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Sal DiNatale
Chuck made mention of Sal DiNatale in the Father's Day thread and I thought I would add a thread where we could compare notes about Sal, Angelo and S&A.
I first went to Sal with my Lusso. I was no more than 17 at the time and had sold my E-Type so I could get the Ferrari. Trouble was, I didn't know any Ferrari mechanics and was using an independent Alfa mechanic who was Italian and very enthusiastic but not versed in Ferrari care. Someone told me about Sal and after my first visit, he became my mechanic from then on.
The best part of going to Sal's for maintenance was getting to see the other cars that were in for service. Greg Garrison always seemed to have something special--I remember his Alfa Montreal very well. Wilt Chamberlain had a Maserati Ghibli that had a pair of basketball shoes in the back the size of a rowboats. Lee J. Cobb was there with his Maserati Mexico. Ed Niles' ATS could be seen and there were Ferraris of every description--race cars, street machines and show cars. Someone had a what I recall as being a Zagato bodied Daytona though Chuck might correct me. I believe it belonged to Dan Ward.
Sal's Alfa BAT and Maserati Zagato were usually parked on the lot and Angelo once lent me his Lusso while my GTO was in for work.
Were it not for Sal, I might not have acquired GTO 3987. He knew I was searching for a GTO and called me one day saying one was in the shop and the owner wanted to sell. The rest is history.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5_esN4soMU...GTO%2B3987.jpg
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:eek: A Lusso at age 17... traded up to a GTO?!? Please tell us more about Sal!
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1 Attachment(s)
3987
I seem to remember that there is a lot more to this car... other than the fact that it's now owned by Ralph Lauren (that fact isn't all that interesting:rolleyes:). The other stuff, is very interesting. Did you have a YouTube video on this car and your exploits back in the day. Is your name Stephen and did you have a friend who painted his Ferrari in Army camouflage colors? Now there's a story:D
Sorry for all the questions. A Ferrari GTO will always get my attention.
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Hi Stephen,
Thanks for sharing more information about this truly golden time of sports cars. Your videos of your time with these special cars on YouTube are my favorite as I really had no knowledge of the early Ferrari scene in SoCal in the sixties before watching them.
That long thread on Ferrari chat is just fantastic, especially the wonderful period photos.:)
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There' SO many stories surrounding Sal, the shop, all the people, and some of the greatest cars of the era.....
Stephen,
Here's a question...... Again, from memories over 40 years old.
Some time in the mid or later 60's there was a red GTO bought by a guy in his 20's that Sal referred to as 'the hippie'. He came to the shop wearing long Indian collarless shirts, beads, and one time actually brought a sitar in the car...
Story has it that he was driving through Griffith Park and hit a horse. He then took the car to Albert's, a VERY good body and paint shop in Burbank. He asked the Argentine/Italian Albert to paint it custom pearl white and Albert refused. He then threw so much money at him that he gave in and painted the car the hideous pearl white, where it appeared again at S&A to the horror of all of us........ The story continues that this young man started constantly getting messages left of his windshield to re-paint the car red 'on penalty of death'......... I think I remember being shown one of the notes.... The guy had the car re-painted red within a couple of months.....
I have the GTO book as well........ so I'm thinking that the car had to be #4293, or #4757. Chris Cord owned both of these cars at one time. However, there was a break from '65-'67 that #4757 was owned by one Parfet. And before Cord's ownership in '74 #4757 was owned by one C. Fee.
Could Mr. Parfet or Mr. C. Fee be the young hippie GTO owner of my memories.
...... Or, did any of this happen at all........ :confused::p
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Krasnavian ,
When is "Carrera Panamericana de Mexico (1950 - 54) - The World's Most Dangerous Race" , going to be released in the US ?
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