THE FERRARI 212

Ferrari’s 212 series of automobiles was constructed between 1950 and 1953, and it boasted a variety of different styles and configurations that customers could choose from. The cars were blessed with a modified Colombo V-12 that was bored out to 2.5 liters to provide high horsepower, as well as a chassis that was largely based on that of the earlier 166 MM but had been adapted by engineers to handle the higher horsepower of its updated engine.

With only about 100 models of the 212 produced, production was divided up into competition-ready Export models, which sported even-numbered chassis, and road going Inter models, which received odd-numbered chassis. Towards the end of the production run, some of these 212 models carried the chassis number suffix “EU,” which stood for Europa. Numerous coachbuilders would be commissioned to clothe the 212 chassis and engine, but none were more distinctive than those bodied by Vignale.

CHASSIS 0287 EU

Following its completion by the factory, chassis number 0287 EU, a 212 Europa Coupe with coachwork by Vignale, was earmarked for shipment to the United States, where it would be sold by Luigi Chinetti Motors. The car was shipped directly to Chinetti’s facilities, where it was subsequently purchased by its first owner, Thomas Neelands of New York City, a prominent financier, sportsman, and enthusiast of fine automobiles.

By the 1960s, chassis number 0287 EU had traveled further west to San Francisco, where it was owned by Sid Colberg. In 1977, the car was purchased by Robert Raylor, of Burlingame, and three years later, the car was reported to be with Robert Lloyd, of Justin, Texas, who started to restore the car. Two years later, the 212 Europa was in the respected collection of John Ridings Lee, of Dallas, who had repainted the car maroon and removed its side chrome trim.

In 1983, chassis number 0287 EU returned to California, in the custody of Russell Head, a resident of Hillsborough. Head showed his car at the Ferrari Owners Club Concours at the Rancho Canada Gold Club in Carmel Valley in August 1984.

Sometime thereafter, the Europa was owned by an individual in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then it was imported to Switzerland after being purchased by Albrecht G. Guggisberg’s Oldtimer-Garge in Berne. After properly importing chassis number 0287 EU into Switzerland in June 1986, it was resold that same month to Paolo Gecchelin, of Castelgomberto, Italy. Gecchelin used the car frequently and showed it in the Ferrari Club Italia meeting at Imola in October 1987. Two years later, he drove it in the Mille Miglia, wearing #151. In June 1989, the car returned to Imola, where it was shown once again by Geechelin during the Ferrari Club Italia meeting.

Following its second time participating in the Mille Miglia, in May 1990, the Europa was sold to a Mrs. Graziella Palato, of Vicenza, Italy. Obviously Gecchelin regretted selling his Europa, as he purchased it back from Palato in January 1992. Following his reacquisition of the car, Gecchelin showed it during the Tutte le Ferrari in Pista meeting at Mugello in October 1993. However, in 1995, Gecchelin would part with his Ferrari for the last time, selling it to Ralph Bruggmann, of Gstaad, Switzerland. Burggman displayed his Europa at Ferrari’s 50th anniversary celebrations in Rome and Maranello in May 1997.

One year later, the 212 Europa was sold back to Albrecht Guggisberg’s Oldtimer-Garage, who commissioned the engine to be overhauled. Shortly thereafter, it was sold to collector Edgar Schemerhorn, of Delft, Holland, in December 1999. Schemerhorn drove the car sparingly but showed it at the MECC Show in Masstricht, Holland, in 2002 and again at the Uwe Meissner Modena Motorsport Track Days and Concours at the Nürburgring in Germany in 2005. In December of that year, the car was pictured in issue number 59 of the German magazine Ferrari World. Schmerhorn sold his car at RM’s own famed Ferrari – Leggenda e Passione auction at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, on Sunday, May 17, 2009, which was an honor that testifies to the car’s overall quality.

In 2009, chassis number 0287 EU returned to Texas, where it was cosmetically restored. Its stunning Vignale coachwork was refinished in red, with a black top, and the interior was reupholstered in matching black leather, tying the two-tone exterior to the interior of the car. Shortly thereafter, the car’s knee-action shocks were also converted to more usable and friendly tube-top shocks, which allowed for added comfort over long drives. At the same time, the mechanical fuel pump was also replaced with an electric fuel pump in an effort to increase its reliability. It should also be noted that these changes can be easily reversed if the new owner should so desire.

Following the restoration, chassis number 0287 EU was purchased by its current custodian in 2011. In his ownership, the car was driven twice on the Copperstate 1000, in 2012 and 2013. It was also shown at the Santa Fe Concourso in Sante Fe, New Mexico, in September 2013. In January 2015, in preparation for this auction, the Europa was sent to Bob Smith Coachworks in Gainesville, Texas, for a full service and detailing, which has ensured that the car is ready for more outings on vintage rallies and concours events.

Early Vignale-bodied Ferraris are representative of a unique period in Ferrari’s history. Their coachwork is instantly recognizable when compared to Scaglietti, Pinin Farina, Ghia, or Touring, and a very limited number of examples were produced before Pinin Farina became the coachbuilder of choice. As such, Vignale-bodied Ferraris are highly sought after for their unique looks and character, and no two examples are exactly identical.

Chassis number 0287 EU, one of only six built, is a wonderful example of its kind, and it would be an excellent concours candidate or vintage rally participant. With two Copperstate 1000 rallies to its name and a recent servicing by Bob Smith Coachworks, it is definitely ready for continued use by its next owner.