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1952 Ferrari 340 America

The early history of the Ferrari marque is overwhelmingly characterized by the evolution of one classic engine, the Giacchino Colombo-designed motor commonly known as the 'short-block' V12. Colombo had joined Enzo Ferrari when he formed his company, and both had worked at Alfa Romeo prior to World War II, helping with their motorsport efforts. Instead of competing in less competitive racing series, Enzo chose the highest form and set his sights on Grand Prix competition, which meant they would be racing against the Alfa Romeo 158 'Alfetta' that Colombo had designed near the end of the 1930s. Racing regulations at the time limited displacement to 1.5-liter with forced induction or 4.5-liters with natural aspiration. Colombo chose a similar path that he had traveled with Alfa Romeo and selected to lower displacement with forced induction. The 1.5-liter engine soon became the cornerstone of early Ferrari models like the 125S, 166MM, and the 212 series. In 1954, when the displacement had been enlarged to three liters, the Colombo V-12 became the unifying component of Maranello's road car development for the following fifteen years.

1952 Ferrari 340 America photo
Berlinetta
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
The Colombo-designed engine in all its evolutions contributed greatly to the company's longevity and success, but Colombo, himself, left the company rather early, joining Alfa Romeo in 1950. His departure was partially due to limitations in his engine's design, and the success of one of his pupils, Aurelio Lampredi, who would create the next Grand Prix engine for Ferrari.

Colombo's earlier attempts with the supercharged engine design would, ironically, enjoy more success with Alfa Romeo than the more modern design created for Scuderia Ferrari. The short-block engine powering Ferrari's Grand Prix entries was unable to hold pace with the highly developed Alfa unit.

Colombo's replacement, Aurelio Lampredi, envisioned a different approach, selecting the naturally aspirated 4.5-liter displacement with a taller and longer architecture, earning it the nickname, 'long-block.' This design had several advantages over the blown motors which required extreme degrees of maintenance, tuning, and parts replacement due to the high revolutions. While the Colombo V-12 used a siamese arrangement for its intake porting, the Lampredi design had a single intake and twin ignition per cylinder. Similarities included the single overhead camshafts, light-alloy construction, three twin-choke Weber carburetors, and two valves per cylinder.

1952 Ferrari 340 America photo
Berlinetta
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
The Lampredi engine powered the Scuderia's 1950 Grand Prix cars and was quickly installed in their sports car racing program. The engine delivered unprecedented power capabilities at a fraction of the required maintenance during endurance events. The success led Ferrari to temporarily abandon further development of the short-block V-12, and Colombo accordingly soon made his exit. In his wake, Lampredi was promoted to the chief engineer position, at just 30 years old.

The 'long-block' engine was initially given a displacement size of 3.3-liters in Grand Prix configuration, and eventually grew to 3, 4.1, 4.5, and 5-liter sizes. This motor in its various sizes was used by Ferrari to power its sports car racing campaigns into the mid-1950s, including models such as the 340MM, 375MM, and the LeMans-winning 375 Plus. It helped Ferrari secure the World Sportscar Championships of 1953 and 1954.

The racing legacy of the Lampredi engine came to a close following the disastrous accident at Le Mans in 1955, as displacement limitations imposed by the FIA made the engine obsolete. Ferrari returned to the Colombo 'short-block' engine and installed it into the engine bays of the 250 Testa Rossa and Tour de France Berlinetta.

1952 Ferrari 340 America photo
Berlinetta
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
Beginning in 1946, Ferrari vehicles used a conventional tubular ladder frame chassis with two elliptical side members that would serve the company for nearly two decades. The suspension was comprised of double wishbones at the front with a transverse leaf spring and a live rear axle setup in the back.

340 America
The Lampredi V12 engine made its racing debut in 1950 at the Mille Miglia in the Touring-bodied 275 S. Two examples had been entered and both were forced to retire early due to tire and gearbox issues. One example had been driven by Luigi Villoresi and the other by Alberto Ascari. Despite being forced to retire prematurely, the results would be markedly different a year later.

Development continued and eventually reached the 4.5-liter size required for Grand Prix competition. For its sports car program, a 4.1-liter size was selected and offered 220 horsepower. Sports car racing in America was dominated by the Chrysler- and Cadillac-powered Allards, and Enzo reasoned a large-bore sports car specifically for the American market would perform rather well.

1952 Ferrari 340 America photo
Berlinetta
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
In August 1950, the company announced plans for a 4.1-liter Lampredi engined car, and 0030 MT was shown at the Paris Motor Show in September 1950. This engine was installed in a 275 S chassis that had been extended slightly to 95.3 inches (2,420mm). Production began with chassis no. 0082A, a Vignale-bodied Berlinetta that made its debut in April 1951 at the Mille Miglia. Driven by Villoresi and Piero Cassani, the 340 America placed first overall. 0082A was the first of 23 purpose-built 340 America examples, all receiving even-numbered chassis designations and thus (theoretically) intended for competition. Most were built for competition, but eight of the 23 cars were trimmed as well-appointed road-going vehicles. Vignale created coachwork for eleven examples, and Touring bodied eight, and the remaining four were by Ghia. The first two Americas were converted from the 275 S.

Of the purpose-built competition examples, three were more uniquely equipped, complete with dual-sprung rear suspensions, and engines tuned to higher specification offering 280 bhp.

The Ferrari 340 America was popular with privateers in Europe and the United States, earning the company numerous accolades. Meanwhile, the 375 F1 brought Ferrari Grand Prix victory, and they nearly won the Formula 1 championship, missing by a single point in 1951.

1952 Ferrari 340 America photo
Berlinetta
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A
View info and history
Auction entries : 3
Further development brought the 342 America for 1952 and just six examples were built. Two wore cabriolet coachwork by Pinin Farina, two were coupes by Pinin Farina, and a cabriolet designed by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Vignale. The 4.1-liter Lampredi V12 engine used a different carburetor air filter arrangement and offered 200 (detuned) horsepower. The 375 America arrived in 1953 and 12 examples were built through 1954. Its 4.5-liter V12 Lampredi engine (Tipo 104) offered approximately 300 horsepower. The 410 Superameria, introduced in 1955 and produced through 1959, saw production reach 35 units. The 5.0-liter V12 used triple Weber 40DCF carburetors to produce 335 horsepower. In Series III configuration, with triple 46DCF3 Webers, power rose to 355 bhp and was the final development of the 'long-block' Lampredi V12.


by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2021

Related Reading : Ferrari 340 America History

The 340 America was introduced in 1950 at the Paris Auto Show and was the first road car to be powered by the Lampredi engine. It was a 4102cc V-12 producing 220 bhp. Early Ferrari automobiles were custom-built cars and were not mass-produced. Ferrari provided the engine and chassis while Italian coachbuilders created the coachwork, leading to various specifications. The bodies of the 340 America....
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Related Reading : Ferrari Type 340 History

It was in 1948 when the newly formed Italian automobile company named Ferrari began selling a promising sports car named the 166. The two-seater sports car featured a 12-cylinder engine mounted in the front and supplying over 100 horsepower to the rear wheels. The engine was just under two-liters in size and had a unitary displacement of 166 cc, thus, the evolution of the model name. Production would....
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1952 Ferrari 340 America Vehicle Profiles

1952 Ferrari 340 America vehicle information
Berlinetta

Designer: Alfredo Vignale
Chassis #: 0202A
Engine #: 0202 A

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