1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider

'TR' stands for 'testa rossa', red head in Italian. Red was the color of the valve covers on the new Ferrari four-cylinder engine introduced in 1956. The 500 TR is the origin of the classic Ferrari racing model name and is one of only 17 made. It has a 1984cc inline-4 with dual overhead cams that produce 180 horsepower at 7000 rpm. The body is by Scaglietti. This fabulous race car has a long and successful racing career and was recently exhibited at the 2007 Concoros Italiano.

The 1956 Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa that Pete Lovely entered into the inaugural day of races at Laguna Seca in 1957 was a well-traveled vehicle. In fact, Lovely was not the car's first driver. John von Neumann had initially driven the car, followed by Bruce Kessler, in a total of 11 races prior to Lovely's first ride at Arcata in September 1957. Lovely would ride to victory at Laguna Seca in only his second race in the car, beating von Neumann and several other more favored drives that day.

This car is powered by a 2498cc four-cylinder engine with dual overhead camshafts. It is capable of producing 190 horsepower at 7400 RPM.

The Ferrari 500 TR would compete not only at Laguna Seca but throughout all of the United States, going as far east as Miami Beach and as far west as Hawaii at Dillingham Field, where Richie Gardner would race the car. Lovely's win at Laguna Seca set the stage for many years of heart pounding racing at this new jewel of a track at Monterey.