1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupe

Aurelio Lampredi joined Ferrari in 1947 and became head of the design team in 1949. That position had been held by engineer Gioachino Colombo who had been with Ferrari for many years, dating back to his years spent with Alfa Romeo.

Racing regulations in the early 1950s stated that a maximum displacement of 1.5-liters with forced induction or 4.5-liters with natural aspiration. Lampredi immediately designed a large displacement version of Colombo's original Ferrari V12, retaining Colombo's single overhead camshaft layout but adopting cylinder liners screwed into the heads to prevent head gasket failures. The result of Lampredi's work first appeared near the close of the 1950 Grand Prix season in the 4.5-liter 375s, which would be the team cars for 1951.

For 1952, FIA adopted Formula 2 regulations for the World Championship which meant the Lampredi long block engine was ineligible for competition. It soon found a home in sports cars. Work began on developing a 3.3-liter Lampredi-engined sports car using 212 chassis in 1950. Two of these 275S models were entered in the 1950 Mille Miglia driven by Ascari and Villoresi. Both cars failed to finish due to driveline failures. A 4.1-liter version soon followed, creating the 340 series. They were announced at the Paris Salon in October of 1950 and would become Ferrari's most successful and famous early models. They were used in competition by the factory and by privateers, providing many podium finishes, notably including Giannino Marzotto's 1953 Mille Miglia victory.

The first series of the 340s were designated 340 America. Their powerplant was a 4.1-liter single overhead camshaft with a roller cam follower, single plug, and coil and distributor ignition. With the help of three 40DCF Weber downdraft carburetors feeding individual intake ports, the engine produced 220 horsepower at 6000 RPM. Eight of the series had dry-sump engine lubrication. The five-speed gearbox was mounted directly to the engine and powered the rear wheels. The suspension was independent in the front with transverse leaf springs and a live rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs. The coachwork was created by Ghia, Vignale, and Touring.

There were only two 1951 Ferrari 340 America's bodied by Touring and both had dry sump lubrication. This Touring-bodied Berlinetta was completed at Ferrari on July 23, 1951, and finished by Touring three months later. The first owner was Cavaliere Tommaso Sebastiani in October 1951 and stayed with him for several years, and may have even been used in competition. It was sold to Sidney Chaplin, son of the famous actor Charlie Chaplin. About a year later, he sold it to Marchese Pottino of Palermo, Sicily, who traded it back to Ferrari for a new car in 1958. The car's next owner was an unidentified American.

At some point in its life, it received a Chevy small block engine. It was at the US Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and later discovered in a barn in Washington, North Carolina. It was purchased by Peter Pheil in 1976 who installed a 250 GT engine and transmission, and used it in the Mille Miglia retrospective in 1986. In 1988, it was sold to Massimo Colombo, who resurrected a 340 block which he believed to be 0126A's original engine. The engine was rebuilt with new cylinder heads from Nuovo Lunelli of Modena and fitted with a period 5-speed transmission.

Colombo and Maher used the car in the 1991 Mille Miglia. The following year, Colombo and Ikusawa drove it in the Mille Miglia. Colombo passed away in 1993, and the car passed through a few collectors over the next few years. In 2003, it was sent to restorer Patrick Ottis who determined that the engine was not its original. It was comprehensively rebuilt including new valves, bearings, pistons, and camshafts. At that time, the five-speed unsynchronized gearbox was replaced with a later four-speed synchromesh gearbox from a 250 GT Europa.

The current owner purchased the car in 2005. It is painted in Italian racing red, has sliding panel side windows, vent gills formed in plexiglass quarter windows, an outside filler cap on the right sail panel, and outside-laced lightweight wire wheels.

In 2009, this 340 America Berlinetta with coachwork by Touring was offered for sale at the Houston Classic Auction presented by Worldwide Auctioneers in Seabrook, Texas. The lot was estimated to sell for $1,200,000 - $1,400,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had failed to sell after reaching a high bid of $1 million US dollars.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2009