115 bhp, 1,995 cc front-mounted V-12 engine, five-speed manual transmission, independent double wishbones and transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring front suspension with hydraulic dampers, live rear axle and longitudinal semi-elliptic springs rear suspension with anti-roll bar and hydraulic dampers, and four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 2,420 mm (95.3")

• One of just 38 Inters produced from 1948 to 1951

• Ferrari Classiche certification

• Known ownership history from new

• 1949 Geneva Motor Show and Villa d’Este participant in 1949

In November 1948, at the Turin Show, Ferrari unveiled the first Ferrari at show in the company’s history. On the stand were both the 166MM and 166 Inter, a pair of racing and road variations, respectively. Between 1948 and 1951, Ferrari sold some 38 Inters, plus around 46 examples of the 166MM, in various body styles created by various coach builders. This not only put money into Ferrari’s racing coffers, but also demonstrated his ability to juggle both racing and selling.

The 166MM and 166 Inter on display at the Turin Show were dressed in coachwork by Touring of Milan. Unlike the MM Barchetta, the Inter was a coupé and the first road going Ferrari to be produced in any real numbers. It was designed by Carrozzeria Touring’s styling chief, Carlo Felice Bianchi Anderloni. Touring used its patented Superleggera coach building system for the body’s construction. Using the same basic mechanical setup as the 166MM, the Inter was a more civilised package, intended for the road rather than racing. The wheelbase was stretched 300 mm, providing enough additional interior space for two small rear seats. The frame was of tubular construction, with coachwork of the buyer’s selection. Power was supplied via a front-engine, 110 bhp, V-12, breathing through a single twin-choke Weber carburettor and 5-speed manual transmission. Top speed was around 178 km/h.

Enzo Ferrari had a keen interest in his new Inter. Said his son Piero in a 2001 interview, “You must remember that my father was then 50 years old. Whilst his name would become famous with our sports cars, he had a very strong affinity to the 2+2 because of their comfort and room”.

Chassis No. 015 S belongs to the initial series of touring coupés produced. It was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1949 and then sold to its first owner by Ferrari through Carlo Botticelli to Paolo Castelnuovo on 1 July 1949. Just two months later, its owner showed the car at the Concours d’Elegance at Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy. It remained in the possession of Castelnuovo until he sold the car to Massimo Alesi, its second owner, on 1 October 1953.

A succession of owners followed, with it spending a period in South Africa in the 1960s and then finding its way to the US. In the early 1980s, it was purchased by well-known Ferrari connoisseur, Peter Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe kept the 015 S for some 10 years, showing it at various Ferrari events before it found its way into France and then finally back to Italy.

A stylish early Ferrari with known history to this present day, it benefits from a full restoration by well-known Italian specialists, including Autosport in Modena for the bodywork and Luppi for the interior. Certainly a rare and stylish 1940s Ferrari coupé, its Ferrari Classiche certification only adds to its immense desirability.