XCH 555 started life in the early 1960's as a 250 GTE 2+2. Mr. John Dalton from Derby owned the car from new and is known to have competed in the car at Mallory Park early in its life.

Some twenty years ago R M Wilson Engineering took a rather tatty GTE and rebodied it into TRC -Testa Rossa Competition. Great detail was given to its creation. In fact it was modeled on Count Donhoff's 1956 500 TR - chassis number 0706. Chassis number 0704 which is similar to the Count's car was the second V12 prototype TR.

I first saw the car at Graypaul Motors when they were at Mountsorrel, David Clarke had the car in store for its then owner Derek Wellford. The car had a pool of coolant under it and looked unloved. It was the cars aura that captivated me, I thought and still do think it is one of the most stunning looking cars I had ever seen.

I have owned XCH since 1997, when shortly after, unfortunately, it drooped a valve seat. Geoff at Shiltech in Loughborough completed the rebuilt engine in May 2003. In fact I collected the car on a Saturday putting as many miles on the freshly rebuilt engine as I could because the following day was to be its debut race in the inaugural Ferrari Formula Classic Race at Donington Park on 24th May.

Although a couple of problems had to be cured prior to qualifying the car went well, and I finished 2nd in class, as I also did at Castle Combe a few months later.

There are no seat belts and with the original seat the driver slides around all over the place so for Combe a seat was made using expanding foam, like in a single seater, it works really well, I'm also lower and further back.

I have had the most brilliant time racing this car, it's not the easiest car on the limit you have to work quite hard, partly because of its very narrow crossply tyres, a steering box and a steering wheel the size of an artic's.

It is hoped that I will be out next year competing in XCH when six rounds of the Ferrari Formula Classic are planned, so watch this space!

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See the next pages for 2005 Ferrari formula Classic.