferrari importer for California and then sold on 29 August, 1958 to Jack Nethercutt. $11,232 plus tax. Raced actively by Jack Nethercutt from 1958 to 1960. In California until 1988 and then restored to the highest standards by DK Engineering in England in 1994–1995 and re–united with its correct, “matching numbers” original motor. Not used since its restoration and ready to go to the Mille Miglia or grace the lawns at Cavallino, the Ferrari Club of America National Meet or Pebble Beach.
#19. 0708. Delivered to Von Neumann. Then to Nethercutt and later fitted with a 625 engine. Restored in 1994–95 with correct original engine s/n 0708 MD TR.
s/n 0708 MD TR. 500 TRC. New in the USA.
1957, Sold new to John Von Neumann, Los Angeles, CA.
1958, 29 Aug., sold to Jack Nethercutt. $11,232 plus tax.
1958, 31 Aug., Santa Barbara. Nethercutt #102. Racing in class E modified (EM).
1958, 9 Nov., Laguna Seca. Nethercutt. #102. EM.
1958, 22 Nov., Pomona, Main event. Nethercutt. #102. 4th in class. EM.
1959, 1 Feb., Pomona Preliminary race. Nethercutt #102. 6th in class. EM.
1959, 1 Feb., Pomona, Main event, Ritchie Ginther driving, #102. 2nd in class. EM.
1959, 8 Mar., Pomona, Examiner GP. USAC race. Nethercutt. #102. 12th overall. EM.
1959, engine 672 MDTR (a 2.5 litre) installed. Engine 0672 one of the three 625 LM raced at LM 1956 in 500 TR Touring spyders.
1959, 31 May, Santa Barbara. Nethercutt. 4th with 2.5 litre engine # 672 MDTR. Now racing in D modified.
1959, 7 June, Laguna Seca. Nethercutt. #2. 1st in class. DM.
1959, 21 June, Hourglass Field, San Diego. Nethercutt. #102. 5th. DM.
1959, 19 July, Riverside. Nethercutt. #102. DM.
1959, July, Jean Pierre Kunstle showed up with his Ferrotus that was a Lotus XV serial 611-2 (619 ..was the ex-Jay Chamberlain 15 which Lew Florence raced during 1961 per Lotus Fifteen Historian & Registrar Bill Colson, England) with FPF 1102 (bought from Jay Chamberlain) that had engine #0708 MD TR installed. See article/photos of conversion in Sports Car Illustrated, December 1959 pg 82ff.
1959, 2 Aug., Shelton. Nethercutt. #102. 5th. DM.
1959, 6 Sept., Santa Barbara. Nethercutt. 5th. DM.
1959, September, JP Kunstle sold the Ferrotus to Charles Parson. Parsons raced the car until June 1961. At this point it was sold with the engine to Gordon Glyer who intended to install the engine from 0718, but it never happened. Later Glyer sold the chassis to Tracy Bird around December 1964.
1959, 27 Sept., Vaca Valley. Nethercutt #102. 12th. DM.
1959, 11 Oct., Riverside USAC. Nethercutt. #102. DNQ. DM.
1959, 11 Oct., Riverside consolation race. #102. 8th. DM.
1959, 18 Oct., Westwood, BC, Canada. Nethercutt. #102. DM.
1959, 15 Nov., Vaca Valley. Nethercutt. #102. DM.
1960, Hourglass Field, San Diego, Nethercutt. #102. DM.
1961, 18 Feb., Sold by Nethercutt without engine to Lewis M. Kenner, Thousand Oaks, CA.
1961, 11 Mar., Kenner purchased and fitted a Buick V8 NASCAR spec. engine.
1964, December, Gordon Glyer purchased the Lotus 15 (Ferrotus) from Charlie Parsons. At that time the engine and transmission (#0708 MD TR) were removed and sold to Robert Sutton in the Sacramento area who fitted the engine into an MGA bodied “special” for land speed records runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the mid 1960s. See Rod & Custom Magazine November 1965 (referred to as the ‘Lo–Fer’ and incorrectly called a Lotus Eleven chassis; also per Lotus Fifteen Historian & Registrar Bill Colson, England).
as per email sent by David Seielstad to Michael Sheehan (on 2002, 16 Nov., 7:40 AM):
Subject: 0708
Hi All,
Here is some further history of 0708 engine and transmission from Gordon Glyer. This closes the loop on its early history.
Hello, David:
When I purchased the Lotus 15/Ferrari (Ferotus) from Charlie Parsons, the engine and transmission (0708) were removed and sold to a Sacramento area man whose name I remember as Robert Sutton. His interest was Bonneville speed records and he intended to use the engine in an attempt at the under two litre sports car record in some sort of MG based chassis.When I found that the Lotus 15 and the V–12 engine was not going to make a happy marriage, the Lotus chassis also was sold to Sutton for use in his record attempt.
I lost track of Sutton shortly after the sale and have no knowledge of the outcome of his efforts. (I received a telephone call a number of years back from a man in England who claimed to own the Lotus Chassis. I am sorry that I did not retain his name.)
1972, 10 June, Kenner sold 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR (with the Buick engine) to Peter Boyd, CA, a dealer who re–sold it.
1972, 30 July, To Edwin K. Niles, Van Nuys, CA. Niles purchased 500 TRC engine #0662 MD TR but did not install it in 0708 MD TR.
1973, 03 Jan., Niles sold chassis #0708 MD TR with engine #0662 MD TR to George Sirus, La Habra, CA, who paid US $3,800.
1979–80, Ferrari Owner’s Club Roster, listed by George Sirus, La Habra, CA.
1984, 24–26 Aug., at Monterey historic races, Ferrari the featured marque, driven in Group 3B, race #78 on Sunday by Dwayne Anderson. Entered by George Sirus.
1988, Jan., Sold by Sirus to John Maher, Melbourne, Australia, imported to Australia. John bought 250 LWB California spyder s/n 0965 GT AND 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR (with 500 TRC engine s/n 0662 MD TR) from Sirus with Michael Sheehan’s European Auto Sales acting as the sales agent to John, who shipped them both to Australia as project cars. Both cars were then (partially) restored in Australia.
1988, 20 Mar., David Cottingham found 500 TRC engine s/n 0708 MD TR through Ed Niles, Los Angeles. (Copy of invoice for $40,000 from Ed Niles in sales file for s/n 0708 MD TR). Ferrari 500 TRC engine s/n 0708 MD TR had been sold to Robert Sutton who installed it in an MGA for land speed record runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the mid 1960s. David Cottingham bought the MGA special just for the 500 TRC engine and shipped it to England.
1988, 20 June, MGA with Ferrari Motor s/n 0708 MD TR cleared through British Customs, Milton Park, Abington.
John Maher purchased/traded the correct engine, s/n 0708 MD TR, from David Cottingham for Maher’s 500 TRC engine, s/n 0662 MD TR, and £10,000 Sterling. John shipped 500 TRC engine s/n 0662 MD TR to Heathrow and then transported the engine to Cottingham’s shop, DK engineering, and the trade was done. John Maher received 500 TRC engine s/n 0708 MD TR and David Cottingham received 500 TRC engine s/n 0662 MD TR.
500 TRC engine s/n 0662 MD TR was then sold to Sherman Wolf and installed in 500 TRC s/n 0662 MD TR owned by Sherman Wolf. At the time 500 TRC s/n 0662 was in Cottingham’s shop being restored for Sherman Wolf.
1989, May, Maher sold 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR through Cottingham’s DK Engineering to Nicola Cutrera, London, England.
1989, July, Maher received a deposit and 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR was shipped by Sea (by container) from Australia to England.
1989, 23 Aug., 500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR arrived at the docks in London. John Maher had set up an escrow agreement with the shipper that the car was not to be released until John was paid in full.
500 TRC s/n 0708 MD TR then sat in a container at the docks for 90 days while John Maher and David Cottingham waited for the balance.
While sitting in the container the car cooked in the English sun and so the paint blistered while in the container.
1989, December, 500 TRC imported into England under bond for restoration.
1990, January, mechanical restoration started by DK Engineering.
Restored by Cottingham, damaged paint re–stripped and car next painted metallic silver grey with a red stripe, still owned by Cutrera.
1993, Feb., Offered by Bertolero, Torino, Italy $900k.
1993, July, Offered by Tom Ranum, USA, car in UK, “fully restored, correct engine”, 375k pounds, approximately $565k.
1994, 01 Aug., Peter den Biggellar saw 0708 MD TR at DK Engineering. The car was not in bare metal but painted silver with a small red pinstripe on the hood (not clearly visible in the picture as the engine lid is off). Unfortunately Peter didn’t know at the time where to look for the chassis number but did see the engine number on the separate block and David Cottingham confirmed that the car was 0708 MD TR.
1995, April, offered by Talacrest, UK, 495k pounds, approximately $787k.
1998, 27 Apr., as per letter and information from Mike Regalia at Nethercutt, 1958, 29 Aug., purchased from Ferrari Reps. of California, 1767 Cahunga Blvd., Hollywood, CA., 90028. Price plus tax: $11,232.
2000, 25 May, e–mail from Dave Seielstad to telaio:
Subject: Re: PH Questions
Hi John,
0708 arrived new at John von Neumann’s store and he sold it to Jack “Balloonfoot” Nethercutt on 29 August 1958 for $11,232 plus tax. Nethercutt raced the car in 1958 and early 59 as a TRC, then it was converted to 2.5 with the engine removed from 0672. I think the original 2.0 engine may have gone to Kunstle who installed a 2.0 TR in a Lotus then sold it to Charles Parsons. Nethercutt raced the 2.5 until he got 0768. The chassis only was sold to Lewis Kenner in 1961. Nethercutt’s usual race number was #102, car was painted red, later with a thin white stripe around the middle and twin hood blisters after the 625 engine was installed.
David
2000, May, Peter den Biggelaar posted photos to telaio–pics in May 2000 that he took at Cottingham’s about 1994. These photos show bare metal body and engine sitting on dolly.
2000, 26 May, e-mail from A. Boe to telaio:
Subject: Re: PH Questions
Hi David, John:
Hi 500 TRC Spotters:
David Cottingham sold 500 TRC (#0708) to Japan in 1995, after swapping it’s original motor back into it. At that same time, Sherman Wolf, owner of 500 TRC #0662, got his motor back.
2002 Oct., part of DK Engineering Inventory.
2002, 15 Oct., e–mailed Mike (the Neumann and 500 TR and TRC expert) Lynch re: this car. Sent Mike what I had for a history.
2002, 15 Oct., Mike Lynch replied:
Subject: Re: 500 TRC s/n 708
Mike, looks fine to me.
Cavallinos with von Neumann articles are 124 thru 129, six articles. The TRCs are discussed in #127.
Even More:
There’s a shot of the car when Nethercutt had it in Ferrari album 1 on p.53. If you don’t have the publication, I’ll be happy to scan it for you.
2002, 16 Oct., per multiple conversations with our client, he did call Jeremy Cottingham and made an offer.
Per Jeremy the car is in Tokyo, so my job is to fly to Tokyo, inspect and photo the car, fly home, and send the photos to the client.
Per Greg, Jeremy said they had retrieved the original engine s/n 0708 MD TR out of an MG from California. Motor now in the car.
As for the car being silver, they painted it silver simply because the von Neumann cars were silver and the owner wanted the car silver.
2002, 19 Nov., inspected by M. Sheehan while in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. A GREAT car. No chance to drive it but.. it started instantly and ran very very well.
2002, December, shipped in a container by boat from Tokyo to Los Angeles.
See Ferrari Album 1 on p.53.
See The Ferrari Yearbook, 1959, car #102.
See Prancing Horse magazine #52 p.l7.
See Prancing Horse magazine #100 pp.10-14.
See Prancing Horse magazine, #101 p.5.
See Prancing Horse magazine, #103 p.7 for overall research.
See the Ferrari Market Letter 4/20/85.
See “Ferrari le 4 cilindri sport”, Munaron, (1987).
See Cavallino #106 Aug/Sept, 1998 for interesting letters and information regarding the early history of 0672 MD TR, 0680 MD TR, 0708 MD TR, with letters by Alex Callier and Dave Seiber.
See Cavallino #107, October/November 1998, pg. 10–11, long letter from Mike Lynch trying to unravel the histories of s/n’s 672 MD TR, 680 MD TR, and 708 MD TR.
See “Ferrari Klassik”, Jan. 1990, (Germany).
See “Auto Passion” #43, Jan., 1991. (France).
