by Mike –
The Concorso Italiano sign on the windshield simply said 1964 Ferrari Drogo but the badges all over the car said something else as did the body style.
There was a badge that said GoldenCar, another said Navarro Special, yet another was the NART emblem and then there were the Ferrari script and prancing horse.
This looks like another NART re-body – probably a Ferrari 250 GTE again as the donor car. Drogo has some beautiful creations to his name but this isn’t one of them.
This design style seems to be caught between two different trends or fads. The wedge front is ahead of its time because wedge design did not become fashionable until the 1970s and the large tail fins were out of style by 1964.
I know nothing else about this car – if anyone else does please enlighten us in the Comments.
Summary
Article Name
Ferrari Drogo GoldenCar Navarro Special NART
Description
There was a badge that said GoldenCar, another said Navarro Special, yet another was the NART emblem and then there were the Ferrari script and prancing horse. What is it really?
Author
Mike Gulett
I’ve seen pictures of this less than beautiful car somewhere in the past. I believe it is most probably a rebody of a Ferrari 330GT 2+2. You can still see the outline of the original glasshouse. I do not lust after it at all!
Just found a couple of pics in one of my books – Ferrari Four Seaters by David Owen. It stated it was built by Carrozzeria Sports Cars of Modena (Drogo) in 1969. A little more research revealed it was commissioned by night club owner, Norbert Navarro in 1967 on his 330GT 2+2 Serial #07979, because he didn’t like the looks of the original…. I guess money can’t buy good taste!
Thank you Chris! I knew someone would know something about this special Ferrari. Now I wonder why it carries the NART badge.
For sure a 1964 car does not take 1970 Carello taillights!
This car was purchased by a nightclub owner in Italy that wanted something different. It is the type of car that makes me think of Las Vegas so the owner was on the right track. Couldn’t you see the Rat Pack driving this car?
It is finished in a heavy bass boat metal flake. and the detail work is very well done. Engine compartment was to show quality. This is a very fascinating car and I found myself going back to it a few times during the show for another look. Notice the line up of boring red Ferrari’s behind it in the one picture 🙂
I guess it could be a 330 but with the tail lights, wheelbase and the engine vents it looks like it’s based on a 365 GT2+2
The front is quite beautiful, but it is the back that takes away from the attractiveness of the car. I wouldn’t exactly say they harken back to tailfins, but, rather it is trying to display a fastback style without an actual fastback! If the rear glass and trunk followed the actual body high side butresses, it would be very similar to the first generation style of the Dodge Charger, or even the fastback version of the full-sized Fords of 1965. I will not say anything negative, because it is definitely a unique back treatment, like nothing else I have seen on any other car. Glenn in the Bronx, NY
Hello Mike,
take the time to check out the Classic Driver WEB page as it is currently showing 3 Iso models for sale plus many other interesting “Classics” to whet many aspirations with links to many other sites that have a great variety of interesting cars and motor bikes to review. CJ
Hi Gang! This creation was indeed done by Drogo. It was done on a 330 GT 2+2 chassis. I had the car in the shop in Houston in the 80’s. It belonged to John Mecum then. Personally I have always been disappointed in the creations from Drogo. There are proportion issues that make me say that. This particular Drogo car may be the worst of all of them.
I owned this in the 70’s. It was known as the last custom bodied ever built. I sold it probably early 80’s. A doctor in LA called me in the nineties asking about it,it was now orange! I sent him all my old pics of it & he went back to original. Somewhere I still have copies of the unvailing of this rare and one-off car.
Although the design leaves something to be desired, this is a first rate restoration, done by a high-end shop in the Northwest that has done many vintage race car restorations of equal quality. This 330 based special is currently to a higher standard than it ever was back in the day, either in the original configuration or as a Drogo special.
Looks like a Ferrari designed by the government