A FERRARI SHORT

A FERRARI SHORT WHEELBASE LIKE NO OTHER

OF ALL THE WONDERFUL CARS at Silverstone, the one I coveted most was there neither to display nor race. It was a grey Ferrari 250GT SWB that, having been tucked away for many years, is coming back into the open.

Any Short Wheelbase is a special car and none more so than the ex-Rob Walker, Stirling Moss if winner featured within these covers last month, but this might be the ultimate. The last of the SEFAC SWBs, 3005GT is one of just four entitled to use six carburettors on its Colombo V12 and has aluminium bodywork, each panel still stamped with the cars chassis number.

But its real claim to fame beyond its specification, beauty and originality was that in 1961 it was entered into the Montlhery 1000Kms by NART, and thanks to the talents of not one but both Rodriguez brothers won outright. Why was it at Silverstone? Simply to be inspected and considered for entry into the

successful Pre-63 GT series next year. Not, I imagine, one of the more difficult decisions the organisers have had to make.

As for this years Silverstone round, named the RAC Tourist Trophy for Historic Cars, it was won by Richard Affwood and Stuart Graham sharing an exEquipe Endeavour Aston Martin DB4GT. Neither will thank me for pointing out that they have 140 birthdays between them, but it supports my view that if you’ve got it and use it, you tend not to lose it. Incidentally, the win makes Graham the only man to have won ifs in period on both four wheels and two, as well as the modern version for historics.