330 America

Sandra Ilene Hara was a Beverly Hills socialite. Growing up close to the rich and famous, she developed a charm that would lead her life. Here, she met Solomon “Sol” West, III, son of a wealthy Texas cattle farmer and oil baron. The pair began dating before it all fell apart… One day, Sandra showed up at Sol’s house, only to be told by his butler that he wasn’t home. Shortly after this a ‘blonde wrapped in a towel’ walked past the front door. Filled with rage at his infidelity, Sandra headed to Mexico, where his renegade brother, Isaac “Ike”, Jr., spent his time drinking and binging on substances, far away from the family fortune.

Sandra sobered Ike up and brought him back to his riches in Texas, later marrying him. However, fancying a change of lifestyle, the pair moved back to Beverly Hills in 1963. With this came all the tropes of ‘60s American wealth - the mansion, the designer clothes and the fast cars, particularly Ferraris. But, Ike’s drug habit and fluctuating weight caused significant health problems. He passed away in what was described as ‘mysterious circumstances’ in a Las Vegas motel on 5th January 1968, aged only 33.

The sole heir to her late husband’s fortune, Sandra continued her life of Hollywood excess. However, despite having all the money she could have asked for, true friends were few and far between. In 1972, she drafted an unusual will, perhaps influenced by her loneliness. She requested that she be buried ‘in Texas, where the money came from’, and that Sol was to be the sole heir, only if he completed her final request: bury her next to her husband, in a lace nightgown, seated in her Ferrari.

This was needed earlier than she probably thought. Now somewhat of a recluse, Sandra devoted much of her time to studying Egyptology and curating an extensive stamp collection. However, in 1976 she drafted a different will, leaving everything to the family attorney, Fred Semaan, instead. Later that year, Sandra suffered serious injuries in a car accident while driving her Ferrari 330 America, requiring her to have private nurse care at her home. She seemed to be recovering, but on 10th March 1977, she complained to her nurse of stomach pains, was taken to bed and died during her sleep. The coroner’s report listed the cause of death as a massive haemorrhage resulting from prior injuries.

Amongst her papers, the two wills were found. The 1976 will was drawn through in red lines, with ‘VOID’ written across each page, but this was not enough for Fred. Potential millions were at stake, so a legal battle ensued between him and Sol. Eventually, on 11th April 1977, a Los Angeles court ruled that the wishes of Sandra’s 1972 will were to be followed to the letter. The court instructed that the damaged 330 America was to be left as-is and placed into a large wooden box to ‘preserve Ms. West’s dignity’. The court estimated the funeral to cost $15,000.

On 19th May 1977, Sandra was laid to rest, in front of a television crew and over 150 spectators, most of whom she was unfamiliar with. The box containing Sandra in the Ferrari was lowered into a 20-foot-long grave and covered with cement, where it remains to this day.

Sandra’s estate containing over $3 million in cash, her Beverly Hills home, mineral rights, stamp collection and jewellery were all passed to Sol. Her other two Ferraris, a 1969 365 and a 1974 Dino 246 GTS (chassis no. 08454) were sold at auction, both to Californian buyers.

Her grave can be visited at Alamo Masonic Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.