2008-09-28 08:30:39 | pauls writes:

Note: the VIN on this car is based on the ID of the motor and not confirmed. Corrections and or confirmations are welcomed. Please send them to the webmaster

Car was at RM auctions 8/07
http://www.rmauctions.com/AuctionResults.cfm?SaleCode=MO07#
Passed on $240k.

Auction description:
Specifications:
est. 220 bhp, 3442 cc XK 120M six-cylinder Jaguar DOHC engine with four SU carburetors,
four-speed Jaguar gearbox, tubular steel chassis with central
X-member, XK120 derived front and rear suspension and four wheel drum brakes.
Wheelbase: 96.0”

A worthy second echelon of specials that were constructed to professional standards might include the cars of John Fitch, Ken Miles’ MGs and Bocars. To this list we must now add the newly rediscovered and beautifully restored Cozzi-Jaguar Special which RM is proud to present at the 2007 Monterey Sports and Classic Car Auction.

ORIGINS OF THE COZZI-JAGUAR
In the late 1950s an unlikely alliance of four disparate individuals conspired to create one of the best sports racing specials of that era. How could a mechanically gifted teenager, a supportive father, a hot-rodder neighbor and a California panel-beater have accomplished so much with so little? Well, one must remember that this was the fab ‘50s – the war was long over, the economy was booming and any dream could become a reality courtesy of an application of the American work ethic.
Dan Cozzi spent his childhood investigating the mechanics of his playthings. While other high school students were dissecting frogs, Dan was taking apart his bicycles, often improving them as part of the re-assembly. He built a 12-speed off road bike with knobby tires long before someone else invented the mountain bike. His first internal combustion engine experience came when he was able to purchase a disassembled Cushman scooter. Soon Cozzi had it purring like a kitten, only to sell it because the next evolution in his do-it-yourself mechanical engineering studies had suddenly presented itself. Cozzi had first met his neighbor Bill Nielson when the latter invited him over to see a Model A Hi-Boy Hot Rod that he was finishing in his driveway. Cozzi remembers; “I was speechless – this car was so low I could put my hand on the rad-cap without reaching. Everything was exposed - so complex yet so simple”. Later Cozzi was given a loud and windblown ride to the local gas station. He was hooked.

When the 13 year old returned home with plans to build his own hot rod, his father said “No”, but conceded to an alternative – tearing down and hopping up a junkyard Ford Flathead V8. Later when neighbor Nielson’s interest shifted from Hot Rods to Sports Cars, Cozzi went along for that ride. In 1953, just before he turned 16, Dan bought his first car, a 1949 MG TC with savings earned from pumping gas and cleaning up at the local race shop. This was followed by a ’41 Ford Business Coupe – “one of the best cars I ever owned and faster than the TC”, but still, I wanted to build my own car”.

CONSTRUCTING THE COZZI JAGUAR
Neilson, now an XK 120 owner, suggested that Dan base his own special on Jaguar parts. Jaguar’s advanced DOHC six-cylinder engine, four-speed transmission, rack and pinion steering, big brakes and front independent wishbone suspension on torsion bars would be a much better starting point than a pile of pre-war Ford parts. Using all of the standard XK 120 suspension parts in their original locations on the new chassis meant that Cozzi didn’t have to re do the geometry, thus preserving the already superior handling built-in by the Factory. Under Bill’s guidance a simple plan was hatched – find a wrecked Jaguar, build a tubular ladder chassis on which to install the parts and clothe the whole affair in aluminum body panels. One problem, a teenager can’t manage a project like this from a part-time job income! So a financial plan was presented to his parents. After some negotiation they agreed to back their son in his basement project. “My father was to fund the construction, and I promised Mom that I would return to my engineering studies after a one-term break and that I would not drive it in racing – I was 18 years old and this was the chance of a lifetime!”

With Bill Nielson’s fabricating help, the project began in October 1955 and by the end of the quarter-term Cozzi was able to roll the chassis out on its own wheels and tires. Dan returned to college but parts for the engine rebuild had been ordered from England and his spare time was spent on oil pan repairs and having a fuel tank, radiator and water coolant tank built. Bill Neilson assisted with a set of body drawings and Jack Hagemann, a true master of metal with a renowned reputation, hand-crafted the alloy panels over the following nine months. Neilson’s design was faithfully followed, resulting in a sensuous shape worthy of the best offered by Italian Carrozzerias like Scaglietti but of superior quality due to Hagemann’s metal-forming skills on the English wheel.

In the spring of 1956 Cozzi began the final assembly and also road-registered it as a “1955 Jaguar Special” in the San Leandro, California office of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

As much fun as it was on the peninsula sports car roads, Dan Cozzi’s real interest lay in racing his car against Porsches, Ferraris and Maseratis, the current front runners in road racing.

THE COZZI-JAG TAKES TO THE TRACK
Next a driver had to be signed – Bill Nielson suggested Nadeau Bourgeault, the proprietor of a shop in Sausalito who was a seasoned sports car racer and would later build his own Formula Junior. Upon hearing the proposal, Bourgeault expressed an interest and after a few test runs, the car had its driver. Following up on Bourgeault’s suggestions, Cozzi installed a Lyeth Hi-Tork differential, a 4.27:1 gear set from a Jaguar MK VII and replaced the standard Firestones with Firestone racing tires. A test drive confirmed the improvements; the car was ready for racing.

The Jaguar Special’s first race was at Miner Field, Stockton, California in March 1957. Cozzi drove the car to Stockton, wearing Bourgeault’s favored number 15. Breezing through tech inspection and adjusting the tire pressures after the first practice session, Nade said, “Works like a million bucks”!

As a precaution, all body panels were removed the morning of the race to check every nut, bolt, wire, tube and all fluid levels. The fact that nothing required adjustment or attention proved to be an accurate preview of the actual race, both driver and car running flawlessly to a third-place finish in Class C. The overall Class C winner was Carroll Shelby in John Edgar’s 4.9 Ferrari, followed by Lou Brero’s D-Type Jaguar. An auspicious debut for a homemade special built by a teenager.

Two months later Cozzi entered the Jaguar in a race at Cotati, again with Bourgeault at the wheel and further improvements were made before its second race. Among these were venting for the transmission and rear axle, race brake linings with scoops added to the front backing plates, a cold air box, shortened steering and a smaller anti-roll bar.

The improvements showed their worth at Cotati with Bourgeault taking a first in Class C and finishing sixth overall. Another excellent result, especially considering the race included Carroll Shelby’s Maserati 300S, Jack Graham’s Aston Martin DB3S, John von Neumann’s Ferrari 500TR and Ritchie Ginther in John Porter’s Porsche 550 Spyder.

Cotati was the Special’s last race under Dan Cozzi’s ownership. “My car had proved to be a valid set of compromises. It was simple, strong, reasonably fast and easy to maintain. It had cost my father over $4,000 and further expenditures were clearly unjustifiable”.

Three months after Cotati and fresh out of school with a BSME, Cozzi was hired as an associate research engineer at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. The Jaguar Special became his weekend sports car for runs up and down the local coast roads. In 1959 Cozzi returned from a Fiat-sponsored post-graduate program in automotive engineering at Turin Polytechnic and after conferring with his father, decided to sell the car. The Special was sold for half of his father’s investment, but Cozzi’s experience in building his own car would remain priceless. Now retired, Dan Cozzi divides his time between Italy and San Francisco.

POST-COZZI HISTORY
According to Dan Cozzi, the car was sold to Californian Larry Alberdi who likely continued club racing the car as the no. 272 “International Motors Pirelli Special”. (At this time, events and results are unknown.) Eventually it passed to Arnold Andriotti who did little more than store it for a decade. In 1975 David Smith bought the still very original Jaguar Special, running it in the 1980 Monterey Historics after a superficial restoration. After that, it went into storage in Smith’s Salinas, California sports car shop for another 25 years until the present owners discovered it.

Jaguar enthusiasts David Hinton and Larry Ligas who operate the Florida based Predator Performance Shop bought the Cozzi from Smith in September of 2006 and immediately subjected it to a full and accurate restoration, a process made easier by this car’s absolute originality. Cozzi consulted with Hinton on various details including the exact color of the original paint – “Bolero Red”, a mid ‘50s Pontiac station wagon color. Body and paint specialists Tom Palisi Sr. and Jr carried out that aspect of the restoration, in the process becoming big fans of Jack Hagermann’s craftsmanship in metal.
The Cozzi Special’s first show appearance came with an invite to the March, 2007 Amelia Island Concours where it attracted much favorable attention, despite an entire golf course parked with automotive treasures. Additionally it has recently been the subject of lavish feature articles in Vintage Motorsport and Automobile Magazine.

If you are thinking of a proper vintage Sports Racer, Dan Cozzi’s Jaguar Special checks all the boxes. It is as good looking as any period Ferrari, original in the extreme, offers a fast and user-friendly performance and importantly it is eligible for every quality road and track driving event on the planet.

Car is currently 9/08 being offered at:
www.autocollections.com/index.cfm

2014-12-31 06:04:54 | Peter Ingram writes:

Another claimant to Cozzi Special title is 837783 I put it no stronger

2015-08-01 01:18:15 | pauls writes:

See also 834783 and S837783 documented cars.