primotipo…

Yes, yes, yes, I know I’ve done these Dinos before many times. But I rather like the two photographs of the great Lancastrian, Brian Redman, racing Dino 166 #0008 in the XXXI ADAC Eifelrennen Euro F2 round at the Nurburgring in 1968.

That 21 April day was his Ferrari debut, Motoring News reported the sight of the great-Brit three-wheeling the car around the South Circuit’s turns as quite startling.

Redman finished a fine fourth despite a stop after his goggles were smashed, cutting one eye. Chief Engineer Mauro Forghieri was so impressed he telephoned Enzo Ferrari and recommended Ferrari contract him, an offer he turned down then. Later, Redman was a valued member of the Scuderia’s sportscar squad.

0008 was a new car for 1968. Chris Amon raced it at Montjuïc Parc, Barcelona on its March 31 debut, finishing third behind the Ford FVA engined Matra MS7s of Jackie Stewart and Henri Pescarolo.

Amon raced it at Hockenheim in mid-June (eighth) before it was damaged in a multiple-car accident in the Monza Lotteria GP in June driven by Tino Brambilla.

Chris raced the repaired car at the Tulln-Langenlebarn airfield circuit in mid-July (classified twelfth) before Brambilla was third in a heat at Zandvoort, and bagged fastest lap. At Sicily in late August he was again third in the Mediterranean GP at Enna, this time behind F2 King Jochen Rindt’s Winkelmann Brabham BT23C Ford and Piers Courage’ similar Frank Williams entry.

The little F2 1.6-litre Ferrari V6, even in four-valve spec, never had the legs of a decent Ford FVA four. Funnily enough, the 2.4-litre Tasman spec V6 gave very little away to the Ford Cosworth DFW, the 2.5-litre variant of Cosworth’s 3-litre DFV V8, GP racing’s most successful engine.

0008 was then prepared for the 1969 Tasman Cup, as part of a successful two car assault on the championship together with Derek Bell in #0010. As I’ve written before, Chris won the championship in fine style with 2.4-litre engines fitted – four wins of the eight rounds including the NZ GP – before selling the car to Graeme Lawrence who repeated the dose in 1970.

Credits…

MotorSport, F2 Index, Graeme Lawrence Collection, oldracingcars.com

Tailpiece…

Chris Amon and Jochen Rindt, Ferrari 246T and Lotus 49 Ford, on the front row at Pukekohe, start of the New Zealand Grand Prix, first round of the 1969 Tasman Cup on January 4.

Amon won from Rindt and Piers Courage in Frank William’s Cosworth DFW powered Brabham BT24. All three were stars of the series, Chris won four races, Jochen two and Piers one.

Finito…