Mind your head!

The new Ferrari 512S, fresh from assembly in Maranello, were shipped to Daytona in late January 1970 for the 24 Hours. Dan Gurney shared the NART car with Chuck Parsons, who sat at the wheel (picture-above).

Due to the Californian’s large size, an unsightly hump was hastily fitted into the roof to accommodate his helmet!

Note in the background the Porsche 917 of the Tony Dean-Peter Gregg crew, diverted at Miami airport customs while returning from Buenos Aires where it had participated in the 1000 km in the hands of its owner David Piper. The latter was very surprised to see his car on the track on the Florida banking…

Finally, for the record, Jack Brabham (left, hands in pockets in white jumpsuit) chuckles quietly as he watches the scene. The Australian champion was entered by Matra with François Cevert on an MS 650. They finished in 10th place (photo below) while Gurney-Parsons’ Ferrari retired with a broken gearbox.