VIN: the Count Giovanni Volpi Ferrari 250 LM chassis 5995
History of chassis 5995
Chassis 5995 was completed in July 1964 as a left-hand drive 250 LM (one of just three left-hand drive examples built from the 32 car production run). Once signed off, 5995 was sold to serial Ferrari owner, team patron and aristocrat, Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata of Venezia.
Following the death of his father in 1947 (the financier and politician Count Giuseppe Volpi), young Giovanni went on to inherit a vast fortune. He purchased his first Ferrari aged 20 in late 1958 (a Series 1 250 GT Cabriolet, chassis 0963 GT) which was followed around a year later by a 250 GT Spyder California (chassis 1459 GT).
Realising the competition potential of his Spyder California, Volpi formed Scuderia Serenissima (later Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia) and recruited some of the best drivers around to compete for his equipe.
In addition to a fleet of sometimes personalised Ferrari road cars, Volpi acquired a plethora of racing machinery from Maranello. The long list included an ex-works 250 TRI/61 (chassis 0792 TR), three 250 GT SWB Competiziones (chassis 2141 GT, 2733 GT and 2819 GT) and two examples of the fabled 250 GTO (3445 GT and 4757 GT).
During this period, Scuderia Serenissima also campaigned a De Tomaso, a Lotus 18/21 and a Porsche 718 in Formula 1 events.
Count Volpi’s last Ferrari racing car was this Rosso 250 LM: chassis 5995. It arrived at a time when the Count’s dream of creating his own scratch-built mid-engined machine, the Serenissima 308V Jet Competizione, was coming to fruition.
Chassis 5995 had a relatively brief competition career with Count Volpi’s team during the middle of 1965 (by which time it was around a year old). Prior to this the car had been sparingly used on the street.
Cesare Toppetti and Maurizio Grana were brought in to drive chassis 5995 on its maiden outing, the 1965 Targa Florio, which took place over ten laps of a 72km Sicilian road course on May 9th. Unfortunately, following a brush with a marker post, the car incurred right-side fender damage shortly before mid-distance and was retired from the event.
At the Bologna Raticosa Hillclimb three weeks later, Toppetti drove the big Ferrari up the 32km mountain climb in spectacular fashion. He set fourth fastest time overall (finishing behind a trio of super-light Abarths) and won the GT Nazionale class.
The next weekend chassis 5995 was wheeled out for the Mugello GP road race (June 6th) which comprised eight laps of a 66km Tuscan road course that weaved through the Apennine mountains.
Toppetti was again co-driven by Grana. They went on to finish second overall, four-and-a-half minutes behind the winning car (another 250 LM).
For 5995’s final outing, Cesare Toppetti is thought to have contested the 1965 Trieste-Opicina Hillclimb on July 17th but we do not have the result.
In 1967, Count Volpi returned his well-raced 250 LM to the Ferrari factory where it was modified to make a more practical road car. Newly installed equipment included a set of bumpers, uprated light fairings, electric glass side windows with quarterlights and a single-piece Plexiglass Fastback rear window. To improve cockpit ventilation, triangular ducts were cut away from the front lid.
During this expensive conversion, any bodywork imperfections were rectified and 5995 was subsequently painted a handsome shade of Argento.
A little later in the 1960s chassis 5995 found its way into the hands of well-known Swiss dealer and author, Rob de la Rive Box. The car then headed to Bethesda, Maryland, where it joined the collection of Richard Merritt.
Two other noted dealers, Kirk F. White in Philadelphia and Colin Crabbe in the UK then owned 5995 during the late 1960s / early 70’s. By this time it had been repainted dark blue with a wide yellow centre stripe.
In November 1970 Crabbe sold 5995 from his premises in Baston to Irish collector, Dennis de Ferranti of Bofeenaun. Exactly seven years later Crabbe bought the car back and quickly sold it to Dubai-domiciled Brit, Mark Tippets. Tippets went on to change the car from blue to green and retained it for much of the 1980s.
Notable History
07/1964 completed
Left-hand drive
Rosso
Sold to Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata, Venezia
09/05/1965 WSC Targa Florio (C. Toppetti / M. Grana) DNF (#140)
30/05/1965 ITN Bologna-Raticosa Hillclimb (C. Toppetti) 4th oa, 1st GTN 2.5+ class (#??)
06/06/1965 WSC Mugello Grand Prix (C. Toppetti / M. Grana) 2nd oa, 2nd GTN 2.5+ class (#123)
18/07/1965 ITN Trieste-Opicina Hillclimb (C. Toppetti) ??? (#478)
1967 converted by Ferrari to Stradale trim
Repainted Argento
Late 1960s sold to Rob de la Rive Box, Switzerland
Sold to Richard Merritt, Maryland
1970 sold to Colin Crabbe, UK
1970 sold to Dennis de Ferranti, Ireland
1977 sold to Colin Crabbe, UK
1977 sold to Mark Tippetts, Dubai
Later sold again
