THE DEFINITIVE EARLY FERRARI

It is well-documented that Ferrari’s first true standardized production model did not arrive until the 250 GT of the mid-1950s. So, in the preceding eight years of development, engineering, and competition victories, as the company grew from a fledgling outlier into a perennial powerhouse, what design constituted the closest approximation of a prototypical Ferrari sports car?

While early Ferrari roadgoing chassis were bodied by a panoply of coachbuilders including Allemano, Vignale, and Ghia, perhaps the most definitive early road cars were the barchettas and berlinettas built by Touring of Milan. First sketched in 1949, these designs proved to be some of the most consistent coachwork variants through Maranello’s early years, stretching from the 166 iterations through the 212 Exports. It is interesting to note that while the Touring bodies were prevalent among the Colombo-engine models, Vignale and Pinin Farina were generally preferred for the Lampredi-engine competition sports cars.

That is, with the exception of two very special cars built on the 340 America platform—the first “big-block” 4.1-liter Ferrari racing model offered for roadgoing clientele.

ONE OF TWO

Claiming a high degree of rarity, and attention by marque experts, this beautifully presented Ferrari is among the most unique of examples. Chassis number 0126 A is the second of just two 340 Americas that were bodied as berlinettas by Touring, and the seventh of eight total Touring-built examples. Also the eighth of 23 340 Americas built in total, this Ferrari was completed in July 1951, finished in Pale Grey.

According to the combined information of an ACI estratto cronologico and a history report by marque expert Marcel Massini, the 340 America was sold new by Carrozzeria Touring and Enzo Ferrari to Cavaliere Tomaso Sebastiani, an engineer residing in Rome. Sebastiani reportedly returned 0126 A to the factory some 17 times over the following three years, strongly suggesting that the berlinetta was used in competition events despite the fact that no period racing record has yet been identified.

In July 1954 Signor Sebastiani purchased a Pinin Farina-bodied 375 MM, essentially spelling the end of his time with 0126 A, and a few months later he sold the Touring berlinetta to Sidney Earl Chaplin, the son of comic silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, then living in Corseaux, Switzerland. Chaplin only kept the car for 10 months before selling it to the Marchese Carlo Pottino, who retained possession for roughly two years.

In 1957 Pottino traded the Ferrari in to the Rome-based marque dealer Inigo Bernabei, and the following year he found a buyer on the American West Coast. As was frequently the case in the era of hot rods and an unfamiliarity with sophisticated Italian V-12s, the original engine was removed in favor of a Ford V-8. The 340 was then sold during the 1960s to an American naval officer stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who reportedly died in the Vietnam War in 1970.

During the mid-1970s the Ferrari was stored in a barn in Washington before being discovered in 1976 by Gerald Roush, the renowned founder of the Ferrari Market Letter. Roush facilitated a sale to Peter Pheil of Atlanta, and the Ford engine was subsequently replaced with a type 128F engine from a 250 GT Series-II cabriolet. The berlinetta was then enjoyed in the Mille Miglia Storica in 1986 and 1987 before passing through the hands of dealers and investors for the next few years.

The Ferrari continued to thrill drivers with additional runs in the Mille Miglia Storica in 1991 and 1992 before being sold to Southern California-based Ferrari restorer Steve Tillack in 1994. Tillack quickly re-sold the 340 to Rodolfo Junco de la Vega, a collector based in Mexico, and the America then attended the 1994 Monterey Car Weekend, including presentation at the Ferrari Club of America’s International Concours d’Elegance and participation in the Monterey Historic races at Laguna Seca.

After being sold back to Tillack in March 1995, the Ferrari returned to action with successful runs at the 1995 Monterey Historics, the 1997 Mille Miglia Storica, and the 1997 Los Angeles Vintage Grand Prix. Following presentation at the 2001 FCA Field and Driving Concours in Texas, the car was offered for sale for a time, after which a new owner acquired a proper Lampredi engine originally used in a 250 Europa. This engine was then reportedly increased to a 4.1-liter displacement with dry-sump lubrication per 340 America racing specifications, and rebuilt in 2004 (along with the gearbox and various chassis components) by the well-known marque specialist Patrick Ottis.

Acquired then by a collector in the UK, the Ferrari was offered in August 2005 at RM’s flagship Monterey sale and sold to an enthusiast based in Texas. The 340 was then exhibited at the 2009 Cavallino Classic, winning a Silver Award, and later that year the berlinetta was sold to the consignor, a discerning collector based in Southern California.

Under current ownership the Ferrari was displayed at the 2009 Palm Springs Concours d’Elegance before undergoing a full rebuild of the engine to competition specifications in 2015 by Rod Drew’s respected Francorchamps of America of Costa Mesa, California. This work included the installation of new valves, high-compression pistons, connecting rods, and cylinder liners; while newly fabricated engine heads in the original style with new custom camshafts were also fitted. This engine configuration reportedly delivers a conspicuous bump in power over the original 340 America specifications.

In August 2010 the beautiful Ferrari was presented at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, and in October 2017 the car was shown at the Art Center College of Design’s Car Classic. The berlinetta’s exhibition career then continued with presentation at the Concorso Ferrari at Pebble Beach in August 2019 and again in 2023.

As one of only two 340 Americas clothed in Touring’s influential berlinetta coachwork, and one of the last examples of the body design across all Ferrari models, chassis number 0126 A is a highly desirable example of one of Maranello’s most definitive early designs. Poised for further exhibition or vintage touring event enjoyment, particularly given its rebuilt competition-specified engine, this rare and impressive Prancing Horse would make a striking addition to any collection of Italian thoroughbreds.