footnote to Dana's note on Cone's Ermini replica

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-1016 Dana Loomis described an Alfa-engined alloy-bodied "special" 
based, third hand, on an Ermini:
" The Ermini brothers were described to the group of us who gathered around 
this car in the paddock as "Italian hot-rodders" who built small numbers of 
fast cars and motorcycles in the 1950s.  They reportedly developed this 
particular body design in hopes Ferrari would use it for what became the 
Testa Rossa and, after Il Commendatore rejected their design, made a few 
copies to sell on their own--usually with large American engines.  The same 
body was then replicated in fiberglass in the Devin (forgive possibily 
incorrect spelling) sports car.  The particular car I saw belongs to Cesar 
Cone of North Carolina, USA, and has a 2 liter Alfa Romeo powerplant.  It is 
actually a fairly recent recreation in aluminum of the original Ermini, based 
the fiberglass Devin.  A reproduction based on a replica, but an interesting 
car nevertheless, and a nice one to see on the race track."

According to The Etceterini Register the part about this body being developed 
by the Ermini brothers "in hopes Ferrari would use it for what became the 
Testa Rossa and, after Il Commendatore rejected their design, made a few 
copies to sell on their own--usually with large American engines" seems to be 
a bit garbled. The Register says the body was by Scagliatti, who was one of 
the established bodybuilders used by Ferrari but also built for others, and 
this particular Ermini was owned by Antonio Pompeo, then by Bill Devin who 
took a fiberglas mold off it, and then by James Orr. Devin then replicated 
the body in twenty-seven sizes by slicing and stretching the mold to fit 
everything from a Crosley to a Corvette, often with dubious proportions. 

The Register also differs on whether the brothers "made a few copies to sell 
on their own--usually with large American engines." It says that there are 
many undocumented "specials" in Italy which seem to be attributed to Ermini. 
It lists thirty-two Ermini and "Ermini" cars; the earliest has an Alfa 2500 
engine in a Fiat chassis, and one of the "Erminis" has a 1400 engine, and one 
car not attributed to Ermini has a 1500 Ermini twin-cam engine, but all of 
the rest seem to be 1100 or smaller. Perhaps thw narators in the paddock were 
mixing in Devins, which often had large American engines.

The Register adds that Scagliatti was in operation from 1951, primarily as a 
coachbuilder for Ferrari, who acquired controlling interest in the 70s. 

The Register (properly "The Italian Car Registry") is a monumental and 
invaluable work of inspired data packratism published by John de Boer; anyone 
who wants my opinion on it should check alfa-digest V7-#236. Anyone who wants 
to be on the mailing list for the forthcoming next edition should write the 
publisher at ICAR@domain.elided.

John H.

------------------------------