Ferrari 750 Monza (1955)

Following in the footsteps of Ferrari’s 500 Mondial, the four-cylinder 750 Monza had at its heart a 2.9-litre, four-cylinder engine. Making its debut at the Grand Prix Supercortemaggiore at Monza in June of 1954, these cars proved to be instantly successful, taking both first and second at the event. Thirty-one of the cars would be built with the vast majority leading colourful lives both on and off the racetrack. This example is no exception.

Built in January of 1955, chassis number 0502M was delivered new to William Doheny of Beverley Hills, California for use by Ernie McAfee in the 1955 racing season in the United States. Its first event was just two months later at arguably the most significant endurance race in the country; the 12 Hours of Sebring.

McAfee was a beloved figure in the Southern California sports car scene and was involved in hot rods and dry lakes racing prior to the Second World War when he worked in the aircraft industry. After the war, he began importing Ferraris to the U.S. alongside Bill Devin and would begin his racing career in short order, racing Morettis and Siatas before Doheny gave him the chance to race his new 750 Monza. Interestingly, this car would be unique within the 750 Monza production run, as it is the only car to feature no headrest on its bodywork. Doheny was looking to drive the car on the street in between races and he felt that the headrest would attract unwanted attention from the local police!

At Sebring, McAfee would be joined by co-driver Howard Wheeler and the 750 Monza was painted white with a blue triangle over the bonnet and rear section. Wearing race number 24, the pair managed 99 laps of the race before Wheeler went off the track, resulting in a DNF.

After Sebring, Doheny brought the 0502M back to Southern California and had it repainted Dodge Lancer Royal Blue with race no. 76 (as Doheny was a director of Union Oil) before it continued to race for the remainder of the 1955 season. McAfee and the Monza raced to first place overall finishes in all but two races for the remainder of the season. The pair took the checkered flags at Santa Barbara (on five separate occasions no less), Hansen Dam (twice), and Palm Springs, with a 2nd overall again at Palm Springs (behind Masten Gregory in a Maserati 300 S) and a DNF at Torrey Pines.

Looking to be keep his winning streak for 1956, Doheny purchased a six-cylinder 121 LM for that season and sold 0502 M to make way for his newer Ferrari. McAfee was again Doheny’s driver of choice following his success from the prior season. Both cars were finished in the same Lancer Royal Blue livery while both cars appeared largely similar to the untrained eye, the 750 Monza was easy to spot due to its lack of headrest. Doheny would occasionally take both cars to the same event in a single weekend, racing the 750 Monza in the under 3.0-litre category and the 121 LM in races for cars over 3.0-litres. However, the 1956 season would end in tragedy as McAfee was killed at the Pebble Beach Road Races in April when losing control of the 121 LM under braking. This was the first death in SCCA racing in Northern California and road racing at Pebble beach was banned shortly thereafter.

0502 M was sold to Temple Buell in Denver, Colorado, who continued to campaign the 750 Monza in a similar fashion to Doheny through all of 1956 and a handful of races in early 1957. Dabney Collins, Jack Morton, Lou Brero Sr., and Masten Gregory would all find their way behind the wheel of the car at a variety of events in Buell’s home state of Colorado, but also in California, Texas, and Kansas. The car’s most successful outings in his ownership included a 2nd overall finish at the Dodge City Regional Front Street Trophy Race and 2nd overall and 1st in class at SCCA National Beverley with Gregory, and 2nd overall and 1st in class at Paramount Ranch with Lou Brero Sr.

The 750 Monza returned to California for the remainder of the 1957 racing season when it was purchased by Jack Bates. Bates raced the car himself, piloting 0502M to three 5th overall finishes, two at Pomona and one at Riverside, as well as a class win in the modified over 1.5-litre class at the 1st CSCC Riverside Races.

Records show that 0502M was sold to the Jarman family, but is believed not to have been raced in their ownership. However, the car’s next owner, Harry Washburn of Shreveport, Connecticut in 1959. Now four years after it left the factory, Washburn wanted to keep his Ferrari competitive and chose to remove its original four-cylinder engine and replace it with a Chevrolet V-8 engine. This was a common modification to racing Ferraris in the U.S. at the time, as the Chevy V8 provided a more than adequate boost in horsepower, with the added benefit of greater parts availability and ease of maintenance.

Washburn entered the car in six SCCA races, finishing no less than 2nd in class across all events, including a trio of races at Midland in October of 1959, one at Hammond, another at El Paso, and Washburn’s last race with the car at Pensacola in April of 1960. Three months later, Washburn lent the Ferrari to Bill Fuller, who finished 1st overall at the SCCA Regional at Hilltop Raceway in Louisiana.

By the late 1960's, 0502M had amassed over 10 outright race victories and many more podium finishes at events all over the USA including the legendary circuits of Sebring, Road America, and Pebble Beach. Listed for sale in a classified advertisement in 1964, the car was noted as being in Tennessee and by this point the car’s racing career had finished and it was likely kept in storage for the next fifteen years.

In 1979, Ferrari collector and four-cylinder enthusiast Bruce Lavachek of Arizona discovered 0502M. He negotiated the purchase of the car from the parents of the deceased owner and had it sent back to his home in Arizona. As Lavachek started to gather the components necessary to restore the car, he learned that his friend and Ferrari historian Richard Merritt had the original engine of 0502M amongst his hoard of Ferrari engines. The engine was in need of a complete rebuild, but the original block was sound and undamaged. The transaxle was a more difficult proposition as the original (#12S) could not be found. Lavachek located another type 510 transaxle (#10S) from Will Haible of California who had purchased it in a large lot of Chinetti spare parts in the late 1970s. Sometime in late 1980, Lavachek began to restore 0502M. It was a restoration that was to take more than 20 years to complete.

In the early 1980's, Bruce Lavachek decided to sell 0502M in its unfinished state and found a buyer in David Cottingham of DK Engineering in England. At this point, the car was found to be in largely original condition, as is evidenced by photographs at the time of DK’s purchase. Evidence of the blue paint from its racing history with Temple Buell could e seen on the bodywork, and the chassis was found to be remarkably uncorroded or seriously damaged.

Cottingham in turn sold the car to Cederic Brierley who retained DK to complete the restoration yet DK contracted part of the restoration to Hall & Fowler (now Hall & Hall). Again during this restoration and prior to completion, Brierly also decided to sell the car and in 1993 0502M was sold to two Japanese collectors, Mr. Utsuki and Mr. Yamaguchi. Utsuki and Yamaguchi continued the restoration work with Lyle Tanner in Los Angeles but at some point dissolved their partnership, and Utsuki purchased Yamaguchi's interest in the car. Sadly, Mr. Utsuki died very suddenly in 1995. The present owner contacted Mr. Utsuki's father in 1997 and traveled to Japan to negotiate the purchase of the car.

The owner’s original intention was to complete the restoration and then campaign the car in some historic racing events and in order to further prepare it, the car was shipped to Italy for further work. Mechanical work was performed by Sport Auto Modena, Diena e Silingardi; bodywork was done by Carrozzeria Auto Sport, Bacchelli e Villa in Bastiglia, all in Modena just a stone’s throw from the factory. His instructions were simple and direct restore the car to the way that it was when it left the factory.

The restoration was completed in June of 2003 and 0502M has been since shown with great success including being awarded "Outstanding 4 Cylinder" at both the 2004 and 2005 Cavallino Classic. Most importantly, this example has been fully certified by Ferrari Classiche.

Passing through the ownership of a German collector based in Hamburg, the car was again sent for a full restoration at Roethe Ferrari of Hamburg. This work took four years and the car was brought back to its original white and blue colour scheme. Acquired by the current owners roughly five years ago, the car has remained with them in their native Italy and has been used sparingly in a handful of events, including most recently at Salon Prive in 2021 where it was awarded second in class honours in the concours.

Keen to return it to arguably its most recognizable, exciting, and successful period livery, in early 2022 it was decided that the car would be repainted Lancer Blue, matching how it appeared in the mid 1950’s following Sebring in William Doheny’s ownership. Needless to say, it presents beautifully throughout and is a truly remarkable example of its breed.