Ugly Racing Cars

[MostlyRetired]

Bottom post of the previous page:

How about this one, not so much for what it looks like (an ok dirt track racer) but for what it was. This is 250 Testa Rossa Pontoon Fender Scaglietti Spyder s/n 0758TR

[Everso Biggyballies]

How about this one, not so much for what it looks like (an ok dirt track racer) but for what it was. This is 250 Testa Rossa Pontoon Fender Scaglietti Spyder s/n 0758TR

Interesting life the car has had. Not only has the car been through various stages of body modifications from what I can make out, but it has also spent time with a Corvette Chevy engine and then a Traco V8 power unit in it.

I think then someone must have realised that other more original 250 Testa Rossa Pontoon Fender Scaglietti Spyders were becoming rather valuable in the form Enzo had intended (I notice an ex Peter Collins and Phil Hill driven race winner, unrestored, with original bodywork coupled to matching numbers (ie original) engine and gearbox sold for $40 million, Full story of that car

As I understand s/n 0758TR has now been returned to a more original look and mechanical spec, albeit red now and not the white it seems to have been originally delivered in

This is a full pictorial review (71 pics!) of the cars history from new.... also some rce results and ownership details http://www.barchetta.cc/english/all.fer ... .250tr.htm

[CactusSack]

The 1979 Ensign N179, in its original nose mounted radiator form.

I still fail to understand how that actually worked for cooling

I mean, I won't pretend to know much about cars so maybe someone could actually tell me!

[PTRACER]

The 1979 Ensign N179, in its original nose mounted radiator form.

I still fail to understand how that actually worked for cooling

I mean, I won't pretend to know much about cars so maybe someone could actually tell me!

Until the Lotus 72 literally every racing car had the rad mounted in the nose of the car. Google a picture of Dan Gurney at Monaco in 1967.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Alfa Romeo Tipo 177 F1 prototype.

[Michael Ferner]

Fully agree with this one! I recall seeing it the first time in a magazine back in the day, and thinking "What the... ?" It really looked so out of time and out of place against the then current cars, perhaps even worse than now.

[Michael Ferner]

The 1979 Ensign N179, in its original nose mounted radiator form.

I still fail to understand how that actually worked for cooling

I mean, I won't pretend to know much about cars so maybe someone could actually tell me!

It's pretty straightforward, actually: the air enters through the radiators and does its cooling thing, then gets channelled out through vents behind those silvery deflectors left and right, above and below of the front suspension. The idea was to move the rads away from the sidepods in order to accomodate (near) perfect aerofoil profiles left and right. Not a bad idea per se, but the weight distribution suffered, and air venting proved to be a problem, leading to overheating. If I recall correctly, the car ran in that form only in Kyalami. Trial and error, standard procedure in the seventies. Oh, how I miss that!

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Fully agree with this one! I recall seeing it the first time in a magazine back in the day, and thinking "What the... ?" It really looked so out of time and out of place against the then current cars, perhaps even worse than now.

The Alfa Romeo?

[Michael Ferner]

Yep.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Yep.

At least we agree on something.

The T177 didn't improve much in the looks department by the time it actually raced.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Even Gulf logos can't save the Merzario A1 from 1978 in the looks department...

[Nononsensecapeesh]

The Lotus Elise GT1 from the 1997 FIA GT Championship.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I cant see whats not to like about it.... maybe the rear lip at wheel level is a bit weird

[Nononsensecapeesh]

I cant see whats not to like about it.... maybe the rear lip at wheel level is a bit weird

In this paint job, it looks alright, not so much in the traditional Team Lotus colours.

[MonteCristo]

I cant see whats not to like about it.... maybe the rear lip at wheel level is a bit weird

Better from this angle.

But from Nononsensecapeesh's front-down angle, not a fan of the bonnet, the air intake, and the curving down angle of the front wheel arches also offends me from that angle . And the colour scheme doesn't help one bit.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

I cant see whats not to like about it.... maybe the rear lip at wheel level is a bit weird

Better from this angle.

But from Nononsensecapeesh's front-down angle, not a fan of the bonnet, the air intake, and the curving down angle of the front wheel arches also offends me from that angle . And the colour scheme doesn't help one bit.

Not to mention the car was a complete flop in the 1997 FIA GT Championship.