1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Geneva Coupe

Zero-to-sixty miles per hour took only nine seconds in the 212 Inter Coupe with zero-to-100 miles per hour achieved at 22.5 seconds. Several examples were used successfully in international competition, such as in 1953 when Ferrari won the Tour of Sicily, the Coppa Inter Europa at Monza, the Tourist Trophy, the Tour de France and the Carrera PanAmericana in Mexico.

In 1953, a new design on the 212 Inter chassis was introduced by Carrozzeria Vignale, and would be known as the 'Geneva Coupe.' The design was surprisingly similar to the famous PanAmericana 340 Mexico Coupes.

This Ferrari 212 Inter is the last Ferrari 212 Inter bodied by Carrozzeria Vignale. It is one of the few all-alloy construction and left hand drive. The car is fitted with three factory carburetors which helped boost horsepower to 165. There are 12-inch hydraulically-operated aluminum drum brakes with steel liners.

The car was sold new to Alfred Momo in New York where it would remain until 2002 when it was sold to an enthusiast in Japan. It has had only a few owners such as Richard Merritt and Steve Barney (who ran it in the Mille Miglia Storica in 1986 with co-pilot Gerald Roush). In 1991 it was shown on the lawn at Pebble Beach along with a group of historic racing cars and ran regularly at the Monterey Historic races in subsequent years. It has participated in touring events such as the Colorado Grand and the Wine Country Classic.

The Japanese owner treated the car to a comprehensive restoration and then ran it in the Mille Miglia four times, each successfully with no mechanical problems. In the front, a new grille was fabricated to accommodate two flush-mounted, auxiliary driving lights. The front seats were replaced during the restoration. The car is currently painted in Rosso Rubino with tan interior.

In 2008, this vehicle was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It had an estimated value of $650,000 - $750,000. This alloy-bodied example and the last of six 'Geneva Coupes' built was certainly one of the highlights of the auction. It was sold for $742,500 including buyer's premium.

The car returned to the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' auction in 2010, where this time it had an estimated value of $650,000-$750,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $654,500 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010