1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Speciale Coupe

Ferrari Superamericas were developed from the former Ferrari 'Americas' beginning with the Ferrari 340 America in early 1951. With its sleek, powerful and futuristic characteristics on the shorter 250 GT wheelbase, it is said to have influenced styling for years and is also known as 'Superfast I' to differentiate it from the Superfast cars built in later series. It sports raised tailfins and has a unique version of the 4.9 Lampredi V-12 featuring twin ignition and 24 spark plugs. When reviewed in Road and Track in July 1957, Superfast I was estimated to reach about 161 mph using a 3.11 ratio in 4th gear at 6,000 RPM; it was also reputedly timed at just under 180 mph (288 km/h). It is appropriately fitted with a 300 km/h speedometer and is considered one of the fastest touring cars of its time. The first Superamericas were top-of-the-line limited production series targeted for the United States market.

After the Paris show, this car was sold to William Doheny of Beverly Hills, California, and later, actor Jackie Cooper. Two more Superfast prototypes were built before the name was used on the 500 Superfast launched in the 1960s. This Ferrari has remained in the United States ever since and was acquired by its current owner in 2004. It was a central feature at the 2005 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance when 75 years of Pininfarina was celebrated. It has since been painstakingly restored by Pininfarina in Italy.

The year 1956 was a good one for Ferrari, on and off the track. The Modenese firm won both the Formula 1 and the World Sportscar Championships in 1956. As a bonus, the Italian marque won Enzo Ferrari's favorite race, the open road Mille Miglia, a brutal 1000 mile high-speed lap of the Italian peninsula.

The 410 Superamerica was a significant design departure for Ferrari that year. It featured a unique cantilevered roof design and was one of the earliest two-tone Ferraris, it also had small, fifties-fashionable tailfins and a new longer chassis.

From its introduction in the 1956 Paris Auto Show, the 410 Superamerica became the star of Ferrari's glamorous catalog. The big twin-ignition 4963 cc V-12 engine gave the 410SA 340 horsepower.

'The Superamerica was the first Ferrari that looked to America for styling elements,' said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. 'From our perspective in the 21st Century the 410 SA seems to mark that moment when Enzo Ferrari realized that there was more to the automobile business than building racing cars.'