Ferrari 250 GT Drogo

The Ferrari 250 GT Drogo chassis 2209 was sold to Gastone Crepaldi, the Ferrari dealer for the Lombardy region, in 1967 and one year later he commissioned Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports Cars in Modena to build a modern new body following a design by Tadini.: Two eccentric Ferrari 250GT SWB Competizione models, along with an Jaguar E-type, were reimagined in an unconventional manner by the equally eccentric Drogo “Carrozzeria Sports Cars”. This resulted in a design that was either loved or hated, with the latter being the more common sentiment. This was consistent with their other extreme and renowned works. Among these, Chassis 2067GT (blue) and 2209GT (burgundy) both suffered accidents. Of the two, 2209GT is particularly interesting. It was delivered to Ardilio Tavoni of Modena on October 19th, 1960, for racing driver Jo Schlesser. Just four days later, it was put to work at the 1000kms of Montlhèry, driven by Schlesser and co-driver Andrè Simon, where it achieved a commendable 3rd place overall. It then participated in races at Monza on March 12th, ’61 and Coppa St. Ambroeus, driven by Alessandro Zafferri. In November 1962, Gianni Roghi of Milan became the second owner, and he continued to race the car until it was involved in a crash in late 1966 or 1967. Without fully assessing the extent of the damage, Roghi sold it to Tullio Lombardo in January 1967. In December of the same year, Lombardo sold 2209GT to Gastone Crepaldi, the Ferrari dealer for the Lombardy region. It was in 1968 that Crepaldi commissioned Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports Cars to rebody the car, following a Tadini design that had already been used for 2067. The engine was also replaced, using 4921GT, as was customary for a GTE.  In 1969, the Ferrari 250 GT Drogo underwent significant changes, including a new body and engine, before being sold to Miss Maryvonne Lassus of St.Vite, France. However, she only kept the car for a brief period of two years before it was passed on to Eric Russli Birchler of Paris on February 18th, 1971. Shortly after, Bernard Cros-Lafage became the new owner. The story takes an interesting turn when the car was reported stolen in 1978. It was later discovered that Cros-Lafage may have had a dispute with a garage regarding repairs or storage, leading to the car being sold to settle the matter. Following a thorough investigation by the French police and the UK Fine Arts squad, the car’s ownership was confirmed, ensuring clear title for all subsequent owners. The car then came into the possession of M. Marty in Toulouse, who decided to repaint it in a metallic blue color. On July 9th, 1979, Stuart Passey, a resident of the UK, became the ninth owner of the car. Passey entrusted DK Engineering with a complete restoration, resulting in the car receiving a 250 GT SWB style body. It was refinished in its original Jo Schlesser Madagascar racing colors, featuring a white exterior with twin green stripes. There are conflicting reports regarding the fate of the original body, with some sources suggesting that Passey kept only the front grille with headlights as a trophy for his garage wall, while others claim that the Drogo body was reused for another car, specifically the 2065GT, a 1960 250 GT Pininfarina Coupé. This incident highlights the increased significance placed on “matching numbers” cars in today’s context.