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1951 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta Touring



1 Of Only 7 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Barchetta

1 Of Only 2 That Raced At Le Mans 24 Hours (the other car was a DNF)

Finished 16th Overall And 7th In Class At The 1951 Le Mans 24 Hours

Single Ownership For Almost 40 Years

Shown At The 42nd Annual Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance

Eligible For The World’s Greatest Historic Events, Including The Tour Auto, Mille Miglia, The Historic Monaco GP And Le Mans Classic

Original Body and Chassis

Engine From 166 which raced at Mille Miglia (has been in this car since 1954)

Complete Ownership History Documented By Marcel Massini

Recent Restoration Back To How It Raced At Le Mans In 1951





The 212 was an evolution of Ferrari’s most successful model on the track to date: the 166MM. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show in 1951, the 212 was offered in two specifications: the Inter and the Export which, with its slightly shorter chassis, was aimed at the gentleman racer. Both cars featured a 2.6-litre V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo, whose creation in various iterations would power some of Ferrari’s most successful racing cars throughout the 1950s. The Export’s engine was a little more powerful than that of its sister car, with a higher compression ratio and many using triple Weber 32DCF carburetors that helped push peak power. Only seven Export Barchettas were produced, making this one of the most desirable Carrozzeria Touring body styles. The 212 Barchetta race-ready “Export” model built by the factory and fitted with the potent Tipo 212 engine are considered the “holy grail” for any tifosi looking for an early V-12 Barchetta.



From 1951-1953 the Ferrari 212 was king of the international racing scene and this example was very much a part of the model’s success. The 2nd of only 7 units built, this example was sold new via Chinetti Motors to first owner Charles Moran, Jr., New York, NY/USA, who paid US$ 6’000 taking delivery of his car directly from the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy on June 12th, 1951. A little more than a week later, the car was on the starting line at the 19th Annual Le Mans 24 Hours in France piloted by Charles Moran and co-driver Franco Cornacchia. It would be fitted with additional fog lights on each side of the front grille, position lamp for night use installed on the right front below the headlight. This is one of only two Ferrari 212 Export Touring cars that raced at Le Mans in 1951. The car offered here finished the grueling endurance race 7th in its class and 16th overall and the second 212 Export would not finish the race at all.



After Le Mans, the 212 was then shipped back to the USA for completion. It finished 1st in class and several podiums at such famous tracks as; International Sports Car Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, Vero Beach 12 hours, 4th Annual Bridgehampton road races in Long Island, NY and Collier Memorial 6 hour race.



In 1954, the car was sold back to Luigi Chinetti Motors. Luigi then sold the car to John W. Shakespeare, a wealthy client and Bugatti collector resident of Centralia, IL/USA. Shakespeare was a manufacturer of fishing reels and equipment and also heavily invested in the oil industry in Salem/IL. At the time Shakespeare also owned a bright yellow Ferrari 375 America Coupé Vignale road car with chassis #0337 AL. Shakespeare would own the car for a few years racing in some local races before selling it back to Chinetti in 1957.



This 212 Export would trade hands a few more times before being purchased by its long term owner in 1982. He would be there cars next caretaker for almost 40 years entering it some of the worlds most prestigious events including the historic Mille Miglia in Italy, Rolex Monterey, Meadow Brook Hall Concours d’Elégance, 38th Annual Ferrari Club of America North American Concours and the 42nd Annual Pebble Beach Concours dElégance.



Recently this example has been restored to show condition, stripped to bare metal exposing the extremely original body and chassis. The unique Barchetta body was painted in factory Ferrari Red complete with its 1951 Le Mans race livery including its hand painted numbers.



For many Ferrari collectors, ownership of an early V-12 Barchetta is the pinnacle of car collecting, as they represent the purest incarnation of Enzo Ferrari’s dream. They were built and bred for racing, and they not only excelled on the track but also helped increase Ferrari’s reputation as a dominant force. This example is surely one of the best of its kind, and it is ready for use at concours events, rallies, and historic racing worldwide. This example would be eligible for entry at the Le Mans Classic, Mille Miglia, Tour Auto, Goodwood, Monaco Historic Grand Prix and virtually any historic race event in the world.



Its been 8 years since since a 212 Touring Barchetta has been publicly sold, a rare opportunity to own one of the prettiest, most successfully early factory Ferrari race cars.



Priced at $5,190,000.00 USD Toronto

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