By Liz Leamy
Sentinel Correspondent
More than 100 guests attended the New England Auto Museum’s celebration last Wednesday of the 60th Anniversary of Luigi Chinetti, Sr.’s Ferrari North American Racing Team, formerly headquartered at 600 West Putnam Avenue in Greenwich.
Greenwich resident and former Chinetti Motors employee Jerry Cotrone, curator of the Malcolm Pray Achievement Center in Bedford, N.Y., an event sponsor, was the evening’s host.
He was joined by several prominent Ferrari technicians, drivers and supporters who had been involved with N.A.R.T. during the years when it had risen to international prominence.
Luigi Chinetti, Jr., the only son of Chinetti Sr., a former Greenwich resident, was also on hand.
He was joined on stage by fellow N.A.R.T. team technicians Francois Sicard, Roger Colson, Bob Craige and Cos Cob resident Jean-Louis Lebreton.
“Thank you for all of the years,” said Luigi Chinetti, Jr. “Thank you from all of us.”
Lebreton was also grateful to be there. “The quality and prestige of Ferrari is incredible,” said Lebreton, proprietor of LeMans 24 Citgo in town. “People see that and they love the car.”
The event featured a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception catered by Rive Bistro of Westport and two short documentary films.
Showcased first was N.A.R.T.’s record-setting performances at the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah in 1974.
Members involved in this performance event had included Graham Hill, two-time Formula One champion, team driver Milt Minter, Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman, then an amateur driver, and Luigi Chinetti, Jr.
The actual N.A.R.T. 512M driven at Bonneville was on display at this event and was provided by Fratelli Auriana of Greenwich.
The second presentation, produced by auto historian Peter Leahey, was about the development of Chinetti Sr.’s legendary N.A.R.T. Spyder, driven by Denise McCluggage, an N.A.R.T. driver and auto journalist, and Pinkie Rollo at the 12 Hours of Sebring motorsport endurance race in Florida.
It featured interviews with Luigi Chinetti, Jr., McCluggage, N.A.R.T. race technician Roger Colson and Oscar Scaglietti, son of designer of the Spyder, Sergio Scaglietti.
Notably, the N.A.R.T. Spyder was also driven by actress Faye Dunaway in the 1968 film “The Thomas Crown Affair,” which starred Steve McQueen.
A highlight of the evening was a conferenced phone call to the well-known former N.A.R.T. driver and current ABC sportscaster Sam Posey, a Connecticut resident, from Luigi Chinetti, Jr.
During the call, Chinetti Jr. was joined by Connecticut residents Bob Sharp, the well-known Datsun race team owner, and Bob Green, founder of “Survive the Drive,” an educational program of safe driving disciplines.
Other N.A.R.T. members in attendance included Ridgefield resident Judy Stropus, a noted auto publicist and race timer.
The goal of the event was to raise funds for the non-profit New England Auto Museum, a 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to establishing a facility for display and education in automotive arts and technology that will potentially be located in the Norwalk area.
“We want to be innovative and bring something to everybody,” said Michael Scheidel, founder, president and CEO of the New England Auto Museum.
The New England Auto Museum is said to be the only site of its kind to be based in the New York metropolitan region.
“Connecticut was a capital of the automobile industry for many years, and we felt the state should have an automobile presence,” said Scheidel, a Connecticut resident. “This has been more than a worthwhile endeavor.”
For more information on the museum contact: info@NEautomuseum.org.
