1955 Ferrari 410 S Spyder

Many of the sports racers of the 1950s were both 'beauty' and 'beast,' driven by such luminary figures as John von Neumann, Tony Parravano, Jim Kimberly, Briggs Cunningham, and John Edgar. With deep pockets and fueled an obsession with speed, many were able to acquire factory racecars and campaign them in the burgeoning American sports car racing scene.

Among these unique characters was John Edgar, born in Ohio to a wealthy family whose company manufactured kitchen machinery. These financial resources allowed him to quelch his passion for speed through boat and car racing. Early on, he raced a Mercer Raceabout and a Pierce-Arrow, and even competed at the Indianapolis 500. In 1948, after moving to California, he drove a modified MG TC at the El Mirage Dry Lake, where he bested the 21-year-old Phil Hill. In March of 1951 at Palm Springs, Edgar was outclassed in his tuned MG Special by Jim Kimberly's Ferrari 166 Barchetta. Of course, he had to have one.

A short time later, his friend Henry Manney III purchased an early 340 America (chassis number 0032 MT) that Scuderia Ferrari had raced at the 24 Hour of Le Mans and the Mille Miglia. Within a month, the car was in the possession of Edgar, who entrusted driving duties to Jack McAfee, who quickly secured numerous SCCA victories in 1953 and 1954.

Edgar's next Ferrari was the 1954 Le Mans-winning 375 Plus (chassis 0396 AM), followed by a four-cylinder Ferrari 857 Sport (0588 M). The 857 S driven by McAfee placed 2nd overall on February 26th at Palm Springs, California behind Carroll Shelby in Scuderia Parravano's 410 S. The 4.9-liter Ferrari 410 Sort had easily outclassed the 857 S, and again, Edgar had to have one.

After acquiring 0598 CM (an ex-factory 410 Sport), driving duties were entrusted to Mr. Shelby.

The Ferrari 410 Sport

At the 1952 Carrera Panamericana, several Ferraris were entered by privateers including three Vignale-bodied Berlinettas based upon the Lampredi 340 racing engine platform. Luigi Chinetti placed 3rd overall, leading to the cars to be subsequently known as the 340 Mexico. The following year, the upgraded 340 MM was bested by Lancia's D24 racecars. In 1954, Umberto Maglioli's victory in Erwin Goldschmitt's 375 Plus was offset by navigator Ford Robinson's death in John Edgar's entry of the Le Mans-winning 375 Plus. The car's height was partially responsible for the accident, as further chassis development was needed to tame these powerful cars on the unpredictable surfaces of the five-day Carrera course.

An all-new chassis was developed in preparation for the 1955 Carrera and was dubbed the Type 519/C. The elliptical section steel tube spaceframe chassis used a shorter wheelbase (95.3 inches vs. the 102.36-inch of the 340 Mexico), a wider stance than the preceding 375 MM or Plus, and rested lower to the ground. The front suspension was independent via unequal-length wishbones, while the rear utilized a De Dion axle and transverse leaf springs. Rather than use the 375 Plus's 4,954 cubic centimeter racing engine, Lampredi revised his new long-block V12 designed for the Superamerica road car. Its 4,961cc displacement (88mm bore and 68mm stroke) made it the largest engine yet built by Maranello. The Type 126/C motor was given Formula One-style twin-plug ignition per cylinder, a quadruple distributor, and a trio of twin-choke Weber 46 DCF carburetors. (The single plug configuration (chassis 0592 CM and 0594 CM) of this engine produced approximately 325 horsepower; the twin plug version at around 375 hp). Chassis 0598 used a quadruple distributor and coil ignition system while chassis 0596 used magnetos.

Factory 410 Sport Racers (0596 CM and 0598 CM)
Chassis numbers 0596 and 0598 with CM suffices (for 'Carrera Messicana') were built for factory-based competition in the Carrera Panamericana. During the development of the 410 Sport in 1955, both the Carrera Panamericana and 1000 KM Nürburgring FIA races were canceled in the wake of the Le Man's tragedy. As a result, the 410 Sports racing debut was delayed until January 1956 when it arrived at the season-commencing 1000 KM of Buenos Aires. At the helm of chassis number 0596 CM were Peter Collins and Luigi Musso, while Juan Manual Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti drove 0598 CM. Chassis 0598 CM had been modified at Fangio's request with the accelerator relocated from its normal position to one between the brake pedal and the clutch. Setting a fierce pace, both cars were sidelined before the checkered flag dropped. 0596 CM left on lap 28 due to transaxle failure and 0598 CM retired on lap 89 due to a broken differential.

Before being sent to privateer clients in 1956, both cars returned to the factory for repairs. John Edgar received 0598 CM.

John Edgar's 410 Sport

1956 Season
Before the arrival of 0598 CM to John Edgar's racing stable in August 1956, Carroll Shelby had been racing and winning for the team. He won the 'Race to the Clouds' at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, the Laurel Run Hillclimb, the Brynfan Tyddyn, and the Breakneck hillclimb outside of Cumberland, Maryland.

Joe Landaker was dispatched to San Francisco to receive the 410 Sport which had arrived via airfreight. From there, the car was transported to Bremerton, Washington for the Seafair event. Shelby drove 0598 CM during its inaugural North American race and promptly captured the checkered flag. Numerous victories followed.

The SCCA finale race of the season was in November at Palm Springs where Edgar entered six cars. The 410 Sport, nicknamed Edgar's Modena Monster by the press, was driven by Mr. Shelby. It captured pole position during Saturday's preliminary race at Palm Springs, and during the main event, it traded the lead with Phil Hill in a Ferrari 857 S. Hill's car was more nimble and was better suited for the corners, while Shelby's car had the advantage on the straights. On the final lap, the two cars battled side-by-side, with Shelby's car finishing first, a half-second ahead of Hill.

With 40 victories through the season, including 18 feature races, Shelby was pronounced the US Sports Car Driver of the Year for 1956 by Sports Illustrated magazine.

0598 CM was shipped to Nassau for the Bahamas Speed Week in early December 1956 and its standard Pirelli tires were replaced with Belgian Englebert tires with stronger rubber. Shelby won the Governor's Trophy race on Friday and took Saturday off to prepare for Sunday's Nassau Trophy 200-mile main event. While 'resting,' Shelby injured his right shoulder during a game of touch football played with a coconut. Sunday's race was shorter than anticipated for Shelby and his team, ending with 70 miles remaining - forced to retire due to great pain and excessive tire wear.

1957 Season
Shelby was unable to qualify the 410 S at a rain-soaked Pomona race in January, but February brought a pair of victories at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. At the Gran Premio de Cuba, a 310-mile race of 90 laps through the streets of Havana and along the beachfront Malecón, Shelby finished second overall behind Juan Manuel Fangio's Maserati 300S.

When Shelby was prohibited from racing the Ferrari per a contract with Maserati, driving duties for 0598 CM were entrusted to Phil Hill. At the Hawaii Speed Week in April 1957, Hill was the fastest driver through the 'speed trap' at Dillingham Air Base in Northern Oahu, with a speed of 165.12 mph. Despite this accomplishment, Hill did not race in the main event as the team pinned all its hopes on the Team Edgar Porsche 550 driven by Lance Reventlow.

A month later, Hill placed 3rd overall at the Santa Barbara race, his final race with Team Edgar before leaving to join Scuderia Ferrari at Le Mans. With Shelby injured during an accident in an Edgar Maserati, Richie Ginther was pressed into action in the Ferrari 410 Sport at the new Riverside International Raceway. John Edgar has spent nearly half a million dollars on the construction of this new venue.

Ginther qualified the 410 S in 5th position, and after 22 laps, had worked his way to the front of the pack, eventually crossing the finish line ahead of everyone else. Ginther continued to compete with 0598 CM through the remainder of the 1957 season, with the final events held at the Bahamas Speed Week. In Nassau, Ginter achieved several 2nd-place finishes and a total of four different Top 5 results.

1958 Season
At the Gran Premio de Cuba, rebels under Fidel Castro kidnapped Fangio and very nearly nabbing Moss as well. Driving duties for the Edgar 410 Sport were handled by Masten Gregory, who was in 1st place when the red flag dropped after a Ferrari left the track due to an oil spill and went into a crowd of spectators. Lifting off the throttle, Moss soon flashed past him at full speed and ultimately won the race. Gregory was unaware the red flag rules required the final lap to be completed before determining race results. In true gentlemanly fashion, Moss split his race earnings with confused (and furious) Masten 50/50.

In April of 1958, at the Palm Springs main event, Shelby demanded to drive the 0598 CM one last time after his Maserati 450S was sidelined due to mechanical issues. In breach of his contract, Shelby piloted the 410 Sport to a 2nd place overall finish.

Masten Gregory and Joakim Bonnier drove 0598 CM in October at the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside, finishing 11th overall, and 3rd in class. Two months later, in Nassau at the 1958 Bahamas Speed Week, Bruce Kessler drove the car to a win in Saturday's all-Ferrari race.

1959 Season
0598 CM was driven by Jim Rathmann for Team Edgar in the first round at Pomona, where overheating issues sidelined the car prematurely. At the second round at the 1000 KM of Daytona, Chuck Daigh and the Ferrari retired early due to differential issues.

Following the race, faced with rising financial pressures, Edgar sold off his stable of racecars, including the 410 Sport.

Luigi Chinetti acquired 0598 CM in 1960 and following a brief retirement, was prepared for the 1963 Daytona Continental 3 Hours for NART driver 'Fireball' Roberts. Since regulations required a fixed roof, 0598 CM was given a 'crude' hardtop, which slowed the car significantly and was unable to quality. 0598 CM was sent back into retirement.

The 410 Sport remained with Chinetti for two decades before it was eventually acquired by Howard Cohen in 1980. Between 1980 and 1981, Stephen Griswold conducted a restoration and upon completion was presented at the 1981 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it won the Hans Tanner Memorial Ferrari Trophy.

Don Walker became the car's next custodian in 1984 and raced it at the Monterey Historics that year. Bill Marriott purchased it in 1987 ad sold it a year later to Engelbert Stieger of the Turning Wheel Collection. He commissioned a cosmetic refurbishment in 1989 by Carrosserie Josef Wagner. It won a class award at Pebble Beach in 1990 and was shown at the 50th Anniversary of Ferrari meet in Rome and Maranello in May 1997. It raced in vintage competition at the Ferrari Owner's Club Switzerland meeting at Monza in October 1994, the Uwe-Meissner-Pierre Fandel meet at Nürburgring in August 1995, while appearing at the Montreux Grand Prix in 1990 and 2002.

The car was later purchased by Chris Cox who raced it at the 2005 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The current Colorado-based caretaker purchased it in January of 2006. Under his stewardship, the car was shown at the 2006 Fabulous Fifties Concours in Gardena, California where Carroll Shelby was reunited with the 410 Sport and autographed the fuel tank, adding the inscription, 'Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built.' It was exhibited in 2009 at the Shelby American Collection museum in Boulder, Colorado, and in 2010 the car was shown at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, winning The Spirit of Ferrari Award, presented to the Ferrari that best represents the spirit of il Commendatore. In 2012, it returned to the Pebble Beach Concours.

Near the close of 2012, the twin-plug V-12 engine was rebuilt by Nino Epifani with the work being completed in 2016. It was then displayed on Rodeo Drive at the 60th anniversary celebration of Ferrari in North America. Recently the car has undergone a full Ferrari Classiche inspection.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2022

Enzo Ferrari was determined to win the 1955 Racing Championship over very tough competition. That meant Ferrari had to win the last race of the season, which was the race-car-killing 1000-mile Carrera Panamericana. His only change was to build the first Ferrari 'Super Car.' This is that car, which features a big 4.9 liter V12, 24 spark plug, four distributor, almost 400 horsepower engine under a bonnet so large it extends onto the front fenders. The chassis and other components were built double strength to handle rough roads. To drive his 'Super Car,' Enzo wanted the World's best. Juan Manuel Fangio was the car's first driver. Everything seemed in place but it never happened. A horrible accident at Le Mans killed nearly 100 spectators. Following that, the racing season was cancelled to include the Carrera Panamericana.

Enter American racing teams and John Edgar, who priced the car from Enzo. Within hours of the cars arrival in the United States, it was entered in its first race at the hands of Carroll Shelby who finished in first place with more to follow. Shelby won the 1956 American Drivers Championship with the help of this car and said it was the best Ferrari he had ever driven. Enzo said it was the best Ferrari he had ever built. Many other top drivers piloted this car. Shelby raced this car in the 1957 Cuban Grand Prix where he finished 2nd.