A Ferrari Lost: How a 250 GT Boano was Saved

You won’t believe the pictures of what this relic looked like, as it languished in the wilds of Venezuela. It was one step away from total destruction.

But it was saved. From the text by Associate Editor and noted historian Alan Boe:

“The eighth of those Boano coupes, finished in August, 1956, is chassis number 0529 GT, the alloy bodied Ferrari Boano pictured here. It is owned by Jim Fuchs of Brookfield, Wisconsin, and has been brought back from the dead by the very talented craftsmen at Motion Products, Inc., in Neenah, Wisconsin.

“It was sold new directly from the factory to Italian businessman Mario Pasquini Raspolli, who imported the car into Caracas, Venezuela, in 1959. The car remained in Venezuela until 2004, and during its first 48 years it went from a beautiful new Ferrari to what might charitably be called a basket case. During its time in Venezuela it passed through at least seven owners and was raced by two of them in Caracas and Valencia. At one of those races, the 1964 President’s Grand Prix, s/n 0529 GT, then owned by Fernando Baiz, was damaged when it was hit from behind at the start of the race. Repaired, the next owner, Luis Sansn, used it as his daily driver and drove it occasionally in street races in the Venezuelan Andes.

“By 1973, the tattered and battered Ferrari, now belonging to the Martinez family in Venezuela, had been unceremoniously dumped in a ravine on their rural property in Los Teques.”

Read in Cavallino 218 how this lost Boano was saved through the efforts of some true enthusiasts, brought back to the USA, and restored over four years to make it as you see it today. Subscribe today at www.cavallino.com.

Old images courtesy Alvin Acevedo, Jr. and Sr. New images courtesy Peter Singhof, at peter@classiccarphotography.de