CEGGA 002/60 Powered by Ferrari (Tool Room Copy) (1960)

Following on from the major, fatal crash at Le Mans 24h in June 1955; Switzerland banned motorsport nationwide in a move that was only phased out in 2022. Whilst the incident had of course occurred in France, the decision was made that motorsport was too dangerous and all events other than local hill climb events would be banned.

Located in the small town of Aigle, Switzerland, brothers Georges and Claude Gachnang established Scuderia Cegga a couple of years later in 1959. The name CEGGA was formed from the compilation of the first letters of: Claude Et Georges Gachnang, Aigle. Claude the mechanic, Georges the driver.

In 1959, Georges and Claude bought a crashed Ferrari 250TR. Their first efforts had come the previous year with their AC Bristol, chassis 001/59. Learning from 1959, CEGGA rebuilt the entire rear end, introducing independent rear suspension with Koni shock absorbers and an AC/ENV differential including inboard disc brakes. There had been some debate at the time as to whether inboard brakes would benefit an endurance racer, but the brothers were keen to minimise unsprung weight.

At the front the suspension was improved as best they could towards TR60 specifications and included a unique way of bringing in negative camber by cutting the bottom suspension arms and inserting a 10mm filling piece. For a car that was capable of 170mph+, this was a pretty brave thing to do!

With the mechanicals completed, they tasked Scaglietti with building a new body shape. The rear end now siting much higher to house the high back end and new suspension.

Please note, this vehicle is no longer for sale.

The racing history of CEGGA 002/60 had begun.

First registered as a Cegga (s/n 002/60) still-unpainted, the brothers went hill-climbing. Georges was the main driver, later supported by Swiss drivers Grob and Cailliet. Claude was ever present as the mechanic. In April 1961, it finished second at Mauborget. In May, it won its second event, the Mitholz-Kandersteg Hillclimb. Three weeks later, with the car freshly painted, the CEGGA tackled the demanding Nürburgring 1,000-kms. Georges partnered with Maurice Caillet, with whom he’d raced before, but they retired with engine problems.

The CEGGA won its next two hillclimbs in July, then Gachnang and Caillet headed off to southern Italy for the 4 Hours of Pescara, the final round of the Sports Car Manufacturers Championship on August 15th, an event run on a public-road course just under 16 miles long.

In 1961, after victories at Sebring, the Targa Florio, and Le Mans, Ferrari had already clinched the sports-car championship, so only sent one works entry: a rear-engine Dino 246 for Giancarlo Baghetti and Richie Ginther. All eyes were on the Dino, but Dennis Jenkinson’s race report in Motorsport noted the Cegga machine: “From Switzerland came a privately owned 3-litre V12 Testa Rossa sports Ferrari with home-built i.r.s. and a body similar to this year’s factory Ferraris.”

The works car retired but Ferrari still won the day, thanks to a 250 TR/61 driven by Lorenzo Bandini and Giorgio Scarlatti, who covered approximately 360 miles at an average speed of close to 90 mph. The Cegga, at home on this kind of course, finished 12th.

“In Pescara, the Cegga was not as fast as the other Ferraris because they had more powerful engines,” says Gachnang. “Although we were clocked at 280 km/h (175 mph) I had a problem staying with them on the straights, but the handling was better in some of the fast corners. The Ferrari works’ mechanics said not to rev over 7,500 rpm, but I took 8,500 rpm the whole race without a problem.”

Back home in Switzerland, the Cegga won two more hillclimbs that year. Then, in 1962, Gachnang once again tried his hand at the Nürburgring 1,000-kms, this time co-driving with Edouard Grob. The race was won by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien in a Dino 246 SP ahead of the 330 LM of Willy Mairesse and Mike Parkes. The Cegga finished in 17th.

00.00.1961- Mauborget Hill Climb - 2nd - Georges Gachnang (CH)
06.05.1961 - Milholz-Kanderstag Hill Climb -1st - Georges Gachnang (CH)
28.05.1961 - 1000 KM Nurburgring - DNF - (Engine) - Georges Gachnang (CH) Maurice Caillet (CH)
01.07.1961 - St Ursanne - Les Rangiers Hill Climb - 1st - Georges Gachnang (CH)
30.07.1961 - Chermignon Crans Hill Climb - 1st - Georges Gachnang (CH)
15.08.1961 - 27° Grand Prix Pescara 4 hours - 12th - Georges Gachnang (CH)
07.10.1961 - Marchairuz Hill Climb 1st - Georges Gachnang (CH)
19.11.1961 - 1000m d'Ursins - 1st - Constant Bonard (CH)
27.05.1962 - 1000 km Nürburgring - 17th - Georges Gachnang (CH) Edouard Grob (CH)
25.08.1962 - Ollon-Villars Hill Climb - U/C - Georges Gachnang (CH)
29.08.1965 - Championnat du Monde Ollon-Villars - 16th - Edouard Grob (CH)

Following a bad accident in 1966 racing a CEGGA single seater, Georges took 002/60 to a road car specification that was seen driving around Aigle on many occasions. In 1967 002/60 was bought by well-known Ferrari collector Pierre Bardinon, who rebuilt the car back to its original 1958 TR specification. Everything CEGGA was discarded and Fantuzzi was commissioned to return the TR to standard.

Fast forward to 2016, former England rugby player David Cooke had already spent the best part of 20 years following up on his childhood love of racing, ranging from 1930s Alfa Romeos, through 50s Ferraris and an original 1965 Ford GT40. Searching for his next historic project, he read about the racing endeavours of the Gachnang brothers.

David already had an original donor Ferrari 250 chassis and so, with the dream firmly in mind, he teamed up with Neil Twyman and the Gachnang brothers some 56 years after their first effort; 002/60 would live once more as a continuation/reincarnation.

The brothers agreed to help in providing drawings, technical information, detailed analysis and specifications to enable David to build a tool room copy of 002/60. The brothers regularly flew to the UK from Switzerland to offer hands on advice and direction. Twyman’s team of six started by cutting both the front and back off of David’s 250 chassis, exactly as had been done in period. A completely new rear chassis cage was constructed to house the original ENV differential and novel inboard braking system.

The build of the rear section proved to be one of the most complex elements of the restoration with a great level attention needed to ensure the rear geometry and alignment of the all-round independent suspension was true to period and correct! The complexity and intricacy was only made possible by the hands-on care of the Gachnang brothers.

After four years of research and hard work, the Cegga was ready for its Goodwood debut in 2019 with just a brief shakedown at Silverstone completed earlier in the week. Immensely lauded and highly eligible, the CEGGA has competed at Goodwood on no fewer than 6 occasions since.

2019 - Goodwood Revival - Sussex Trophy
2020 - Goodwood Members Meeting - Salvadori Cup
2021 - Goodwood Revival - Sussex Trophy (DNS - illness)
2022 - Goodwood Revival - Sussex Trophy
2023 - Goodwood Members Meeting - Salvadori Cup
2023 - Goodwood Revival - Sussex Trophy
Today this CEGGA presents as an ideal candidate to race a unique, Ferrari V12-powered endurance racer at Goodwood and beyond. UK road registered, 002/60 is available to view at our showrooms outside London immediately ahead of a DK auction in December powered by Carhuna.