1954 Ferrari 375 America

Ferraris's reputation during the late 1940s and early 1950s was built atop its Grand Prix racing program, and was partly subsidized by its road-going Gran Turismo cars built at the request of their wealthiest racing-car customers. Ferrari built the rolling chassis while the coachwork was created by independent carrozzerias including Touring, Ghia, Vignale and Pinin Farina. Pinin Farina would emerge as the company's coachbuilder of choice by the mid-1950s by virtue of elegant designs and the capability to build cars in numbers.

The first of the 'America' series was the 340 America produced between 1950 and 1952, followed by the 342 America in 1952. Twenty-five examples of the former (including two converted from 275 S) and six of the latter were built. The 250/375 Europa and America series of 1953 to 1955 are generally considered to be Ferrari's first production models. A total of twenty-five examples were built including 16 'Europa' and nine 'America' Pinin Farina coupes.

The Ferrari 340 America used a new Lampredi, 4.1-liter (4101.66cc) V12 engine that was originally developed for Formula One competition. The 342 America used the same engine as the 340 America but with a different carburetor air filter arrangement and developed slightly less horsepower (200 bhp compared to 217 bhp of the 340 America). Both the 340 and 342 America used even chassis numbers (similar to the company's race cars) while the 375 America had odd chassis numbering (road cars). All America models used a worm and sector steering system, were front-engined, and had a live axle in the rear.

The 375 America was followed by the 410 Superamerica in 1955, the 400 Superamerica (with a Colombo engine) in 1959, the 500 Superfast in 1964, and the 365 California in 1966.

250 Europa
Both the 250 Europa and 375 America shared the same wheelbase, many of the mechanical components, and similar body styles, but used different engines. Both models were introduced in October of 1953 at the Grand Palace Paris Auto Show.

The 250 Europa was powered by a 2,963cc Lampredi V12 engine based on a design of its 3.3-liter Formula One engine. The square engine used a 2.7-inch (68 mm) bore and stroke and produced 197 horsepower at 6,300 RPM. Both the short and long Lampredi V12s featured the same external dimensions and engine mounts, allowing them to be installed in the same 110.2-inch wheelbase.

The 340 America had used a five-speed gearbox while the 342 and 375 America received a sturdier four-speed unit with synchromesh on all forward gears. The chassis used a traditional Ferrari design with two elliptical side members suspended by double wishbones with a transverse leaf spring setup at the front with a live axle at the rear.

Giovanni Michelotti created the bodywork designs which were constructed by Vignale and Pinin Farina. Vignale bodied four coupes and one cabriolet for the 250 Europa, while Pinin Farina created seventeen coupes and one cabriolet. Two examples were later converted by the Ferrari factory to 375 America specification (chassis 0315AL and 0353EU).

The 250 Europa was replaced by the 250 Europa GT and was the first road car to use Colombo's 250 V12 engine and the first Ferrari to use the Gran Turismo moniker.

Ferrari 375 America
As indicated by its model name, the 250 'Europa' was designed for travel on continental roads where a premium was placed on handling and braking, while the 4.5-liter Lampredi V12 engine powering the 375 'America' made it the preferred means of transportation on America's new high-speed interstate highways.

The 4,522cc (4.5-liter) 'long block' Lampredi-designed V12 engine produced up to 300 horsepower at 6,300 RPM. It used a trio of Weber 40DCF (or DCZ) carburetors and was capable of sprinting from zero-to-sixty mph in under seven seconds with top speed achieved at nearly 160 mph. It was one of the fastest road-going automobiles in the world at the time.

Along with performance, the 375 America offered exclusivity as just twelve examples were built (two examples were converted from 250 Europa). Most examples wore three or five-window coupe bodies created by Pinin Farina. Vignale bodied approximately three Coupes plus a convertible. The final example received a unique body design executed by Pinin Farina to the specific requests of customer Gianni Agnelli.

With its performance, elegant and attractive styling, and comfortable interior, the Ferrari 375 America was one of the world's ultimate grand touring automobiles of its era. Since they were hand-built, no two examples were entirely alike. The price tag of approximately $10,000 when new helped solidify the 375 America as one of the most expensive and exclusive automobiles of its era.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2023