top of page

Ferrari 290 MM/250 TR Chassis #0606

A journey in painstaking restoration

Home: Welcome
Home: Homepage_about
Home: Quote

The Resurrection of #0606

This is the story of a Ferrari sports racing car that has lived a number of lives, initially as a Ferrari works entered 290 MM model during the 1956 racing season. It was then used by Equipe National Belge/Ecurie Francorchamps in Belgium for the 1957 racing season, returned to the factory who loaned it out a couple of times during 1958,  whilst it was believed to be used as a development/test car during the year. In 1959 its 290 MM 2 cam V12 engine was replaced with a 2 cam V12 Testa Rossa power unit, and the car was sold to Brazil as a “new” 250 Testa Rossa. There it was raced between 1960 and 1962, until it was the victim of a major accident which cut the car in half, the unfortunate driver perishing in the incident.


The undamaged rear part of the car formed the basis of an American V8 engined special, which was raced successfully through the sixties until no longer competitive, when it was put to one side. It lay untouched minus its engine (used for another project) for a number of years before being discovered by an English domiciled Italian in 1986, when it was brought to the UK.


He thought that he had the remains of another 250 Testa Rossa, chassis #0726 TR, which had also been involved in a major accident, and during the late eighties it was reconstructed as that car. It was sold to an English owner in 1991, who did more detailed research and established that in fact it was chassis #0606 that he now owned, and that had been incorrectly rebuilt as chassis #0726 TR. Unfortunately he passed away before being able to do anything about righting the wrongs, and the current owner purchased it from his estate in 2003.


He eventually decided to get “the wrongs righted” and entrusted it to Neil Twyman Ltd. to return it to the specification as it last left the Ferrari factory in 1959, and to a livery as raced in Brazil in the early sixties. After four years of intensive research and labor the car is as presented today.

Home: Quote
Anchor 4

Statements

"Few Works Ferraris have had the complicated history of chassis #0606. 'La Historia' explains this history in detail, illustrating each era with period photographs. Finally, Ferrari 290 MM/250 TR #0606 is recognized for what it actually is; the lengthy and careful reconstruction to its correct appearance is spectacularly done.”

-David Seibert

Anchor 7
Home: ProGallery_Widget

"The rear section of the chassis complete with transaxle and associated components in the extensive list in the side bar in Chapter 3 of ‘La Storia’, are without a doubt those of Ferrari 290MM/250TR chassis #0606. A view which I believe is held by most Ferrari historians worldwide.”

-Keith Bluemel

"The restoration of #0606 demonstrates the passion that this car has inspired in its current and previous owners. The exceptional level of detail in researching and then restoring this famous car has defined a small chapter of Ferrari history and brought a beautiful car back to life. It was a big decision by its owners to embark on this enterprise but I think the result absolutely vindicates the vision - it was the right thing to do.”

-Ben Cussons

Anchor 2
Anchor 3

"The real challenge was to get the front section of the chassis correct and the modified Monza envelope body as it was when the car left the factory in September 1959. With Lex Wexner's assistance (290 MM #0626, a sister car), Keith Bluemel's research and oversight management, I think the twyman team did an excellent job getting it right."

-Michael Malone

Anchor 5

"This restoration, with its clarity and noted continuous ownership, cleans up some history on a couple of cars. It's also well done, complete with a full range of historic photos at different iterations.”

-Todd Morici

Anchor 1
Home: Blog2_Custom_Feed_Widget
Anchor 6
bottom of page