The Missouri & Southern Illinois Chapter originated as the “St. Louis Ferrari Club”. In 1972 it became part of the Ferrari Club of America .
Our original founding members in 1972 were:
| Dave Biggs 225 Sport (0220ET) 250 Testa Rossa (0720TR) | John Lee 250 GT (Boano) | Bob Spooner 275 GTB |
| Dan Feinberg 250 GTL (Lusso) | Don Levin 250 GTE 250 SWB California Spider | Mike Walther 250 GTL (Lusso) |
| Jerroy Frank 250 GT (Boano) | Allen Milner 250 SWB | Tom Welch 250 Pf Coupe |
| Stu Hollander 275 GTB4 | Jack Reuter 250/330 GTO |
As this was a time before the national club had chapters, the group acted as a semi-autonomous portion within the Central States Region. The recurring leader of the group was Dan Feinberg until there became a point in the latter part of the 1990s when the group became dormant as no one came forward to take over from him. By 2000 Bud Stroheide had taken on the leadership role to reinvigorate our group and led the process starting in late 2001 that resulted in us transition into being an officially recognized Chapters; part of a national Ferrari Club of America initiative to encourage the formation of Chapters to provide more local level area coverage for the members. By late 2002 we were one of the 23 functioning Chapters across the US and Canada. Initially called the Missouri Chapter, in 2003 we renamed to “Missouri and Southern Illinois Chapter” to better reflect how our territory encompasses substantial portions of both states.
Our Chapter presidents have been:
Bud Stroheide (2002-2005)
Jim Weddle (2006-2010)
Evan Crandall (2011-2014)
Doug Holtzman (2014-2017)
Jeff Kennedy (2018 – 2021)
Albert Stix (2021-2023)
Magnus Tannfelt (2023-present)
Although mostly centered around the St. Louis metroplex we have members across our entire territory encompassing Eastern Missouri to Columbia, Jefferson City and south while in Illinois we cover everything south from Quincy to Decatur.
The St. Louis Ferrari Club Chapter today
Today, the club has hundreds of members who engage regularly in social events, track events, drives, F1 watch events, and events with chapter sponsors. Nearly every modern model is represented, with many unique specs.
Come join us!
Extended Club History
In 1976, just 4 short years after becoming a group, we organized and hosted as the St. Louis members of the Ferrari Club of America the national club’s 13th Annual Meet, Tour de St. Louis. This is the one event each year that brings together all the club members from throughout the US and Canada for a multiday sequence of social events, track driving, pleasure drives and a judged showing of the cars. The headquarters hotel was Sheraton Westport, the track used was the now long-gone Mid-America Raceway in Wentzville. The Best of Show went to Joel Finn’s 1957 250 Testa Rossa #0710TR which he had brought from Connecticut.
When one looks back at 1972 when our Chapter was formed the then current model offerings by Ferrari were
The Ferrari Scuderia racing efforts were with:
Although our area may not be typically perceived as a bastion of Ferrari activity, there is in fact a long-standing marque connection that extends all the way back into the mid-1950s.
First mention goes to John Shakespeare of Centralia, Illinois, of the Shakespeare Fishing Tackle and Shakespeare Oil family with both grand touring and racing Ferraris. In 1954 he bought new the Turin show 375 America, #0337AL. A magnificent Vignale bodied car that was the highest level of Ferrari for road use of the day.
As he decided to do sports car racing, that same year he bought 375 Miglia Mille #0376AM.
Shakespeare’s first race with this was the incredibly grueling 5-day, 2,100 mile Carrera Panamericana in November where he partnered with Luigi Chinetti (Ferrari importer for North America, 3-time winner of Le Mans and the winner of the 1951 Carrera Panamericana). After finishing 4th in class and 6th overall Shakespeare would continue to race this car through the remainder of 1954 and in 1955.
In 1955 he acquired a second racing Ferrari, a 1951 212 Export barchetta #0100E which he raced throughout 1955.
The next person of historical note from our territory would be John Kilborn of Decatur, Illinois, known as Honest John throughout his sports car racing endeavors. He bought his first Ferrari from John Shakespeare, the aforementioned 375MM, in 1955. Kilborn would continue racing Ferraris into the middle of 1959 during which he owned and drove an assortment of significant racers of the period: the 375MM, the monumentally brutish 121 LM #0558LM ,
a 750 Monza #0518M
and finally a 290 Miglia Mille #0616
Beyond these two there has been a significant assortment of Ferraris that have come and gone through our area prior to and after the creation of our Chapter.
Founding Chapter member, Jack Reutter, had at various times some extremely historic cars. He started his Ferrari days in 1965 at a time when these old ex-racers were appreciated by only a devoted few that would accept the difficulties of maintaining cars that had exceeded their competitive racing lives.
Through his hands would pass a 1953 166 MM #0050 (but renumbered from 0308M which already had gone through 3 other St. Louis area prior owners, and a 330/250 GTO #3765LM that he owned during the creation of our Chapter.
A local dealer that traded in “interesting” Ferraris during the 1970s was Bud Pessin, of Archway Motor Imports. Bud also served as Chapter president for a while in the early days. As a pure racer he had a 1954 500 Mondial #0474MD
In the dual purpose GTs he had two special 250 Tour de France (TdF) GT coupes: 0515GT one of only a couple bodied by Zagato with their signature “double bubble” roofand arguable the singularly most significant TdF the 1957 #0677GT which was raced by Olivier Gendebien (who would go on to become the first 4-time winner of Le Mans) and used as a development car by the Ferrari team in developing the 250 Testa Rossa’s outside plug motor.
Also passing through Pessin’s hands were a 275 GTS #07317, a 500 Superfast #08083SF, a 275 GTB/4 #09795,
and a 365 GTB/4 S (Daytona Spider) #16903.
1950 166MM #0062M
1952 340 America #0140A
1952 225 Sport #0220ET
1954 375+ Cabriolet #0488AM
1955 750 Monza #0504M
1958 250 Testa Rossa #0720TR
1958 250 GT Ellena #0883GT
1963 250 California #1963GT
For more detailed individual car histories of these and others go to: http://www.barchetta.cc/All.Ferraris/ferrari.by.serial.number.summary/index.html
We also recommend Cliff Reuter’s site for information about his father’s cars [see above] and other Ferrari and non-Ferrari information. http://www.cliffreuter.com/etceterinihomepage.htm