:''See also the 212 Inter grand tourer'' The Ferrari 212 Export was a

sports racing car Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is o ...

produced by

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

in 1951–1952. The 212 Exports won Tour de France automobile, Giro di Sicilia,

Coppa della Toscana Coppa della Toscana (meaning Tuscany Cup from Italian) was a sports car race held on the roads of Tuscany, through Livorno and Florence, between 1949 and 1954. History For the 1949 season of the Mille Miglia race, it was decided that this years e ...

, 10 Hours of Messina and other motor races throughout its career. It was meant to be a sports car available for oversea markets.

Development

The Ferrari 212 Export was an evolution over the preceding 195 S in terms of engine capacity and new chassis. The 212 Export was a race model produced alongside a road-going version, the 212 Inter. The "Export" name first appeared on the 166 Export Vignale Spyder s/n 0072E, from the 166 MM range, and was adopted for the racing 212-series instead of the usual "Sport" moniker. Twenty-seven 212 Exports were built, most of them used in competition.

Bodywork

Most bodies of the 212 Export range came from the Ferrari's chosen coachbuilder,

Carrozzeria Touring Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder. Originally established in Milan in 1925, Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods. The bus ...

. Classic Touring Barchetta shape graced a total of eight cars, while another four received a closed berlinetta body style. One particular Touring Barchetta s/n 0102E was re-bodied by Carrozzeria Autodromo between 1953–1954, when it was acquired by Fox Studios in Hollywood, California, used in the 1955 movie "

The Racers ''The Racers'' is a 1955 film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Kirk Douglas and Bella Darvi. The film is based on the book by Hans Ruesch entitled ''The Racer'', based on the life of Rudolf Caracciola.Automobile Quarterly 2005 "In 1953, 2 ...

" with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

and

Bella Darvi Bella Darvi (born Bajla Węgier; 23 October 1928 – 11 September 1971) was a Polish film actress and stage performer who was active in France and the United States. Biography Early life Darvi was born Bajla Węgier to Jewish parents Chajm ...

, directed by

Henry Hathaway Henry Hathaway (March 13, 1898 – February 11, 1985) was an American film director and producer. He is best known as a director of Westerns, especially starring Randolph Scott and John Wayne. He directed Gary Cooper in seven films. Backgro ...

. It was later raced in the

1954 Mille Miglia The 1954 Mille Miglia (officially XXI Mille Miglia ), was a motor race open to Sports Cars, GT cars and Touring Cars. It was the 21st Mille Miglia and the third race of the 1954 World Sportscar Championship. The race was held on the public road ...

to gather footage for another movie, the 1961 "

The Green Helmet ''The Green Helmet'' is a 1961 British drama film directed by Michael Forlong starring Bill Travers, Ed Begley and Sid James. The film is centred on a British motor racing team. It is based on a 1957 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary. Plot o ...

" with

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mid ...

and

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

Carrozzeria Vignale Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe. Three open-top spiders and seven closed Berlinetta to a

Giovanni Michelotti Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with ...

design.

Carrozzeria Motto Carrozzeria Motto was an Italian (Turin) coachbuilding company established in 1932 by Rocco Motto. The company produced bodies from Cadillacs to Delahayes. In 1946 Motto commenced building aluminium bodies for Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Cisitalia, Bandini ...

bodied only a handful of Ferraris, including two examples of the 212 Export. One spyder s/n 0094E and one berlinetta s/n 0074E were created to a Rocco Motto design. The spyder featured triple headlights and was owned by an Italian racing driver

Piero Scotti Piero Scotti (November 11, 1909 – February 14, 1976) was a racing driver from Italy. He participated in one Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-sea ...

before ending up in Argentina. There was a single Paolo Fontana creation in the form of a spyder, s/n 0086E. The body was an open style described as a "carretto siciliano" or "Sicilian cart" with cycle-fenders. Scuderia Marzotto ordered a bare chassis from Ferrari and commissioned the coachwork to Carrozzeria Fontana from Padova. After the Giro di Sicilia, the first body was soon converted by Vignale into a regular spyder of their style. This, in turn, was re-bodied as a three-door

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

by Fontana to serve as a support car in

Carrera Panamericana The Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border sedan ( stock and touring and sports car) rally racing event on open roads in Mexico similar to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. Running for five consecutive years from 1950 to 1954, i ...

. Before the 1952 Giro di Sicilia, 0086E received yet another spyder body, this time also by Fontana, with regular fenders but very narrow and inswept flanks.

Notable examples

1951-04-28 Mille Miglia Ferrari 166 Uovo sn024MB Giannino Marzotto e Crosara

Some earlier cars from the 166 MM range were converted into the 212 specifications. One such example, s/n 024MB, was recreated after a serious accident in which the car was split into two parts. In 1950, the recreated chassis received new bodywork designed by Franco Reggiani for Count

Giannino Marzotto Count Giannino Marzotto (13 April 1928 in Valdagno, Italy – 14 July 2012) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur. Marzotto served as President of the Mille Miglia Club and won the Mille Miglia race in 1950 and 1953. Career He was one ...

, executed by Carrozzeria Fontana and a year later, a new 2.6-litre engine from 212 Export s/n 0084E. Due to the unusual shape of the car, it was called "l'Uovo", which means an egg in Italian. Because it raced with the 212-spec engine, its competition history and victories are counted towards the 212 Exports. Not all 212 Exports were race cars. Vignale created further two

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

s as a strictly road-going car. The first s/n 0106E, was owned by Count Sanseverino. The second s/n 0110E was ordered by Jorge da Cunha d'Almeida Araujo, the Portuguese Ambassador in France. One of the competition bodied spyders, s/n 0076E, presented as the

Turin Motor Show The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from 1 ...

car, was possibly at one time owned by

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such ...

and has never raced. S/n 0098E was created as a Vignale Coupé and later re-bodied as an open-top spyder with additional headrest. This example also never saw racing. Some examples were further converted to

225 __NOTOC__ Year 225 ( CCXXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Fuscus and Domitius (or, less frequently, year 978 ''Ab ...

-specification by upgrading to a 2.7 L engine. Cars with chassis numbers 0104E, 0112E and 0158ED were some of them.

212 MM

The 1951 Ferrari 212 MM was the first example of the series, that was later renamed as 212 Export. S/n 0070M was bodied as a berlinetta by Vignale and owned by Franco Cornacchia of Scuderia Guastalla. It was the only Export to be named "

Mille Miglia The Mille Miglia (, ''Thousand Miles'') was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen before World ...

" by the factory and the only to sport an "M" in its chassis number suffix. The biggest difference over the succeeding examples of the series was the carburettors setup, made up of a triple four-barrel

Webers Webers (also known as Webers Hamburgers) is a hamburger restaurant on Ontario Highway 11, located 15 kilometres north of Orillia, Ontario that opened in July 1963. Webers grills their burgers over charcoal, with a grill man said to be able to fli ...

. In April 1952, just before the Mille Miglia race, the car received an updated new bodywork, still in Vignale Berlinetta form, with a recessed grille and had portholes in fenders installed before Le Mans. The 212 MM was raced throughout 1955 up until the fatal accident of Giovanni Brinci during Mille Miglia. In 1995 it was offered for US$349,000 and is since owned by a former

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

president,

Jon Shirley Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".

Specifications

Engine and transmission

The Ferrari 212 Export was powered by the

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

, 2-valve per cylinder, ''

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines. The fi ...

with increased capacity compared to the preceding model. Now the internal measurements were of bore and stroke. The total displacement was . With 8.4:1 compression ratio, maximum power output ranged from at 6500 up to at 7000 rpm, depending on the carburettors setup. Fuel was fed to the engine by three

Weber Weber (, or ; German: ) is a surname of German origin, derived from the noun meaning " weaver". In some cases, following migration to English-speaking countries, it has been anglicised to the English surname 'Webber' or even 'Weaver'. Notable pe ...

32DCF carburettors or alternatively three Weber 36DCF setup. The exception was the 212 MM with triple quad-barrel Webers and some early examples with only a single carburettor. The ignition system was made of a single spark plug per cylinder served by two coils. Engine lubrication was by a

wet sump Within piston engines, a wet sump is part of a lubrication system whereby the crankcase sump is used as an integral oil reservoir. An alternative system is the dry sump, whereby oil is pumped from a shallow sump into an external reservoir.Wet sum ...

arrangement. Transmission was a 5-speed and non-synchronised.

Chassis and suspension

The chassis of the 212 Export was a new construction, still utilising steel tubes, elliptical in section. Later models could be equipped with a Gilco-designed ''Tuboscocca'' trellis frame, constructed out of smaller diameter tubes for increased rigidity. The wheelbase was the same as on the 195 S model, measuring . The front suspension setup was independent with double wishbones and transverse leaf springs. Front shock absorbers were hydraulic of a Houdaille type. At the rear was a live axle with semi-elliptic springs and Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers. Brakes were of a hydraulic drum type, all-round. The fuel tank had a capacity of 120 litres.

Racing

Ferrari 212 Export Spider 1951 (25947496418)

The first outing and also the first success came at the 1951 Giro di Sicilia race. Three 212 Exports were entered, and one of them won.

Vittorio Marzotto Vittorio Marzotto (13 June 1922, Valdagno – 4 February 1999) was an Italian racing driver. He drove 16 sports car races between 1948 and 1955, mainly in Ferrari's, his best results being two victories and three second places. He also entered a F ...

and Paolo Fontana won the race in a Fontana Spyder s/n 0086E, entered by Scuderia Marzotto. The second victory was achieved by the 212 MM entered in the Coppa Inter-Europa, in the +1.5 class.

Luigi Villoresi Luigi Villoresi (16 May 1909 – 24 August 1997) was an Italian Grand Prix motor racing driver who continued racing on the Formula One circuit at the time of its inception. Biography Born in Milan, Lombardy, and nicknamed "Gigi", he was the older ...

won the race and set a fastest lap. His average speed was 153,870 km/h. For the

race of the same year four 212 Exports were entered. Only two managed to finish the race.

and Marco Crosara led the first half of the race with their 166/212 Export Fontana Berlinetta before retiring with a flat tyre. The 212 MM was 17th overall, driven by Franco Cornacchia and Guido Mariani of Scuderia Guastella. Motto-bodied spyder, s/n 0094E, was third overall and second in the +2.0 class. Drivers were

and A. Ruspaggiari. 1951-09-12 Tour de France WINNER Ferrari 212 0078E Boncompagni Barraquet

III.

, held in 1951, was won by the 212 Export, s/n 024MB that was converted from the destroyed 166 MM and re-bodied by Carrozzeria Fontana. Giannino Marzotto and Marco Crosara drove their berlinetta with Scuderia Marzotto. Piero Scotti finished the race in third place in his Motto Spyder. Franco Cornacchia and Del Carlo also finished the race in the 212 MM. Cornacchia later entered the

Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti The Dolomites Gold Cup Race (translation: ''Coppa d' Oro delle Dolomiti'') was a car race on public roads open to traffic, which was run in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy for ten years from 1947 to 1956. It took place along an anti-cl ...

, but he did not finish the race. Scuderia Marzotto fielded a single 212 Export Vignale Spyder for the Circuito do Porto and managed to finish second overall, behind much more powerful 340 America, with Vittorio Marzotto behind the wheel. Rétromobile 2015 - Ferrari 212 - 1951 - 001

Rétromobile 2015 - Ferrari 212 - 1951 - 001

For the 1951

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

three 212 Exports were fielded, all privately entered. The best result was by a Vignale Berlinetta s/n 096E, driven by Norbert Jean Mahé and Jacques Péron. They finished ninth overall and fourth in S+3.0 class. Charles Moran Jr. with Franco Cornacchia scored 16th place in their Touring Barchetta s/n 0100E, renumbered to 0067S. The race was not devoid of tragic moments when Touring Barchetta s/n 0078E of Jean Larivière and André Guelfi spun out of Tertre Rouge and instantly killed Larivière on his fifth lap of the race. Next victory came at the Vila Real circuit in Portugal. Giovanni Bracco won the race setting the fastest lap time in his Vignale Spyder. Later the same year at the Giro delle Calabria, Pietro Palmieri and Vallecchi scored a second place and won their S+1.1 class. It was the first race of the Touring Barchetta destined to be a film star. Umberto Marzotto also won the XII.

Trieste-Opicina hillclimb Trieste-Opicina (1911–1971) is a hillclimbing, hillclimb up the Opicina hill in Trieste, northeastern Italy. Also known as Albo d'Oro automobilistico. The race was suspended twice, around First and Second World War. After a serious crash of Austr ...

1951-09-12 Tour de France Ferrari 212 0096E Péron Bertramnier

In 1951, four Exports were entered in the

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...

race. Scuderia Marzotto fielded two cars, and one of them, s/n 0086E, still bodied as a Vignale Spyder, driven by Franco Cornacchia, came second overall, also setting the fastest lap time. None of the remaining three cars finished the race. The most important victory for the 212 Export came at the 1951 Tour de France automobile race. It was the first instalment of this French marathon. Three Exports were fielded, and all three finished the gruelling twelve-day race. Not only that, they scored 1-2-3 victory. The overall winners were Pierre "Pagnibon" Boncompagni and Alfred Barraquet with their Touring Barchetta s/n 0078E, covered with a soft-top. Second place went to Jacques Péron and R. Bertramnier in Vignale Berlinetts s/n 0096E. Finally Elio Checcacci with

Harry Schell Henry O'Reilly "Harry" Schell (June 29, 1921 – May 13, 1960) was an American Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was the first American driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix. Early life Schell was born in Paris, France, the son of expatri ...

scored the third place, driving a one-off Motto Berlinetta s/n 0074E. The first major race of the 1952 season for the 212 Export was the

. Four Exports were ented, but only one managed to finish the race. Franco Cornacchia, aided by Tinarelli and driving the 212 MM, ended up in 20th place. At the

, later the same year, the 212 MM did not win the race but won its GT class with Cornacchia and Del Carlo. For the

1952 24 Hours of Le Mans The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 20th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 14–15 June 1952 at Circuit de la Sarthe. After 22 years away, Mercedes-Benz returned in triumph, scoring a 1–2 victory with their new gull-wing Mercedes-Ben ...

, the 212 MM was privately entered by an American Charles Moran Jr., who teamed up with Cornacchia for the race. Their car retired after 12 hours with electrical problems. For the

two Exports were entered. The Touring Barchetta of Luigi Bordonaro was the only one to finish the race, in 10th place and third in class. His car drove with an upgraded rear axle from 340 America. For the 1952 12 Hours of Pescara Franco Cornacchia teamed up with a Mille Miglia veteran

Clemente Biondetti Clemente Biondetti (18 October 1898 – 24 February 1955) was an Italian auto racing driver. Born into a working-class family, Biondetti raced motorcycles before turning to automobiles where he had greater success. Biography Born in Buddusò, Sa ...

. Their 212 MM managed to finish the endurance race on a second place. A couple of days later Cornacchia won the Trullo d'Oro, also known as the 2 Hours of Pescara. Another endurance race in the 1952 season was the 10 Hours of Messina. Cornacchia again paired with Biondetti in the 212 MM, whilst Carlo Gazzabini and Ferraguti drove the Motto Berlinetta. Cornachia and Biondetti won the race and the other Export was second overall. The 1952 Gran Premio di Pergusa was won by Luigi Bordonaro who also achieved a fastest lap time in the Touring Barchetta. He contested many minor races throughout 1952–1955, with multiple victories, before passing the car to Edouard Margairaz. The 212 MM again contested the Coppa Inter-Europa, this time driven by Franco Cornacchia. He scored a second place and a fastest lap. The last major race of the 1952 season was the

. One American team fielded their 212 Export for this grueling Mexican marathon.

Phil Hill Philip Toll Hill Jr. (April 20, 1927 – August 28, 2008) was an American automobile racing driver. He was one of two American drivers to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, and the only one who was born in the United States ( ...

and Arnold Stubbs drove their Vignale Berlinetta, s/n 0092E to a sixth place overall. Hans-Karl von Tscharner raced his Touring Barchetta s/n 0134E over numerous Hillclimb events between 1952-1956, scoring ten victories, including five in class.

Collectability

The Ferrari 212 Exports are highly sought after collectors cars. Many have racing pedigree and company's reputation from the success of its race cars. There were many different body styles and coachbuilders. Many collectors are searching for an early V12-engines Touring Barchetta that was purposely built for racing. An early Ferrari's ownership allows for participation in historic rallies and races. Auction prices of 212 Exports have risen in recent years. The 212 Export Motto Spyder was estimated CHF2.8-3.8 million in 2008. One of only two Export Cabriolets was sold above its estimate on auction by

Gooding & Company Gooding & Company is a classic car auction company headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Incorporated in 2003, the company holds three of the top ten all-time records for most expensive cars sold in auction. The company also provides private ...

for US$1.87 million in 2011.

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought to ...

auctioned a Touring Berlinetta s/n 0088E, for US$3.19 million in 2014. The penultimate Export, a Touring Barchetta s/n 0158ED, was sold by

RM Sotheby's RM Sotheby's, formerly RM Auctions, is a classic car auction company headquartered in Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. With offices across the United States and several European countries, the company's services include restoration, private treaty sale ...

for €6.72 million in 2015.

Gallery

File:1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Coupe - fvr2 (8722641960).jpg File:1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Coupe - rvr (8721520817).jpg File:1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Coupe - dash (8722641520).jpg File:1952-03-09 Giro Sicilia Ferrari 212 0092E Cornacchia Tinarelli.jpg File:Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Barachetta - 1951 (4) (21133322510).jpg File:Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Barachetta - 1951 (21318883515).jpg File:1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Barachetta (2) (20697791073).jpg File:Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Barachetta - 1951 (3) (20696168004).jpg

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Ferrari 212 Export: Ferrari History
{{Scuderia Ferrari

212 Year 212 (Roman numerals, CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asper and Camilius (or, less frequently, year 965 '' ...

Sports cars