Some REALLY obscure historical trivia

[Simon Favre <simon@domain.elided>]

The March 2000 issue of the Overheard Cams has an interesting article
about an 8C2300 owned by Michael Crowley-Milling. The car has serial
number 2111044, but when the current owner acquired the car in 1938,
the last two digits of the serial number had already been changed.
What the owner suspects is that the car was one of the original 1931
Mille Miglia cars. The car has extra mounting holes indicating it may
have been used as a prototype for the conversion from the long front
springs to the shorter ones of the later 2300s. It also has extra holes
for cycle fenders, and holes for mounting the oil tank in front, under
the dumbiron tray. Only the very earliest 2300s had the oil tank in the
front, as this proved disastrous in competition. The car was apparently
sent to Zagato for a rebody in 1932 as a Spider Corsa. Scuderia Ferrari
used to trot this car out when they wanted a "sleeper" in the sports car
classes because under the sheet metal, it was all Monza. The owner has
consulted with Fusi, and Simon Moore about the car, but the mystery of
what the original serial number was and what early races the car was in
remain. Other serial numbers that have already been eliminated as likely
are 2111001, which is in the Swiss Transport Museum at Lucerne, and
2111006 which had been in private hands for many years. The owner thinks
the car may have had chassis repairs after a 1931 GP race at Brno where
Nuvolari hit some debris with it.

Now if you want a good cry, consider that the owner's father bought this
car for him in 1938 for 365 British Pounds after talking the dealer down 
from 395...

Simon (I wanted a real Monza, but had to settle for 1/8 scale)

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