John Surtees races his North American Racing Team Ferrari 158 to second place at Watkins Glen on October 4, keeping alive his ultimately successful 1964 title chances…
Enzo Ferrari was in a spat with the Italian governing body at the time over its refusal, Ferrari having failed to build the minimum number of cars, to homologate the sports/racer Ferrari 250LM as a Sportscar. The result of which forced entrants to race it as a Prototype, a category in which it was not competitive and not designed for; putting aside the lucky, outright 250LM Le Mans win for Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt in 1965!
Test session for the Ferrari 158’s, one of which is in NART colors, on 15 September 1964. John Surtees in drivers overalls, Technical Director Mauro Forghieri to his left, mechanic Giulio Borsari in the white cap. Modena Autodrome (GP Photo)
Not that the Italian autocrat was going to let principle, as he saw it, get in the way of practicality.
There were Grand Prix World Championships to win so rather than race in traditional racing red he ‘relinquished his entrants licence’, the cars, works cars in every way, shape and form being entered by Ferrari’s concessionaire in the US, Luigi Chinetti’s N.A.R.T at both the final two 1964 championship rounds at Watkins Glen, New York State and in Mexico City.
Surtees second placings in both races gave him the Drivers title and Ferrari the Manufacturers from Graham Hill’s BRM P261 by 9 points.
‘Honour’ and title won, the Ferrari’s raced on in Italian Racing Red and the 250LM as a prototype, much to its private entrants chagrin.
Surtees ready for the off, Modena 15 September 1964 (GP Photo)
The Vic Berris cutaway above is terrific in showing the semi-monocoque ‘aero’ construction Ferrari used for years whereby aluminium sheet was riveted and glued to a frame, let’s call it a spaceframe underneath.
Etcetera…
Lorenzo Bandini being attended to in the Spa pits during the June 1964 Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Great shot of the engine and gearbox and bulkhead in between- note also inboard rear discs and calipers. #10 is the nose of the Surtees 158.
It wasn’t a great weekend for the Ferrari boys, both retired with engine dramas, John in the lead after completing only three laps and Lorenzo after eleven- Jim Clark won in a Lotus 25 Climax.
Photo Credits…
For all shots ‘Grand Prix Photo’ except Vic Berris cutaway drawing
Tailpiece: Camper’s delight as Surtees Fazz speeds past, Watkins Glen ’64…
(unattributed)
Finito…
primotipo... 
[…] The Grand Prix car is the Ferrari 158, the weapon John Surtees used to win the 1964 Drivers and Constructors championships for Ferrari, the GT is a 500 Superfast I think. I covered ‘Big John’ and his career in this article, which includes a piece about the 158 and its specifications; https://primotipo.com/2014/11/30/john-surtees-world-champion-50-years-ago/ also check out this pictorial of the 158; https://primotipo.com/2016/05/24/n-a-r-t-ferrari-158s/ […]
[…] At first glance I thought it was Surtees at the Nürburgring in 1963, but it’s 1964 aboard a Ferrari 158, he won the German GP in both years. It’s a Cooper T73 Climax behind, either Bruce McLaren or Phil Hill. Surtees won from pole ahead of Graham Hill’s BRM P261, with Lorenzo Bandini’s Ferrari 156 Aero a splendid third. See here for a short piece on the Ferrari 158; N.A.R.T. Ferrari 158’s… | primotipo… […]