Author Randy Cook in 750 Monza (0518M) at Concorso Italiano.
One is remembered by his work
By Pete Vack
We are saddened by the loss of Bowtie Ferraris author and vintage racer Randy Cook, who passed away on February 16, 2017 after a being diagnosed with cancer.
When I first met Randy, he was carrying a huge, I mean huge, three ring binder bursting with facts and photos of Chevy-engined Ferraris.
He plopped it down in front of me and said, “Well, let’s get to work.”
He had originally wanted to run a series of articles in VeloceToday, each one addressing a different Chevy-engined Ferrari. But clearly, there was a need for a book on the subject, provided he could come up with enough valid serial numbers to fill a decent sized volume. I suggested the name “Bowtie Ferrari”, and drew up a Chevy bowtie logo with “Ferrari” in the center of the bowtie. Randy loved the idea but I wondered if it would it fly in Detroit. The logo is clearly a trademark, and even the word “Bowtie” might be legally Chevrolet’s. But Randy, being Randy, said, “Just let them take us to court, I’d love to fight them.” Randy was a fighter, and a guy who would stand his ground over a Florida sinkhole if he thought he had a chance.
Last year Randy brought his Bowtie Ferrari (1175 GT) to the Concorso, which was the car’s final show culminating an almost 20-year ownership prior to being sold to The Old Racing Car Company in Felmingham, England. The car will be kept in its current configuration and as such, is likely the last remaining pre-1960 two-seater Ferrari still with a Chevy engine.
He was tenacious as well. He decided to go ahead and try to make a book out of Bowtie, and never faltered going forward, despite what we both imagined would be moans and groans from the traditional Ferrari community. We’d help him find a Chevy-engined Ferrari and he would go after it, getting all the facts and talking to everyone who was even still slightly vertical. He poured over copies of old R&Ts, Sports Car, SCI, and Autoweeks to find results and match them up with the serial numbers. Many times the fact that the Ferrari did have a mongrel Chevy engine installed was quietly hushed up, and not easy pickings. Did not bother Randy one bit. We got Toly Arutunoff (who better?) to write the preface, and Ferrari historian Alan Boe to fact check. Our own Hugues Vanhoolandt freely supplied many of the great full color shots in the book, and Jodi Ellis took on the task of the layout and handling printing assignments.
Melton’s vision of Ferrari TR SN 0724.
Randy was equally insistent upon honoring and remembering old friends, like Jerry Melton. A part time photographer and artist, Melton had painted a caricature-like picture of the Chevy-engined Testa Rossa, SN 0724 at Green Valley Texas and gave it to Randy for the book. He stood his ground when wanting the painting on the cover. It was, after all, his book.
He deserved his own chapter, too. Randy was the proud owner of one of the only Ferrari V12s (a 250GT PF coupe) left to still be powered by the Chevy V8, and drove it to shows. He sold it after the book was published, but that was not his goal. Shortly before he passed away he told me of his latest project, a Ferrari 400 that would also have a Chevy V8 installed.
Very proud of the finished book, he took it around everywhere and sold many copies out of the trunk. It sold so well he decided to write and publish another book, Blue Oval, et al, Ferraris,this time featuring the Ford-engined Ferraris, along with other oddball engines, inserted into the hallowed chassis of Maranello.
Last year’s Concorso Italiano featured Chevy-engined Ferraris, and Hugues Vanhoolandt took the below video of Randy at CI discussing the Ferrari 0126A which was given a Chevy engine in 1958. Note that it has been restored with a proper Ferrari engine.
Randy was also active in the Florida Vintage car race scene as a tech inspector, driver of old Saabs and a Ford 60-powered MG. But he devoted the last years of his life to his books, and making damn sure that everyone knew that a huge number of mega million dollar Ferraris survived over the years because a lowly Chevy or Ford engine kept them running both on and off the track.
Damn right Randy. You’ll be missed.
Randy Cook was a wonderful friend and valuable volunteer at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen. We’re heartbroken.
– He plopped it down in front of me and said, “Well, let’s get to work.” –
That’s Randy!
Randy was a genuine enthusiast who worked so hard at sharing his research, enthusiasm and friendship. His books are fantastic and should be in everyone’s library. It took someone as dedicated as Randy to put together such an ambitious and worthy project. If it weren’t for the small block Chevy and Ford engines many Ferrari and Maserati race cars wouldn’t exist today…
Thank you Randy…
RIP
Thanks for this great article!. I’m his sister and grew up with him racing anything he could including my Dad’s English Ford Angela which didn’t too well on the track. But he tried!
Thanks for such a great tribute to my father. He was very proud of his 250 PF and was just getting started with the 400 he had purchased. His legacy will live on through his books and those who knew him and loved him.
Randy was a dear and close friend. We spent many hours at the track together teching cars and spending long nights going over car info. It wasn’t just Ferraris he was passionate about but a lot of orphaned cars as well. His love for anything Saab was ledgendary. I will miss him always. There was never a better friend.
I knew Randy through the Saab connection. I owned and raced a Sprite powered Quantum for a dozen or so years. I also had a 250 2+2 Ferrari with its original V12 for a quarter century but the topic of prancing horses never came up with him…a really missed opportunity. We all live in such compartmentalized worlds. Like I never would have known that Ernie Mendicki was not only a model train nut but worked in the same tiny N scale I did if it wasn’t for Gary Winiger making the connection and putting us together. Like Randy, I only knew Ernie through cars, and just Ferraris at that. But the train connection led somehow to Siatas and his mentoring me into a very historic 300BC I’ve raced for over 30 years. Connections…and I’ll miss Randy and remember fondly his input and help with the Quantum.
Thanks to Randy’s book, people will know that even a Ferrari was “just a used car” at one point….and installing a cheap, light, powerful Chevy V-8 seemed like a wonderful idea! As virtually all have now been converted back to Ferrari power, who would know these wonderful creations even exited! It certainly is not something their present or future owners will be likely to volunteer.
Randy, we all thank you for documenting this interesting era, and for being a genuinely nice person. RIP
an ugly bolt outta the blue. what a shame! huge loss. he was absolutely delightful to be around. condolences to everyone close to him. wish i’d been closer.
“One is remembered by his work” – put this on my gravestone as well! From a Saab-driving, part-time DeTomaso-owning motoring writer on things Italian in Austria, not Australia.
P.S.: nice to see Matt Stone is still around and doing very well!
I came to know Randy during his time at the International Motor Racing Research Center. He was always very friendly and I always enjoyed talking to him. As a lover of all things Chevy V8, (and admirer of Ferraris too,) his books are an absolute treasure to me. We are all fortunate that he took the time and effort to write about this part of racing history. I feel very fortunate that I got to know him. Randy was a very genuine and enjoyable person and he will be missed.
I am stunned to hear this news about Randy. I just spoke to him at Daytona at the first of last December. Randy was a great chap. We had many interesting discussions at the different race tracks we’d meet at in New York and in Florida. We discussed both his books as he was working on them. His enthusiasm was much enjoyed by all. Rest in peace, Randy.
It was an honor to collaborate with Randy on his two books! Randy used some of my Father’s old photos in Bowtie Ferraris and I also introduced him to my friend Jerry Melton for that purpose. The cover car on Blue Oval Ferraris is a photo taken by my dad at Road America in 1964 and was scanned from a slide I found in an old box. What a treat for my family to see our photo of George Reed in #0770 on the cover of Randy’s book! Randy wrote me a great note that I’d like to share: “Cliff, thanks for all you do to preserve and promote sports car racing from the past in photos, programs and race results and for your contributions to the context of my books”. That meant the world to me coming from Randy and I’m going to continue on in my quest to find and share old racing car history. Cheers to my friends Jerry Melton and Randy Cook!
While cars were his passion, so were many other things in his life. His family and job are the two I shared with him. Randy hired me as a Special Agent with DCIS and made me and many others good investigators by sharing his passion for the job and the Armed Forces. His love and passion for his family was even greater. Loved his family and was proud of them. Randy could easily be the master of topics such as law enforcement and “Botie Ferraris” but he taught me the most valuable lesson in life. “No one knows it all. Keep learning, that way you can teach me.”
Randy was a good neighbor and always greeted you with a smile. We shared our love of all things automotive and late in his life I also learned we had quite a bit in common professionally. He will be missed.
Today I learned of Randy’s recent passing…and I am saddened. I also learned for the first time that we had a lot of history in common. We both were Baltimoreans…born in 1945. In 1963, we both matriculated at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. We were UA fraternity members…Randy was a Theta Chi…I was a ZBT. In the 1990’s we both shared time at several HSR / Brian Redman racing events…Road Atlanta, Summit Point, and Sebring. But..never did we connect as University of Alabama alumni. Later in life, we both became published motorsports authors with a mutual respect for one another.
My condolences to Randy’s family.
Race In Peace Randy Cook!
We had several conversations over the last few years, starting with the books but ending feeling like old friends.
He will be missed by many.
RIP Randy
Pete,
After I wrote a review of Randy’s first book for VeloceToday, he kindly sent me an inscribed copy of the “Blue Oval” book, which I was pleased to review as well. He was a pleasure to work with. I was stunned at the depth and breadth of his research, and all I could think of was, “Where the hell did he get all this stuff, forty or fifty years later?” Fortunately, I got to meet him in person in Monterey last August and tell him how much I appreciated his work. He appeared to be in good health and enjoying himself immensely. Godspeed, Randy.
I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Randy’s passing. He was due to join us in England next month to do a book-signing alongside his beloved Ferrari 250 PF ‘Chevy’ on our stand at the Goodwood 75th Members’ Meeting.
We last spoke only a few weeks ago.
It was at Goodwood that I first met Randy, four years ago. He was laden down with his research on the “Chevy Ferraris” and we offered him a seat. What followed was fascinating story, but I never thought we would eventually be the owners of one of these cars, and Randy’s personal car at that.
He was so supportive of our plans to keep it as the last surviving ‘Bowtie Ferrari’ and to race it in historic events, and we were all looking forward to meeting up again in March.
The ‘PF Chevy’ will still be at Goodwood next month but now, somewhat poignantly, as a tribute to Randy.
His books meanwhile are lasting legacy to his life and work and are never far from reach.
He will be sadly missed and our condolences go out to his family and friends.
My wife and I met Randy last December at the Ferrari Finali Mondiali in Daytona. I didn’t know him, but we quickly struck up a conversation about old race cars. For a reason I don’t remember, I mentioned something about a book regarding Ferraris with Chevrolet motors. He smiled and said he knew about the book. I didn’t catch that he meant he actually WROTE the book. As a result, we walked back to his car and purchased both books, which he kindly autographed. We also took some pictures of Randy and us with his books and made a memory which is even more meaningful now. He was certainly one of the good guys and will be missed.
I met Randy a few decades ago while he was pouring fuel into each of the three carbs on a vintage 3 cylinder two cycle Saab Quantum race car at Summit Point where I was racing my 1963 Volvo Amazon. Since I also raced Saab cars at one time we became friends and spent many great times together mostly at various race tracks, my shop, Saab Events and anywhere our paths crossed.
My wife Carol and I were fortunate to visit with him several days before he passed at his home in Florida and intended to return after receiving a call from his wife Laurie about his declining condition.
He was a true friend, a gentleman and a giving person. His dedication and passion to racing and sports cars was phenomenal. He contributed to many Automobile Museums not only of cars and artifacts but very generously of his time. He spent many years working at Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen which was much too far to commute from Florida so he moved there but it also may have been his favorite Italian Restaurant, Jerlandos, down by Seneca Lake that kept him coming back to N.Y. We had a great trip to Goodwood together, his first time, and you would have thought he was back at any of his favorite race tracks in the U.S. meeting and hooking up with friends and acquaintances.
He is sadly missed by many including both my wife and I.
His accomplishments, his legacy and friendship will live on forever.
Peace to you Randy
Having met Randy when I was a car crazy, SAAB 96 driving teenager 44 years ago, he was a dear friend, second Dad and vintage SAAB racing partner. I had the pleasure of helping him take his PF to The Quail just prior to its sale.
As had been mentioned, Randy had begun to put another Bowtie Ferrari in his collection. Last Fall, along with my wife, Lorri, I picked up an empty engine bay 400 for Randy in South Dakota, bringing it back to South Carolina and then down to Robinson Racing near Atlanta for Harry and his crew to install the new Chevy V-8. Sadly, Randy passed away the morning Harry finished the car. The middle of last week, Jan Hawk, another friend of Randy and fellow vintage racer, became the very proud owner of this car. I’m sure Randy would be delighted that Jan now has it and intends to keep it a Bowtie Ferrari.
Ken Payne
Thanks for the update. Randy was very enthused about the new project and I thought the 400 would be a perfect fit for the Chevy and vice versa.
Pete