Gottfried Köchert, Mille Miglia, Le Mans 24 Hours, Sebring ... - Kidston

The ex- Gottfried Köchert, Mille Miglia,
Le Mans 24 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC S p i d e r
Coachwork by C a r r o z z e r i a S c a g l i e t t i
Private Portfolio No. 117
Chassis no.
0686 MD/TR
Engine no.
0686 MD/TR
Price on request
Arguably the most beautiful of all Ferrari sports-racers Restored to show/ race standards and
impeccably maintained since Offered with two engines including a developed unit for events
Exceptional period race record ensures almost guaranteed eligibility for historic events including the Mille
Miglia
Intended largely as a commercially lucrative
customer car in the popular 2-litre class, in late
1953 Ferrari introduced the 500 Mondial.
It proved to be exactly what many clients wanted,
providing Ferrari with welcome cash flow and a
series of cars that could be loaned (for a price) to
favoured customers and then sold. The engine of
the 500 Mondial was developed by Aurelio
Lampredi from his 4-cylinder Formula 2 cars with
the same 90mm bore and 78mm stroke. More
modestly and flexibly tuned than the formula cars,
their 160 brake horsepower and ample torque
made them drivers’ favourites.
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As if that weren’t enough, Pinin Farina clothed the
500 Mondial in some of its most beautiful and
effective bodies. Even among Ferraris, the 4-
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Private Portfolio No. 117
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC
cylinder cars stand out for their delicacy,
balance, purposefulness and instinctively
effective aerodynamics on an unusually
short 2250mm wheelbase. Scaglietti, by
now Ferrari’s coachbuilder of choice for
competition cars, came up with equally
lovely bodywork said to have been originally
conceived by Dino Ferrari.
Just two years later in 1956 Ferrari updated
the concept to introduce the 500 Testa
Rossa. The engine was still 90x78mm but a
new head with valves at a 60° angle raised
the power even in sports car tune to 180
brake horsepower. To acknowledge the
revised engine the cylinder head was
painted red and featured in the model
name. At the same time the chassis, Tipo
518, was revised with a live rear axle and
the four-speed transmission was mounted in
unit with the engine.
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Just a year later revised CSI sporting
regulations required more revisions to meet
the standards of its Appendix C, principally
directed at the bodywork in an attempt to
force the builders of sports-racing cars to
make them more like road cars. Doors, a
rudimentary top and a full width windscreen
were the main requirements, giving Scaglietti
the opportunity to further refine his
expression of form following function with a
new series of open sports-racing Ferraris.

Private Portfolio No. 117
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC
Named 500 TRC for their Testa Rossa power and adherence to the CSI’s Appendix C regulations, the 1957 2-
litre Ferraris bodied by Scaglietti are believed by many to be the most beautiful, sleek, svelte open Ferrari sportsracers
ever, regardless of the number of cylinders.
The eleventh of nineteen built, ‘0686 MD/TR’ was completed on 9th May, sold a day later to Austrian gentleman
driver Gottfried Köchert and at 4:58 the next morning took the starting flag for the 26th (and last open road)
Mille Miglia where it finished 10th overall and 2nd in class, only 17 minutes behind Gino Munaron’s 2000cc
Sports class winner in a similar 500 TRC
Just two weeks later, on 26th May, Köchert and Erwin Bauer drove the TRC to a class win and 13th overall in
the ADAC 1000km at the Nürburgring. They then partnered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 22nd June but
dropped out early with fuel system problems. In February 1958 the car was entered in the Cuban Grand Prix
by Manolo Perez de la Mesa and a month later was a reserve entry in the Sebring 12 Hours to be driven by
Perez de la Mesa and Modesto Bolanos. In December Perez de la Mesa took part in the Nassau Speed Weeks
in ‘0686 MD/TR’.
The car was subsequently sold to a U.S. buyer and raced by Ross Durant and Bill Redeker in SCCA events in
Florida. In 1961-63 it competed in the infamous Nassau Speed Weeks driven by Captain Anson Johnson,
finishing 2nd in Class E in 1961. Captain Johnson apparently wasn’t satisfied with that performance and in
1962 and 1963 appeared in ‘0686 MD/TR’ with a Chevrolet V8 under the bonnet at Nassau and in SCCA
events. He also started in two USRRC races, Daytona in February 1963 and Mid-Ohio in September 1963.
It was a not uncommon fate for the Testa Rossas, now feeling the heat of competition from the likes of Maserati
Birdcages and Coventry Climax powered mid-engined sports-racers from the U.K. It is no small tribute to their
robust construction and benign, predicable handling that ‘0686 MD/TR’ and its counterparts were able both to
cope with more than double the horsepower and to withstand its pounding.
In 1980 chassis ‘0686 MD/TR’ was discovered and acquired by Ferrari historian Dick Merritt in Florida with its
Chevy motor, flared wheel arches, enlarged air intake and bulged bonnet. The original engine had gone
missing but the original gearbox, grille, brakes and other parts were still with it. David Cottingham, founder of
British firm DK Engineering, tracked down the original engine in the mid-‘80s and with Merritt re-united chassis
and engine. A second, 2.4 litre, TRC spec engine was built up by DK for racing. The body was reskinned (DK
still hold the remains of the original body) and liveried in Kochert’s distinctive and attractive red and white livery.
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Following completion the TRC was sold to Ferrari collector and historic racer Lord Cowdray, latter passing to
Mody Enav of Geneva and from him, via Simon Kidston at Bonhams, to the current American ownership in
2001 where it has been regularly exercised and professionally maintained in race- and show-ready condition.

Private Portfolio No. 117
1957 Ferrari 500 TRC
In the current ownership the
fuel tank has been replaced
by a 22 gallon fuel cell and
the generator replaced by an
a l t e r n a t o r. Both original
components are included with
the car. The battery was
moved to the rear and a Tilton
Carbon Fibre clutch installed.
Both engines, the original
2.0-litre and race- p r e p a r e d
2.4-litre currently fitted are
also part of the package. It is
documented on a U. S.
certificate of title.
Miglia, and the 2008 Colorado Grand.
Chassis ‘0686 MD/TR’ has
been shown at Ferrari’s 50th
Anniversary celebrations and
has been a regular contender
at the Monterey Historic
races, also successfully
completing the 2007 Mille
Kidston SA
7 Avenue Pictet-de-Richemont
1207 Genève, Switzerland
Tel +41 22 740 1939
Fax +41 22 740 1945
info@kidston.com
www.kidston.com
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It is ‘on the button’, ready for show or go and demonstrably one of the most historied of all Ferrari TRCs. With
documented participation in the last open road Mille Miglia, the ADAC 1000km, the Le Mans 24 Hours, the
Cuban GP, USRRC and Nassau Speed Weeks it meets the entry criteria for every important and enjoyable
historic event worldwide today.
The period race record, distinctive livery, responsiveness and speed of Ferrari 500 TRC ‘0686 MD/TR’ make it
a delight for an enthusiastic driver while the thump of its big four-cylinder engine and the sublime appearance
of Scaglietti’s coachwork give it instant appeal to spectators. That is a very hard combination to beat.
Please note that this motor car will be sold strictly ‘As is, Where is’ on a Bill of Sale from the owner.