My last article was about a speedboat, golf carts and tractors… now I find myself drooling over this antiquated red and rust transporter. This magnificent machine has, however, transported some famous and historically significant machines – thoroughbred stallions, as a matter of fact.
In 1969, Italian manufacturer OM (Officine Mecchaniche) built this transporter to start hauling Ferrari’s special machines for the 1969 F1 season. This reliable old truck clocked up the miles for 11 years, faithfully delivering Scuderia Ferrari’s cars and equipment to the racetracks.
As it served from ’69, it saw the likes of Gilles Villeneuve, Chris Amon, Carlos Reutemann, Surtees, Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, always ensuring their cars arrived in one piece. It carried world champion winning stock for Niki Lauda in ’75 and ’77, and Jody Scheckter, in ’79.
It’s logbook states it has an 8L, 6-cylinder engine capable of 173 bhp – pretty tame by today’s standards. The transporter retired in 1980, moving from the patronage of a Swiss private Ferrari collector, to Fiji’s Museum of Motorsport Racing, where it is currently on show.
Of course, there is no guessing to as which team the truck worked for – especially with its Italian racing red stock, the infamous prancing horse logos on the rear doors, and the Ferrari sign writing across the side. There’s also the Assistenza Scuderie decal situated beneath the windscreen.
This is the ultimate display piece for the Ferrari collector, an opportunity that is pretty much a one off. The truck requires full restoration to bring it back to the years it felt the weight of champions on its shoulders. It’s only had two owners, three if you include Ferrari. Imagine four older Ferraris from a serious collector’s garage presented on the back of this great machine… what a way to show them off, with the opportunity to casually drop in the transporter’s illustrious history.
Oh yeah, before you ask, the cars you see aren’t included…