Last May, I posted about this car – a one-of-a-kind Swiss-bodied Ferrari – under the “In-Motion Classic” rubric, as it was one of those infuriating cars that never seemed to stop. I saw it a few times and it was always in a hurry to go someplace else. And then, in early November, it showed up again but this time, the driver parked it. I could finally snap away to my heart’s content.
In case you’re wondering, the orange number 34 on the windshield indicates that this car was entered in the 2024 Festa Mille Miglia – a lot of cars participated this year (full list here), a few of which have already had their fifteen minutes of CC fame.
Said windshield, which was adapted to the body sometime in the ‘60s or ‘70s, is definitely not the car’s best feature. It’s harder to see it from a straight profile like this, though. Probably this Ferrari’s best angle.
The back end is a tad nondescript. But what I was really angling for were either shots of that 2.6 litre OHC V12, or the interior – preferably both. Alas, the engine bay was never opened, not in my presence at least.
But the interior, that was on the cards. And it did not disappoint! Leather and white bakelite galore…
Is that the handbrake down there, to the right of the accelerator? Interesting placement. Very pre-war, unlike the rest, which would have been bang up to date for the early ‘50s. No radio set, but then you have a symphony in V12 major as your aural accompaniment.
Pity about the engine, but if I do get to capture it, I’ll add it to this post. I for one am curious as to the number of carburators that are in there.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed this rather striking (if not exactly beautiful) machine, of course. The gingko leaves were also starting to turn, so the avenue is very frequented at that time of year anyway.
But there are gingko trees all over the city, whereas that Ferrari is here and literally nowhere else.
Kudos to the owner for driving it hard too, as those mud splatter marks aft of the rear wheel can attest. It’s old, it’s unique and it’s valuable, but it’s still a sports car that can and should be raced.
Related post:
In-Motion Classic: 1951 Ferrari 212 by Ghia-Aigle – Just Sit Still, Will Ya?, by T87
The mud splatters probably answers my last question whether our Japanese friends actually drive their cars to show them off ? I certainly would as Tokyo always seems to be very calm traffic wise – compared to European capitals anyway
Very pretty car, so many beautiful Ferraris from that era, there is definitely a hint of Karmann Ghia to the rear end, or rather the VW coupe has a hint of this car to it, being a few years later
Ferrari styling similarities of the era… you posted up a pic of that red barchetta yesterday that you managed to catch again which of course sent me down the Wikipedia rabbit hole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_166_S
This little one is from 1949 and looks very similar to the featured car. The article mentions a small V-12, making me wonder if it was an engineer from the same family. The barchetta in the wiki article appears to be only 2.0 liters.
Again, great find T-87!
*correction* ‘ENGINE from the same family’. Damned Autocorrect.
The 212’s had a larger 2.6 L version of the Colombo-designed V12. The number “212” designates the displacement in cubic centimeters per cylinder. This was Ferrari’s convention for almost forever.
Superb car, but that windshield is a travesty. How sad.