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A take on perfection: Peter Giacobbi’s unbelievable home built Ferrari

21 July, 2015

As a child, Peter Giacobbi was an avid fan of motorsport who admired legendary drivers like Juan Manuel Fangio and Wolfgang von Trips. He also admired their weapons of choice, holding Ferrari’s beautiful 250 Testa Rossa above all others.

Image: Petrolicious

So when he found a handmade, all-aluminium Testa Rossa body in Italy, it didn’t take him long to arrive at an ultimate conclusion that would see him embark on one of the most memorable and emotional restorations we’ve ever seen.

“I looked at it, and I said ‘I have to do it,’” Peter says.

The team at Petrolicious met up with Peter and his car to produce this amazing video, titled Building a Dream.

Image: Petrolicious

Weighing in at 2300 pounds, or just over one tonne, Peter’s near-authentic creation makes use of a 4.4-litre engine from a Ferrari 365, capable of 400hp. While the engine may not be original, it has similar aesthetics to the original, and is faster.

Only when he was finally able to get behind the wheel of his own comparable beast was Peter able to fully comprehend the challenge his childhood heroes faced every time they got behind the wheel.

“I discovered it after driving it and racing it several times. They’re not only heroes — they’re supermen.”

“It’s the most fun and the most rewarding project that I’ve ever worked on. If somebody offered me a real one in exchange for it, I don’t think I would take it. Because this is what I want.”

Image: Petrolicious

This isn’t just a case of ‘built not bought’, this is a passion for cars and motoring at its most raw. Bravo, Peter.

Lunch with Bill Leckie: An Imp’s tale

6 August, 2026

Seeking limelight is part of Bill Leckie’s DNA, but when I asked him if anyone had written about his career and the cars he created, he didn’t think so. Even so, I was delighted when he agreed to sit down with me over a pie and coffee to reminisce. I started by asking how it is that someone who is so fanatical about F1 only ever raced saloon cars? Well, we’ll get to that, but where did things start? “I went to Cornwall Park Primary School and then to Remuera Intermediate where I became good mates with Geoff Perry, son of the legendary motorcycle racing legend Len.” Geoff Perry was 23 and on the edge of stardom when he was killed in a mystery air disaster over the Pacific in 1973. “We used to race around his backyard on a cutdown motorbike. It was friendly competition that I suppose helped hone our racing instincts. There was never much between us and so, by 11 or 12, I had a definite leaning towards speed.”

Mitsubishi’s secret weapon

31 July, 2026

Ewen’s Starion is a little different and special. He saved this one – literally ‘found in a paddock’ — just in time, as he relates.
“Mine is a 1983 Starion. I’ve had it about five years. I first saw it in a paddock at Ryal Bush [north of Invercargill], and I went past it three times. The third time I went back and knocked at the door, but the owner didn’t want to sell. He rang up a year later, and put a price on it, which we accepted. Only thing wrong was the motor was totally dismantled.”
Ewen then set about getting the car back to its current state.
“It took me six months to find somebody suitable to refurbish it back then. Simon Bradley at Midas in Invercargill offered to do it and he did a great job on it. The head was badly damaged around the valves, and Simon said you could get generic cylinder heads now, so he installed one, and it cost $800. It’s made such a difference to the car. Mine is an intercooled, fuel-injected turbo model, fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s a great car to drive too.”
Except for a small patch of surface rust, Ewen’s car was in surprisingly good condition despite its paddock life.