Late in 1948, von Neumann felt he was ready to start his own business, and with a partner, Secondo Guasti-a young man whose wealthy family owned a big winery business-he formed Competition Motors. Guasti drove a fast 8C2300 Alfa Romeo, and John's stable had by now expanded to include both a used Talbot Lago and a brand new Lea Francis.
Coronado, California: Recently the author and his wife had the pleasure of spending a long lunch with von Neumann. At 76, he doesn't look his ageit's obvious that life agrees with him. He is married to new wife Monica-with whom he has an eight-year-old daughter-and spends the winters at homes in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills, and the summers in yet another home, by Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Whenever he needs a change of scenery he boards his 75-foot yacht, an Italian Baglietto with twin 26 10 hp engines.
Von Neumann is not a big talker-he was always quietly elusive-but plied with good food and drink, he eventually begins to remember, telling stories from his early days as a struggling entrepreneur: The company line was MG, and one time when a customer came in to have the valves adjusted, Johnny, as he tells it today; had to sneak a quick look in the instruction manual before he could get the job done right. Another early customer was treated to a hair-raising demo ride in a Clipper Blue TC, and after deciding to buy the car in spite of this introduction he was further shocked when Johnny suggested that they take his new car out on some horrible dirt roads in rural San Fernando Valley to have some serious fun-this was terrain best suited for motocross motorcycles.
As we have seen, von Neumann was always ready for adventure, and in 1950 he entered the first Palm Springs race in April and, in November, the inaugural Pebble Beach race, where he won his class in his MG TD-the machine that became a contender for the 1500 cc honors in 19 5 1. The battles of that season with his former employer, Barlow-who campaigned the famous Simca Special-were legendary. in the end Barlow took the title.
Some people regarded von Neumann as living a charmed life, but he and his thenwife, Eleanor, were both hard-working and shrewd in business-as demonstrated by their becoming Volkswagen/ Porsche agents and distributors in early 1952. At first, they would truck out cars from New York, but it wasn't long before large shipments started arriving by sea, replacing the mornand-pop setup of a couple of cars at a time. In 1953, the distributorship was licensed to sell Volkswagens in Southern California, Southern Nevada, and Arizona. Then, of course, it was necessary to move to better and more impressive quarters than the little bungalow on Ventura Boulevard, which was duly replaced by something much more grand on Vine Street, just south of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
Von Neumann found the Porsche just the ticket for taking on his old friend Barlow on the race track, and on his third outing with the little red 356 he beat the entire Simca team at Torrey Pines in July 1952-a great day for both Porsche and von Neumann. Meanwhile, VW sales were booming, and by 1954 business was so brisk that John took the plunge and bought his first Ferrari, a 500 Mondial-a machine he still remembers with great fondness.
The car had been brought to the US by international playboy Porfirio Rubirosa. Ordinarily, Rubirosa would only race at venues such as Sebring and the Mexican Road Race, but there was a particular attraction in Los Angeles in September of that year-Zsa Zsa Gabor, the actress, who was his companion in the pits at the old Santa Barbara airport course. During that race weekend von Neumann made a deal with Rubirosa, thus becoming the first owner of a 4-cylinder Ferrari in America. The car was immediately resprayed from its original dark blue to a brilliant red and was then ready for the next event, held in October. Other racers would not receive their new 4-cylinder Ferrari mounts until the following spring at Sebring.
The fact that von Neumann seemed to be living a charmed life, as was referred to earlier, is exemplified-perhaps in a some at March Field in the fall of 1954. All the racing fans were keen to see von Neumann campaign his new 550 Porsche Spyder-it would be the first time this type of Porsche was to be seen in racing action on the West Coast-but those who did not arrive until Sunday missed their chance. As it happened, during Saturday's practice another competitor turned abruptly into the pits right in front of von Neumann, who was going about three times faster than this car down the pit straight. There was no way to avoid a collision. The Spyder burst into flames and was soon completely consumed-but Johnny walked away unhurt. In the end, all that remained of the brand new Porsche was a piece of crumpled aluminum about 4 by 6 inches in size. This incident was the only serious mishap in his career. He was an excellent driver and very safe on the track, although he could at times become overexcited in the heat of battle, yet even then he would never attempt anything foolish.
Four-cylinder fever had really struck von Neumann by now, for when his large transporter moved onto Minter Field in Bakersfield in May 1955, out rolled his own new 3-liter 750 Monza, a new Mondial with Scaglietti body-for his talented stepdaughter, Josie-and a new 550 Porsche Spyder for good measure. Before the year was up, von Neumann would acquire yet another 750 Monza for Phil Hill to drive-and before his competition career ended he would have been the owner of no less than nine four-cylinder Ferraris, including the spectacular 1956 Sebringwinning ex-Fangio 860 Monza.
Nineteen fifty-five was generally a good year, but von Neumann became increasingly frustrated by his battles with expatriate Englishman Ken Miles, who with his MG Special would consistently beat the Austrian, regardless of von Neumann's best effort at the wheel of the four-cam Porsche Spyder. But von Neumann openly admired Miles and his "British cool," as he described his talent, and ended up signing both Miles and Ginther to drive the Porsche 550s for 1956. It was clear that the name Ecurie von Neumann was taking on more and more importance. Aside from his Porsche team, which promoted the products he marketed, he also acquired the above-mentioned 860 Monza and had Phil and Richie drive it on occasion. It was this car that caused the conflict with Ferrari when he was told in Nassau that the Monza was considered obsolete and that parts for it were therefore very difficult to supply. As mentioned earlier, von Neumann became seriously upset about the treatment he was receiving from Ferrari and this was when he began thinking about taking on a bigger role in Ferrari's affairs in the US. After he had set up his own West Coast operation he was always able to get his ban on the latest cars from the factory.
Nineteen fifty-seven was, without question, the year for von Neumann and his newest acquisition, the Ferrari 500 TRC. With its sweeping lines and highpeaked fenders-a real improvement aesthetically over the previous Testa Rossa model--combined with its potent 2.5liter engine, it seemed this Ferrari and von Neumann were made for each other.
The TRC had arrived in Avandaro, Mexico, directly from Italy in April of 1957, already looking splendid in its silver livery and eminently ready for a win on the twisty course over public roads around the resort town. This win would set the tone for the remainder of 1957, with five more outright wins and numerous class victories coming von Neumann's way. It was remarkable to watch the small-bore Ferrari outperform its more powerful rivals on the track, including those fitted with American V8 engines.
Later a second, identical car was imported to the East Coast with intentions of campaigning it from a New York base, but that plan did not work out and, after runs at Lime Rock and Elkhart Lake, this TRC was brought to California as well. The year of 1957 was also important for von Neumann's efforts to convince the public that the 250 GT was a civilized road car, and this side of the business now also became very successful.
Before the year was over, in a gesture from Ferrari that must be seen as a real compliment to von Neumann, he became the first customer of the new 250 Testa Rossa-the very example shown to journalists during the famous press conference at the factory. It was already painted silver and was delivered in Nassau a couple of weeks later. Ginther, now considered a top driver after winning the inaugural race at Riverside, was chosen to shake down the new car in the Bahamas. The next year, 1958, looked promising, indeed.
The 1958 World Championship for sports cars would have a 3-liter limit, with Ferrari being the favorite, having developed such a machine during the previous year's racing-the 250 TR.
These Ferraris went on to win every round except the 1000-km of Germany, where the brilliant Stirling Moss was unbeatable, and the Tourist Trophy, where the Italian equips chose not to compete.
Von Neumann shared his own Testa Rossa with Wolfgang Seidel at the first round in Argentina, but they failed to finish. At Sebring in March, von Neumann brought in Ginther and they ran as high as fourth until just past the tenth hour when they had to retire.
Von Neumann returned to California and continued to campaign his silver Testa Rossa there during 1958. Later that summer a second Testa Rossa was imported for Richie and josie to drive. The cars gave a good account of themselves in local events, but there was one snag-a young enthusiast named Lance Reventlow had brought together a talented team to construct a new Chevrolet-powered racer to be known as the Scarab. This powerful car began to win everything in sight and it was soon clear that something new from Ferrari was needed to counter the Scarab dominance.
Von Neumann now commissioned a 4 liter, four-camshaft car, to be known as the 412 MI. It was a one-off, very powerful, and according to its frequent pilot, Phil Hill, "specifically designed to beat the Scarabs." The initial outing of the 412 at Watkins Glen showed its potential, but it was forced to retire. As it happened, the real showdown would come at a very opportune occasion: the First Annual Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. As early as May, the newspaper, with its vast circulation, began to publicize the event, to be held at the newly-constructed Riverside International Raceway. Drivers from all ranks would compete: Europeans, professionals from the USAC National circuit, and talented amateurs.
Aside from the new Ferrari for Hill, von Neumann had acquired an ex-factory team 335S for himself (used by Hill and Collins in Sweden and Caracas during the 1957 season). The Scarab team had put together three machines, one for Lance to drive, one for his close friend Bruce Kessler, and one for a hired gun, the very underrated Chuck Daigh.
The race, set for October 12, looked like a shootout between two marques but actually came down to a battle between two drivers: Phil Hill and Chuck Daigh. Predictably, the race day was hot and dusty, but the huge crowd drummed up as a result of the L.A. Times' publicity machine was not to be disappointed-it was a battle that would be talked about for a long time. As journalist Dean Batchelor would say, "Sports car racing has come of age in the West."
The action began already as the crowded field swept through the first turn, where von Neumann, making one of his rare mistakes, rear-ended Reventlow, taking out not only the Scarab-Lance kept going but was flagged in with a leaking gas tank-but also his own 335 S. Daigh shot into the lead and held it until Hill managed to get around him in Turn 9. The Ferrari was faster on the straights while the Scarab had the advantage in the turns. Hill and Daigh traded places in a heated battle that kept the spectators on their feet, cheering, but on Lap 24 the Ferrari rolled into the pits with fuel vapor problems - this author happened to be standing there and remembers vividly watching the crew trying to fix the problem, but all efforts were in vain-the Scarab scored a very popular win.
Nineteen fifty-nine would be von Neumann's final racing season. He made an appearance at Avandaro, Mexico-the scene of his initial success with the 500 TRC, which he still owned-but this time the car was fitted with a 12-cylinder engine. Unfortunately, it was not fully sorted so he failed to finish-preventing a Hollywoodstyle ending to his colorful career.
The end came quickly, as if Johnny had suddenly tired of it all-his marriage as well. The Ferrari franchise went to his wife as part of the divorce settlement, and he began to spend more time in Europe. In 1965, he bought the Ferrari franchise for Switzerland, and in 1973, the Volkswagen/ Porsche dealership was sold back to the be factory-for a pretty sum no doubt.
With long-time friend Chick Iversen, von Neumann now turned to importing yachts from Italy, working out of Newport Beach, and this turned into a lucrative where business-it seems that every time Johnny took on a hobby he managed to turn it into a gold mine. This golden touch proved true again when he got himself a Learjet, enjoyed it for a time and then launched a company with a fleet of business jets catering to executive needs.
Through the years, von Neumann has always had the latest in high-speed equipment-when the Ferrari F40 was new, he brought one to California on a temporary permit with Luxembourg plates. On one occasion, when Johnny decided to visit this writer-in spite of being stopped by the Highway Patrol (aircraft division) and conveniently forgetting his English-he rolled up the driveway here in record time. Obviously, Johnny's penchant for fast driving has never diminished.
Want more information? Search the web!
Search The Auto Channel!
|
By all accounts it was immediately after his return to California from Nassau that von Neumann made his decision-a monumental one for Ferrari's fortunes on the West Coast-that of starting up his own Ferrari sales and service organization. This way, he figured, he was bound to receive better treatment from Maranellothe announcement came in early March of 1957. The new company would be known as Ferrari Representatives of California The manager would be Richie Ginthc;r, with ace mechanics Bill Rudd, Paul Primeau, Henry Pickett, and Harold Broughton backing him up in the service department. Customer relations would be handled by Tony Anthony, who had spent his life around fine machinery. As it were, he and von Neumann had worked together at International Motors.