{"id":304898,"date":"2021-04-19T21:38:33","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T01:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/?p=304898"},"modified":"2024-01-24T15:56:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T15:56:55","slug":"don-ricardo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/don-ricardo\/","title":{"rendered":"Don Ricardo"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>Rene Dreyfus, great Pre WWII Grand Prix champion and world-class restaurateur, famously entitled his autobiography <em>My Two Lives<\/em>.\u00a0 The late Don Ricardo could have just as appropriately employed this same title for his most interesting life story.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Although his background includes activities from semipro basketball to tool and die making, the Two Lives he is most known for are big band leader, and committed lifetime automobile racer and enthusiast.\u00a0 Don Ricardo was both for many of his 80 something years.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-802883 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1-737x1024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1-72x100.jpg 72w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-with-Gullwing-1-1-293x407.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I visited his Pasadena, California home several times; a subtle but large Spanish rambler nestled in the hills just a few minutes from the Rose Bowl and well equipped for car collecting.\u00a0 The main garage holding a dozen cars with ease, more in a pinch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Don Ricardo was a musician since childhood (violin and drums) and is perhaps most noted as the leader of \u201cDon Ricardo\u2019s NBC Orchestra\u201d on radio during the 1930s and 40s.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-802889 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1-658x1024.jpg 658w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1-64x100.jpg 64w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Don-Ricardo-event-invite-1-1-293x456.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>His group often appeared on the ticket with headline bands such as Tommy Dorsey and was a popular fixture on the Hollywood and LA nightclub circuit.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A trained machinist and tool and die maker, he applied for a job at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and worked there from 1940-1945; the technology he worked on was codenamed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/world-war-ii\/the-manhattan-project\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manhattan Project<\/a> (the atomic bomb), although Ricardo pledged he didn\u2019t know that at the time.\u00a0 He figured it was something to do with defense, but didn\u2019t have any clue as to the ultimate magnitude of the project.\u00a0 After the war, Ricardo was caught up in America\u2019s discovery of European sports cars and racing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Although his collection was somewhat varied, he was foremost known as a Mercedes-Benz man.\u00a0 His brightest three-pointed stars are <a href=\"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/mercedes-benz-300sl-gullwing-car-profile\/\">300SL Gullwings<\/a>; two 1955s, and a \u201957.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Amazingly Ricardo was the first owner of the earlier pair and only the second caretaker of the \u201857.\u00a0 One was a rare (1 of 29) alloy-bodied Gullwing, with which Don set class land speed records at the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bonneville_Salt_Flats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bonneville Salt Flats<\/a>; it also so saw competition action a quarter-mile at a time in the stock sports car classes at the Winternationals drag races in nearby Pomona, California.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-604182\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1-100x49.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Gullwing-at-speed-at-Bonneville-1-1-1-293x143.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Ricardo\u2019s Bonneville record run had every opportunity to end in star-crossed disaster, according to author photographer Dennis Adler:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>\u201cWhat happens when the driver\u2019s door pops open on a 300SL\u2014 at 150 mph? \u00a0For everyone except Don Ricardo, that\u2019s a purely hypothetical question.\u00a0 In 1967, during a record run at Bonneville, that\u2019s exactly what happened to him. Vibration freed the latch, and as the dry salt bed flashed by in a hot, white glare, the door suddenly flew open with a deafening roar, its support struts held, and the entire left side of the gullwing Mercedes-Benz left the ground. Fate was with Ricardo that day. He managed to keep the car going straight, resisted the impulse to hit the brakes, and let the speed evaporate until the car dropped back onto all four wheels. He drove back to the staging area, tied the door closed with rope, and went back out to set a Class E, Grand Touring Sports Class record of 153.771 mph for a two-way trip through the measured mile.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In spite of the rapid escalation of speed records during the 60s and 70s, Ricardo\u2019s record stood for decades, only eclipsed in the late 90s. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-802888 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1-668x1024.jpg 668w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1-65x100.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ricardo-and-alloy-SL-2-1-293x449.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\r\n<figcaption>Ricardo and alloy SL<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 35px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It took some special mods to push even the lightweight Gullwing to its record speed.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The engine was rebuilt and hopped up by soon legendary F1 and sports car racing star Lothar Motsenbacher with an 0.080 inch overbore of the cylinders, and a custom crankshaft to increase the stroke, for a total of about 3.2 liters displacement.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The ForgedTrue racing pistons amped the compression to 11.0:1, and California hot rod and racing cam grinders Harmon &amp; Collins spec\u2019d up a special high lift stick, plus the entire engine was carefully balanced.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The Bosch fuel injection and distributor were recalibrated, and the stock single exhaust hit the shop floor in favor of a thunderous sounding dual straight pipe set up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A 3.25:1 rear diff ratio, full underbody aluminum bellypans, Koni shocks, and special Firestone high-speed Bonneville tires, along with mandatory safety gear, and plenty of careful assembly and prep rounded out the job.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-604177\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1-100x65.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Victoria-Tourer-at-Ricardo-home-1_1-293x191.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\r\n<figcaption>Victoria Tourer at Ricardo home<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 33px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Other Mercedes and\/or Benz cars in his stable included a 1911 Victoria Touring car, a stunning and historic gray and black 1923 Targa Florio 28\/95 that now belongs to the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/petersen-automotive-museum-online-exhibits\/\">Petersen Automotive Museum<\/a> in Los Angeles, this car ran a massive naturally aspirated 7.2-liter single overhead camshaft inline-six that was derived from an aero engine.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This \u201cshort wheel-based\u201d roadster was commissioned by the American Mercedes Company of New York City in 1923 and delivered in 1924; Ricardo acquired the car in 1986 and owned it the rest of his life.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Additionally, he held a 1927 K sports roadster originally built for film idol Rudolph Valentino.\u00a0 More three-pointed stars were his 1928 SSK, a \u201963 300SL Roadster, and a 1969 standard wheelbase 600 plus one of the factory recreated three-wheeled 1886 Patentwagens.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Ricardo\u2019s tastes tended to run eclectic from there, up and down the classic and modern ranges.\u00a0 His 1938 Horch convertible coupe was a concours favorite, and his garage included a Lynx Jaguar D-Type replica, wonderful in its raw aluminum coachwork.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-802879 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1-667x1024.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1-65x100.jpg 65w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Targa-Florio-and-Lynx-1-1-293x450.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\r\n<figcaption>Targa Florio and Lynx<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 56px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>His penchant for 300 SL coupes certainly set the tone for other marques in his collection including a gull-winged DeLorean DMC-12 plus a Ford-powered Bricklin SV1, another gull-winged oddity.\u00a0 Plus the one and only Giannini Monza coupe \u2013 it was destined for series production in Italy in the early 1970s, but that mid-engined sports car project was scrapped when the all too similar Fiat X1\/9 came to market.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Add to all of this a Studebaker Avanti, a Model T, and a genuine article <a href=\"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/jaguar-xkss-transforming-the-d-type-2\/\">Jaguar D-Type<\/a>, no surprise as Ricardo often raced Jaguars prior to getting big in to Mercedes-Benz in the mid-50s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-802880 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1-183x300.jpg 183w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1-624x1024.jpg 624w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1-61x100.jpg 61w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Lynx-and-SSK-1-1-293x481.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\r\n<figcaption>Lynx and SSK<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 35px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Ricardo\u2019s home garage\/shop complex, somewhat like many of his cars, had a patina all its own: not a well-polished and clinically sterile television or movie sound stage built to resemble a garage, but one with real tools hanging on the walls, along with posters and memorabilia tacked up wherever they\u2019d fit.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>There were machine tools, battery chargers, spare parts, and cases of oil all about.\u00a0 This was a man who used and enjoyed his cars while sharing them with others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As noted, a friend and I used to spend an occasional Saturday or Sunday at Don\u2019s place, helping him fettle his cars; airing up tires, charging batteries, checking fluids and a wax job here and there, the car chores that a guy in his 80s was having a tougher time keeping up with.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He was always very generous with us, maybe asking us to do something specific here or there, but more often just diving in on the things we noticed or just felt like doing.\u00a0 Lunch was always on Don, and the storytelling was epic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-604179\" src=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1-100x65.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/09470008-1-1-293x191.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In February of 1996, the San Gabriel Valley Section of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America hosted an open house\/fundraising event at his home to help fund the production of a documentary film about Don\u2019s legendary life.\u00a0 The program was called \u201cDon Ricardo; the man, the music &amp; the motorcars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>I was there as were a film crew and dozens of friends and MBCCA members; it was a lovely day, the music played, and Mr. Ricardo was in rare form as host and storyteller.\u00a0 I cannot locate any evidence that the film was ever finished or produced, but I\u2019d certainly like a copy if it ever is.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Don Ricardo passed away on August 15, 2001.\u00a0 His widow and three children quietly dispersed his car collection, which found new homes worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Author Adler recount this further story about his introduction to the finer points of racing and collecting Mercedes-Benz;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>\u201cI was doing alright in my Jag until the 300SL came out, and some local guy just wiped my tail off the map in nothing flat, so the first thing I did was go down and trade my British roadster in on a new 300SL. I had every option available, special paint, special tires, the works, [Rudge wheels], and that car cost me $9,300. People say they were selling for $5,600 back then, and I tell them, \u2018not with all the options.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When he went to pick up the car at the dealership, it wasn\u2019t to be seen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p>\u201cThey told me it was on the way over, and all of a sudden, there\u2019s this big screech, and here comes a red 300SL tearing into the driveway with all four wheels locked up and sliding right into the service area. The driver\u2019s door opens and out jumps this young kid who worked for the dealer as a parts runner and driver. He says, \u2018Is this your car?\u2019 I nodded. \u2018Boy, it\u2019s a good one!\u2019 he said. He didn\u2019t hurt it any, just cleaned the tires off a little, but he was going like hell on that little side street. That was my introduction to the car and the kid &#8212; His name was [future F1 and sports car racing star] Richie Ginther.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Photos by the author and courtesy Don Ricardo and Scott Grundfor<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rene Dreyfus, great Pre WWII Grand Prix champion and world-class restaurateur, famously entitled his autobiography My Two Lives.\u00a0 The late Don Ricardo could have just as appropriately employed this same title for his most interesting life story.\u00a0 Although his background includes activities from semipro basketball to tool and die making, the Two Lives he is most known for are big band leader, and committed lifetime automobile racer and enthusiast.\u00a0 Don Ricardo was both for many of his 80 something years.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":145,"featured_media":604184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263,18114,18330],"tags":[17152,75,18435,11346,18107,16791],"class_list":["post-304898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-culture","category-people","category-profiles-car-culture","tag-car-culture","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-people","tag-driver-profiles","tag-people-profiles","tag-profiles"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Don Ricardo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read about Don Ricardo love for cars, particularly Gull Wing vehicles. We go through his favorite cars he collected and the Speed record.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/don-ricardo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don Ricardo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read about Don Ricardo love for cars, particularly Gull Wing vehicles. 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