1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spyder

One of Ferrari's early experiments was the 735 engine which made its debut in 1953 and had a displacement size of 2.9-liters. It was fitted with dual-overhead camshafts and twin Weber 50DCOA/3 carburetors helping to produce 225 horsepower at 6,800 RPM.

This example, chassis number 0448 MD, was built as a 500 Mondial and was completed by the factory in October of 1954. It was the 12th of a total of 13 Pinin Farina Spiders built, placing it in the first series of cars. Its original owner was Anthony 'Tony' Parravano of Inglewood, California.

Prior to leaving the factory, one car is believed to have been installed with a 735 engine. The reasons for this are unknown. The larger cubic capacity added roughly 75 horsepower to the car's overall output. The stampings on the engine and chassis frame of 0448 MD match, but are of a non-typical font.

Parravano raced his 735 Mondial on the West Coast where he consistently proved to be at the front of the pack. In February 1955, at Willow Springs, it placed 4th Overall and 1st in Class with Bob Drake at the wheel. In March of 1956, at the same venue, 0448 MD was driven to a 3rd place finish by Pat O'Connor.

In April of 1957, Tony Parravano listed the car for sale in Motoracing magazine, but it appears to have not been sold by him, nor was it actively raced, over the course of the next three years. Parravano eventually sold the car to a friend, Javier Valesquez in Mexico City, in the spring of 1960.

Around April of 1960, Parravano was in trouble with the IRS and disappeared on April 8th of that year, never to be heard from again. A few of his cars remained in his custody and were later sold by the United States government.

While 0448 MD was in Valesquez's care, the rollbar was removed, yet the holes for the bodywork were not patched in and remained as-is. The car would remain with Valesquez for the next 12 years, eventually selling it to Robert N. Dusek of Solebury in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. By this point in history, the car was missing its aluminum passenger seat cover, and Dusek sourced one from Charles Betz in California. Dusek would retain the car for more than two decades, selling it in 1999 through a broker who in turn traded it to its current caretaker.

The car has been in the care of its present owner for 18 years. It has been seldom seen since leaving the race track in the late 1950s.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2017