VIN: the Mamie Spears Reynolds (NART) / Bev Spencer Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 4219 GT
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HISTORY OF CHASSIS 4219 GT
Chassis 4219 GT was the third 250 GTO campaigned by US Ferrari distributor Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART). This latest machine followed chassis 3387 GT (which ran at the 1962 Sebring 12 Hours before being sold to Bob Grossman who raced it under an NART entry at Le Mans) and chassis 3987 GT (which appeared in the Paris 1000km at Montlhery before being sold to John Mecom).
Chassis 4219 GT, was purchased to contest the big early season World Championship races of 1963 that took place in the United States: the Daytona 3 Hours on February 17th and Sebring 12 Hours on March 23rd. However, the car was not officially supplied to NART. Instead, chassis 4219 GT was sold to Mamie Spears Reynolds who, at the time, was engaged to Luigi Chinetti Jr.
20 year old Spears Reynolds was the daughter of attorney and former North Carolina senator, Robert Reynolds, who died four days before the race at Daytona. Mamie Spears Reynolds’ mother, Evalyn Washington McLean, was an heiress whose father had made a fortune gold mining in Colorado.
Evalyn was Reynolds’ fifth wife. She died from an overdoes of sleeping tablets in September 1946, at which point Mamie inherited in excess of $10m.
Aged just 18, Mamie started competing at local drag strips driving a Chevrolet Corvette and MG. She then began racing a Ford Falcon and formed a NASCAR team, becoming the first female owner to win in the sport’s top division when Fred Lorenzen took victory at Augusta Speedway in 1962.
Like most 250 GTOs, chassis 4219 GT was painted Rosso Cina and trimmed with Blu fabric seats. NART had planned to enter the GTO for Pedro Rodriguez to drive in the non-championship 250 mile race at Daytona which took place on February 16th, but the Ferrari was not ready in time. It did take to the grid the following day though for the World Championship 3 Hour contest that, unlike the previous event, incorporated sections of Daytona’s infield road course in addition to the track’s banked elements.
The race marked a welcome return to competition for Pedro Rodriguez following the death of his brother, Ricardo, at the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix. Grid slots for the 82 lap 311 mile race were determined by engine size.
Despite incurring a 50 second penalty for having remained in his car during a fuel stop, Rodriguez drove chassis 4219 GT to a commanding victory. Only the Mecom Racing Team GTO of Roger Penske finished on the same lap. Penske came home 14 seconds in arrears once the Mexican’s time penalty was applied.
At Sebring, which was open to Prototype machinery in addition to GTs, chassis 4219 GT was allocated to Jo Bonnier and John Cannon. Once again, grid slots were decided on engine size.
With two hours gone (midday), Bonnier had moved the Ferrari up to tenth position, but by half distance it had dropped back to 17th. When the chequered flag fell at 10pm, Bonnier and Cannon had recovered to place 13th overall which was good enough for fourth in the three-litre GT class.
During May 1963, chassis 4219 GT was sold as Mamie Spears Reynolds was about to purchase a 330 LMB (chassis 4453 SA) which would run under a NART entry at that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
Buyer of the GTO was Bev Spencer, a Buick main dealer and Ferrari agent in San Francisco. That same month, Spencer displayed his newly acquired Ferrari, still wearing its Sebring livery, at the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance. Afterwards, chassis 4219 GT was refinished in a handsome white colour scheme complete with dark blue centre stripe.
During the summer of 1963, Bev Spencer had Frank Crane race chassis 4219 GT on five occasions, during which the car most notably collected class wins at Laguna Seca and Cotati.
Having advertised the Ferrari in the December 1963 edition of Road & Track, Bev Spencer sold chassis 4219 GT to George Dyer in Hillsborough, California. Dyer later had the car repainted dark blue. He retained it until 1993, at which point the GTO joined the collection of Brandon Wang in London.
Notable History
Mamie Spears Reynolds, Asheville, North Carolina & Fort Lauderdale, Florida (NART entry)
17/02/1963 WSC Daytona 3 Hours (P. Rodriguez) 1st oa, 1st GT3.0 class (#18)
23/03/1963 WSC Sebring 12 Hours (J. Bonnier / J. Cannon) 13th oa, 4th GT3.0 class (#28)
Sold to Bev Spencer, San Francisco, California (Spencer Buick Inc.)
05/1963 Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance
Repainted White with Blue stripe
08/06/1963 SCA Laguna Seca (F. Crane) 3rd oa (#9)
09/06/1963 IND Laguna Seca Production Race (F. Crane) 2nd oa, 1st CM class (#9)
09/06/1963 USR Laguna Seca (F. Crane) DNF (#9)
21/07/1963 USR Kent GT Race (F. Crane) 6th oa (#9)
28/07/1963 SCA Cotati (F. Crane) 5th oa, 1st DM class (#9)
1964 sold to George Dyer, Hillsborough, California
1993 sold to Brandon Wang, London
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Road & Track - https://www.roadandtrack.com/ & unattributed
