Famously controversial Ferrari to star at InterClassics

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We have a nice tip to get your classic-car year off to a good start, if you can get yourself to the Belgian-German-Dutch border between 12th and 15th of this month. The city of Maastricht in the Netherlands is close to the border triangle and will once again host InterClassics. Maastricht is a bit of a posh place and this is reflected in the cars on display at the show, too. Think Ferraris and Bugattis – oh, yes.

Now that the Dutch are all over the place in the Formula One circus, InterClassics couldn’t possibly ignore this happy phenomenon, so Dutch Grand Prix Classics is the headline attraction, with ‘a unique collection of Formula One cars from Circuit Zandvoort’s Formula One history’.

A Ferrari erased from existence

One of the most talked about stars happens to be rather controversial, and it’s an important historic Ferrari – or is it? A 156, or ‘Sharknose’, replica will be among the cars on display here. During the 1961 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, 156s came first, second and third in qualifying and first, second and fifth in the race, so at least three were made but all were infamously scrapped, making the pretty Sharknose with its V6 engine and nostril-like air intakes a Holy Grail for Ferrari collectors who otherwise had it all.

It followed that a number of replicas were made over the years, some better than others. The show’s organizers are keen to disclose that the car in Maastricht is a close copy: “The specimen shown at InterClassics is largely built from original Ferrari parts. The missing components were custom-made from authentic Ferrari blueprints. This replica is so faithful that the sound of the engine sounds in fact exactly as it did in 1963, the last time a 156 (by a customer team) was used competitively.” At least you know now!

(Words Jeroen Booij, Pictures InterClassics

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