It is a chilly though sunny early February day in 1965 at the Modena Aerautodromo, which combined an airport for small planes with a test circuit using the surrounding taxiways. The circuit was often used by Ferrari for test sessions in the years prior to the construction of the Fiorano test circuit across the road from the factory in Maranello. The Modena test circuit was sometimes used for racing as well.
The car under test is probably the latest Ferrari sports-racing weapon a 330P2, with its four-camshaft four liter motor. Easily recognizable at the right of the photograph is Enzo Ferrari himself with his dark glasses. He was often present for these tests. In the dark overcoat is Lorenzo Bandini who will be driving the Ferrari and to his right Franco Gozzi who was Enzo Ferrari’s close associate, personal press attaché and sometime Sporting Director of the Scuderia Ferrari.
Here is an unusual view of the cockpit of the test car, showing the gearshift tower mounted to the upper tube on the right side of the chassis and the locally made red and black rolled seat inserts. Fuel was carried in tanks along either side of the chassis which were connected by a large diameter hose running across the car just behind and below the seats. The combined water and oil radiator was in the front and consisted of a series of finned tubes which snaked back and forth across the nose.
Visible on the raised rear bodywork above and again in this photo to the right is an airfoil which young designer Mauro Forghieri believed had a useful aerodynamic function. Forghieri is in the dark coat at the left walking to the front of the car.
Photos by Peter Coltrin ©The Klemantaski Collection – http://www.klemcoll.com
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