VIN: the Professional Racing / Penske-White Ferrari 512 S / M chassis 1040
History of chassis 1040
Chassis 1040 was a 512 S Spyder originally sold to Professional Racing Ltd. in California run by childhood friends, Steve Earle and Chris Cord.
Steve Earle owned a number of Ferraris, perhaps most famously 250 LM chassis 6107 which he had purchased new in 1964 and used as a road car until 1967. Other Ferraris owned by Earle included a 250 GTO Series 2 (5571 GT), a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta (3337 GT), a 250 TR (0666) and a 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione (0897 GT). In 1974, Earle founded General Racing Ltd. which organised the Monterey Historic Automobile Races.
Chris Cord was an amateur racing driver and the grandson of Errett Lobban Cord, founder of the Cord Corporation. His stepfather was Edward Doheny Jr., the son of oil tycoon, Edward Doheny Sr.
Cord was also a prolific Ferrari owner. In addition to a 121 LM, which he inherited from his stepfather (0546 LM), Cord at various times owned a brace of Series 1 250 GTOs (4293 GT and 4757 GT), a 412 MI (0744 MI), a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta (4065 GT) and a 365 GTB/4C (15685). He also acquired Earle’s 250 LM and owned another 512 S (chassis 1016).
Earle and Cord purchased chassis 1040 for Jim Adams to drive in Can-Am racing.
The car made its debut at Watkins Glen (round three). Adams qualified 18th but retired on lap 67.
At Edmonton two weeks later, Adams started tenth and had moved up to seventh by the end of the race.
One month afterwards, chassis 1040 was entered for round five at Mid-Ohio; its final Can-Am race under Earle-Cord ownership.
On this occasion, Adams qualified sixth, but had to withdraw mid way through the race with heat exhaustion (he had spent the week prior in bed with the flu). Bob Bondurant took over as his Lola had retired early on. Bondurant recovered to sixth position before the car ran out of fuel four laps from the end. It was nevertheless classified eighth.
After the race at Mid-Ohio, Earle and Cord purchased the Group 7 Ferrari 612 P (chassis 0866) which Adams raced for the remainder of the season and into 1971.
Earle and Cord subsequently sold the now surplus-to-requirements 512 S to a consortium led by renowned Philadelphia car dealer, Kirk F. White.
White’s consortium commissioned Roger Penske Enterprises to develop the car into a potential world beater for 1971.
After a series of test sessions with Mark Donohue at the wheel, Penske’s team stripped 1040 down to the tubular chassis, replaced all the riveted aluminium panels and almost all of the suspension links and joints. The original uprights were retained, but the suspension geometry was reworked.
A new lightweight M-spec. body with massive rear spoiler was produced by Berry Plastics in Los Angeles. The plumbing and wiring was renewed and quick fuel fillers were installed.
Penske sent a couple of bare engine blocks to Traco in Culver City, California, where output was increased by 40bhp.
The finished car was painted blue and yellow; the colours of the Sun Oil Company (Sunoco). Mark Donohue and David Hobbs were brought in drive.
Chassis 1040 was entered for four World Sportscar Championship races in 1971 (Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and Watkins Glen). It also contested the Watkins Glen Can-Am event.
At Daytona, the blue Ferrari qualified on pole, 1.2 seconds faster than the quickest Gulf Racing Porsche 917.
Donohue held the early lead, but dropped to second after a slow pit stop. Another slow stop with alternator trouble around the three hour mark relegated it to third. During the night, the Penske Ferrari was hit by a 911 and lost an hour in pits. Its race was subsequently troubled by bodywork coming loose.
Donohue and Hobbs ultimately finished third, albeit 14 laps behind the winning Gulf 917.
Sebring saw another pole for 1040, this time by eight tenths of a second over the works Ferrari 312 PB.
In the race, Donohue pulled away from the rest of the field and held the lead for the opening three hours.
Just past quarter distance, Donohue was about to lap Pedro Rodriguez in the Gulf 917, but as the cars came up on a slower vehicle, they touched multiple times. The Ferrari lost 19 laps having the damage repaired.
Thereafter, its performance was impaired. Although victory was out of the question, 1040 battled back to finish sixth overall.
The Sunoco Ferrari qualified fourth at Le Mans behind trio of long tailed 917 specials. Donohue ran fifth in the early stages, but was back up to fourth at end of first hour and third at the three hour mark.
Unfortunately, with little more than four hours gone, Hobbs limped back to the pits with a blown engine.
The Watkins Glen World Championship finale / Can-Am double header was 1040’s last race weekend.
In the six hour event, Donohue took another pole and led from start, but at the end of first hour, he retired with a broken steering arm likely caused by the bumpy circuit.
The next day’s Can-Am race saw Donohue qualify sixth. However, soon after mid-distance he was out, this time with a blown engine.
Kirk F. White sold chassis 1040 to Roberts Harrison of Philadelphia who was part of the original consortium. Harrison had the car restored by Steve Griswold in 1976 and retained it until the mid 1980s.
Notable History
512 S Spyder
Sold to Steve Earle / Chris Cord (Professional Racing Ltd.), California
12/07/1970 CAM Watkins Glen (J. Adams) DNF (#76)
26/07/1970 CAM Edmonton (J. Adams) 7th oa (#76)
23/08/1970 CAM Mid-Ohio (J. Adams / B. Bondurant) 8th oa (#76)
Sold to a consortium led by Kirk F. White, Auto Enterprises, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Uprated to M-spec. / re-engineered by Roger Penske Enterprises (run by Penske-White Racing)
31/01/1971 WSC Daytona 24 Hours (M. Donohue / D. Hobbs) 3rd oa, 3rd S class (#6)
20/03/1971 WSC Sebring 12 Hours (M. Donohue / D. Hobbs) 6th oa, 4th S class (#6)
13/06/1971 WSC Le Mans 24 Hours (M. Donohue / D. Hobbs) DNF (#11)
24/07/1971 WSC Watkins Glen 6 Hours (M. Donohue / D. Hobbs) DNF (#6)
25/07/1971 CAM Watkins Glen (M. Donohue) DNF (#6)
1972 sold to Roberts Harrison, St. Davids, Philadelphia
Retained until the mid 1980s
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
