Cars 1953-54
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Cars Cars 1950s Mercedes Benz Germany II Alfa Romeo Jaguar
Chronology : 1953 1954
See also : Cars Cars 1950s Mercedes Benz Germany II Alfa Romeo Jaguar
Chronology : 1953 1954
1953-1954-1955 Alfa Romeo Concept Cars
2020 SOLD for $ 14.8M by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's
The concept car is a marketing operation promoted post war by Harley Earl for General Motors. Production chassis are fitted with futuristic bodies and displayed in the Motor Shows to elicit reactions from the public and the journalists.
Franco Scaglione is a stylist with an experience in clothing. The car is his passion. Before the war, he had a training in aeronautics and his project is to design an aerodynamic car. Of course he will have to cooperate with a coachbuilder.
Manufacturers have their own design offices and their sub-contractors and are reluctant to hand over such major tasks to an ambitious newcomer. Bertone finally accepts. On the Fiat stand at the Turin Motor Show in 1952, the Abarth 1500 Biposto is a concept car designed by Scaglione and built by Bertone.
In the same year, Alfa Romeo chooses Carrozzeria Touring over Bertone for the design of its new racing car, the Disco Volante. The Bertone-Scaglione team persevers however and develops the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) based on the road going Alfa Romeo 1900.
Three concept cars are exhibited by Bertone at the Turin Motor Show : the B.A.T. 5 in 1953, the B.A.T. 7 in 1954 and the B.A.T. 9d in 1955. The B.A.T. 5 has already reduced the drag coefficient below 0.25, making it possible to push the modest Alfa to nearly 200 km/h. The B.A.T. 7 is a further improvement in aerodynamics while the B.A.T. 9d responds to a request from Alfa Romeo to provide a road version.
These performances are all the more remarkable as they are solely due to Scaglione's pencil and Bertone's know-how, without wind tunnel tuning and of course without a computer. With such simplification of forms, the three B.A.T. are works of art.
Each of these prototypes was sold after its Salon. They were brought together for the first time in their history at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1989 in the presence of Bertone, following which a keen collector managed to acquire all three vehicles. The trio was sold for $ 14.8M on October 28, 2020 by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's, lot 38. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. The licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update.
Franco Scaglione is a stylist with an experience in clothing. The car is his passion. Before the war, he had a training in aeronautics and his project is to design an aerodynamic car. Of course he will have to cooperate with a coachbuilder.
Manufacturers have their own design offices and their sub-contractors and are reluctant to hand over such major tasks to an ambitious newcomer. Bertone finally accepts. On the Fiat stand at the Turin Motor Show in 1952, the Abarth 1500 Biposto is a concept car designed by Scaglione and built by Bertone.
In the same year, Alfa Romeo chooses Carrozzeria Touring over Bertone for the design of its new racing car, the Disco Volante. The Bertone-Scaglione team persevers however and develops the B.A.T. (Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica) based on the road going Alfa Romeo 1900.
Three concept cars are exhibited by Bertone at the Turin Motor Show : the B.A.T. 5 in 1953, the B.A.T. 7 in 1954 and the B.A.T. 9d in 1955. The B.A.T. 5 has already reduced the drag coefficient below 0.25, making it possible to push the modest Alfa to nearly 200 km/h. The B.A.T. 7 is a further improvement in aerodynamics while the B.A.T. 9d responds to a request from Alfa Romeo to provide a road version.
These performances are all the more remarkable as they are solely due to Scaglione's pencil and Bertone's know-how, without wind tunnel tuning and of course without a computer. With such simplification of forms, the three B.A.T. are works of art.
Each of these prototypes was sold after its Salon. They were brought together for the first time in their history at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1989 in the presence of Bertone, following which a keen collector managed to acquire all three vehicles. The trio was sold for $ 14.8M on October 28, 2020 by Sotheby's in association with RM Sotheby's, lot 38. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The image is shared by Wikimedia. The licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update.
1953 Jaguar C-Type
Intro
In 1948 Jaguar develops a sports car. The XK120 is first supplied with a two-seater roadster body. The wooden frame will soon be replaced by metal. It is the fastest production car of its time.
Customers are enthusiastic about this powerful car, which is the fastest production model of its time. Privateers obtain very good results in endurance events. After the 24 hours of Le Mans 1950, Jaguar takes the plunge and decides to develop a racing chassis.
The new Jaguar is the XK120C. This designation can be confusing, but the 120 which referred to a guarantee of reaching 120 mph did not need to be modified. The XK120C is known as the C-Type. In both references the C stands for Competition.
Le Mans is specially targeted. For its first outing in 1951, a C-Type wins the 24 hours of Le Mans. In the following year, the long nose improves the aerodynamics at the expense of the cooling. The C-Type model wins again at Le Mans in 1953 with a lightweight body.
The C-Type also caused a sensation on the circuits by the unequaled purity and simplicity of its barchetta-type bodywork, for which the superfluous elements were eliminated. The windshield, which prevents reaching the maximum top speed, becomes an option. The stabilization fin will appear in 1954 on the next model, the D-Type.
53 C-Types were produced including 43 for private customers, all variants combined. Most have undergone a heavy use and cars that have kept their original configuration are highly appreciated.
Despite its racing success, the C-type still had a great deal of progress.
C was meaning Competition while the later D and E were simply the next two after C in the alphabet.
Customers are enthusiastic about this powerful car, which is the fastest production model of its time. Privateers obtain very good results in endurance events. After the 24 hours of Le Mans 1950, Jaguar takes the plunge and decides to develop a racing chassis.
The new Jaguar is the XK120C. This designation can be confusing, but the 120 which referred to a guarantee of reaching 120 mph did not need to be modified. The XK120C is known as the C-Type. In both references the C stands for Competition.
Le Mans is specially targeted. For its first outing in 1951, a C-Type wins the 24 hours of Le Mans. In the following year, the long nose improves the aerodynamics at the expense of the cooling. The C-Type model wins again at Le Mans in 1953 with a lightweight body.
The C-Type also caused a sensation on the circuits by the unequaled purity and simplicity of its barchetta-type bodywork, for which the superfluous elements were eliminated. The windshield, which prevents reaching the maximum top speed, becomes an option. The stabilization fin will appear in 1954 on the next model, the D-Type.
53 C-Types were produced including 43 for private customers, all variants combined. Most have undergone a heavy use and cars that have kept their original configuration are highly appreciated.
Despite its racing success, the C-type still had a great deal of progress.
C was meaning Competition while the later D and E were simply the next two after C in the alphabet.
1
Lightweight
2015 SOLD for $ 13.2M by RM Sotheby's
In June 1950 in Le Mans, Jaguar executives are delighted. They had allocated some cars to private pilots and one of them showed a good behavior of his XK120 before dropping at the 21th hour for a braking issue. Jaguar is then resolutely committed to the technological challenge of competition and launches the study of the XK120C soon known as the C-Type.
In 1951, success is achieved for the first official attempt by Jaguar at Le Mans : a C-Type wins the race. In the following year, the failure is scathing. To counter Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar had modified the aerodynamics without appreciating that it would cause an excessive overheating.
The option taken for 1953 is innovative, with a lightweight body made of aluminum and some equipment improvements. The unique target of the brand is Le Mans, and only three cars are assembled. They will be the last three in the C-Type. Success returns : the new Jaguars brilliantly occupy the first, second and fourth final positions.
This variant of transition is the rarest Jaguar, made obsolete by the development of the D-Type.
Jaguar is not totally uninterested in the fate of its C-Type Works Lightweight since they managed to sell all the three cars to the Ecurie Ecosse after the 1953 season. The three cars are getting high successes throughout 1954 before being sold again.
The best overall record of these Lightweight comes to the car that had been fourth at Le Mans in 1953. It then will undergo major transformations including changing its coachwork. Its current owner has fitted a new body that scrupulously meets the 1953 configuration, excepted that it is metallic blue painted in the colors of Ecurie Ecosse.
The C-Type Lightweight is the rarest Jaguar. This recently restored car was sold for $ 13.2M from a lower estimate of $ 9M by RM Sotheby's on August 14, 2015, lot 235. Please watch the video shared by Petrolicious.
In 1951, success is achieved for the first official attempt by Jaguar at Le Mans : a C-Type wins the race. In the following year, the failure is scathing. To counter Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar had modified the aerodynamics without appreciating that it would cause an excessive overheating.
The option taken for 1953 is innovative, with a lightweight body made of aluminum and some equipment improvements. The unique target of the brand is Le Mans, and only three cars are assembled. They will be the last three in the C-Type. Success returns : the new Jaguars brilliantly occupy the first, second and fourth final positions.
This variant of transition is the rarest Jaguar, made obsolete by the development of the D-Type.
Jaguar is not totally uninterested in the fate of its C-Type Works Lightweight since they managed to sell all the three cars to the Ecurie Ecosse after the 1953 season. The three cars are getting high successes throughout 1954 before being sold again.
The best overall record of these Lightweight comes to the car that had been fourth at Le Mans in 1953. It then will undergo major transformations including changing its coachwork. Its current owner has fitted a new body that scrupulously meets the 1953 configuration, excepted that it is metallic blue painted in the colors of Ecurie Ecosse.
The C-Type Lightweight is the rarest Jaguar. This recently restored car was sold for $ 13.2M from a lower estimate of $ 9M by RM Sotheby's on August 14, 2015, lot 235. Please watch the video shared by Petrolicious.
2
2016 SOLD for € 7.2M by Bonhams
Traceability is a headache for collectors of racing cars made before the mid-1950s. The transparency of information from Ferrari offers a substantial advantage to that brand.
The Jaguar C-Type introduced in 1951 on the XK120 chassis displays an aerodynamic elegance well ahead of its time. One of them won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the very first year. It was one of the favorite models of Stirling Moss.
On November 18, 2015, a press release by Bonhams announced that a 1952 C-Type with XKC-011 chassis number, driven by Stirling Moss among others for the works team of the brand, was one of the stars of their sale on May 13, 2016 in Monaco. The release also announced that the car had been lent in 1954 by Jaguar to the Belgian private team Ecurie Francorchamps.
Everything is great excepted that a previous owner had observed in 1963 that its bodywork was tagged with the number K1047 associated in principle with the XKC-047 chassis released from factory in 1953. The assumption of a swap of the bodies could explain this oddity. It comes to the credit of Bonhams to have pushed further the investigation.
The XKC-011 carving on the chassis is authentic and without falsification. This car is in an original condition close to perfect. The known history of the two frames shows that the gearbox fitted to the car for sale is not compatible with the XKC-011 driven by Moss.
In 1954, for rewarding the good results of the Belgian team, Jaguar had agreed to transfer to them the ownership of the XKC-011 which previously had only been loaned, for the purpose of a sale to be realized immediately. The Ecurie Francorchamps restitutes to Jaguar their XKC-047 which is now prepared to be sold on the following year to Dunlop for tyre testing. Jaguar probably observed at that time that the chassis was not serialized. They mark the XKC-047 with the XKC-011 number whose history in competition was slightly more prestigious.
The C-Type offered for sale was never driven by Moss but it remains one of the most authentic examples of this remarkable model. Only some minor changes have been made over time to maintain its road certification. It was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 4M, lot 114.
The Jaguar C-Type introduced in 1951 on the XK120 chassis displays an aerodynamic elegance well ahead of its time. One of them won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the very first year. It was one of the favorite models of Stirling Moss.
On November 18, 2015, a press release by Bonhams announced that a 1952 C-Type with XKC-011 chassis number, driven by Stirling Moss among others for the works team of the brand, was one of the stars of their sale on May 13, 2016 in Monaco. The release also announced that the car had been lent in 1954 by Jaguar to the Belgian private team Ecurie Francorchamps.
Everything is great excepted that a previous owner had observed in 1963 that its bodywork was tagged with the number K1047 associated in principle with the XKC-047 chassis released from factory in 1953. The assumption of a swap of the bodies could explain this oddity. It comes to the credit of Bonhams to have pushed further the investigation.
The XKC-011 carving on the chassis is authentic and without falsification. This car is in an original condition close to perfect. The known history of the two frames shows that the gearbox fitted to the car for sale is not compatible with the XKC-011 driven by Moss.
In 1954, for rewarding the good results of the Belgian team, Jaguar had agreed to transfer to them the ownership of the XKC-011 which previously had only been loaned, for the purpose of a sale to be realized immediately. The Ecurie Francorchamps restitutes to Jaguar their XKC-047 which is now prepared to be sold on the following year to Dunlop for tyre testing. Jaguar probably observed at that time that the chassis was not serialized. They mark the XKC-047 with the XKC-011 number whose history in competition was slightly more prestigious.
The C-Type offered for sale was never driven by Moss but it remains one of the most authentic examples of this remarkable model. Only some minor changes have been made over time to maintain its road certification. It was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 4M, lot 114.
1953 Ferrari 340 MM
2013 SOLD for € 9.9M by RM Auctions
In 1953 Ferrari was already established as a formidable competitor to Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Maserati and Lancia. The increase of power seemed to have no limit. For each season, Ferrari improved his models.
La Scuderia enters three cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. One of them is assigned to Nino Farina, world champion in 1950, and to Mike Hawthorn who will have the same achievement in 1958. Technically, this berlinetta is a 340 MM changed with some characteristics of the 375 MM.
This Ferrari is one of the leading cars of that year. It was also driven by the 1953 world champion, Alberto Ascari. However, it was left to a younger driver named Umberto Maglioli to demonstrate its outstanding on-road behaviour by a legendary performance in the Carrera Panamericana.
Bodied by Pinin Farina, this elegant berlinetta has everything to seduce the most demanding collectors. It was sold for € 9.9M on May 25, 2013 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
La Scuderia enters three cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. One of them is assigned to Nino Farina, world champion in 1950, and to Mike Hawthorn who will have the same achievement in 1958. Technically, this berlinetta is a 340 MM changed with some characteristics of the 375 MM.
This Ferrari is one of the leading cars of that year. It was also driven by the 1953 world champion, Alberto Ascari. However, it was left to a younger driver named Umberto Maglioli to demonstrate its outstanding on-road behaviour by a legendary performance in the Carrera Panamericana.
Bodied by Pinin Farina, this elegant berlinetta has everything to seduce the most demanding collectors. It was sold for € 9.9M on May 25, 2013 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1953 Ferrari 375 MM
Intro
In 1953 Ferrari built 10 cars on the 340 MM chassis with an updated Lampredi 4.1 litre V-12 engine, targeting the endurance racing in the FIA’s new Sports Car Manufacturers’ Championship.
In that year Ferrari was successful with a works team of four 340 MM fitted with the 4.5 litre engine, immediately leading to the development for the privateers of the 375 MM. 26 cars were built, all but 3 originally bodied by Pinin Farina. The model was supplanted in 1954 by the 375 Plus.
In that year Ferrari was successful with a works team of four 340 MM fitted with the 4.5 litre engine, immediately leading to the development for the privateers of the 375 MM. 26 cars were built, all but 3 originally bodied by Pinin Farina. The model was supplanted in 1954 by the 375 Plus.
1
ex Jim Kimberly
2013 SOLD for $ 9.1M by RM Auctions
Jim Kimberly was not happy with his Ferrari 340 America, a spider coachworked by Vignale whose effectiveness in competition was highly compromised by the heating of the brakes.
The gentleman-driver, who was also a wealthy American industrialist, now wanted a body that meets his own specifications. No problem, Ferrari will make that for him. Same as for watches at the time of Packard and Graves, listening to an important customer is boosting the progress.
The eighth 375 MM chassis was the third in the series to be built in spider by Pinin Farina, but it will be the only one to incorporate the requirements of Kimberly. It will also be the only one painted in Kimberly red, a spectacular deviation from the Ferrari red.
Kimberly was right. Delivered in 1953, his Ferrari won sixteen of the twenty races in which he engaged it in the following year. Better : the innovation of opening the body behind the wheels was incorporated in 1957 as the 'pontoon fender' in the legendary Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.
The thermal and aerodynamic balance at the level of the wheels was indeed the ultimate factor for the success of a racing car in 1954. Fangio also won by refusing to enclose the wheels in the body of his Mercedes-Benz W196.
Jim Kimberly's 375 MM equipped with its original spare engine was sold for $ 9.1M on August 16, 2013 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The gentleman-driver, who was also a wealthy American industrialist, now wanted a body that meets his own specifications. No problem, Ferrari will make that for him. Same as for watches at the time of Packard and Graves, listening to an important customer is boosting the progress.
The eighth 375 MM chassis was the third in the series to be built in spider by Pinin Farina, but it will be the only one to incorporate the requirements of Kimberly. It will also be the only one painted in Kimberly red, a spectacular deviation from the Ferrari red.
Kimberly was right. Delivered in 1953, his Ferrari won sixteen of the twenty races in which he engaged it in the following year. Better : the innovation of opening the body behind the wheels was incorporated in 1957 as the 'pontoon fender' in the legendary Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.
The thermal and aerodynamic balance at the level of the wheels was indeed the ultimate factor for the success of a racing car in 1954. Fangio also won by refusing to enclose the wheels in the body of his Mercedes-Benz W196.
Jim Kimberly's 375 MM equipped with its original spare engine was sold for $ 9.1M on August 16, 2013 by RM Auctions. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
2
1953 (1954) Spider
2022 SOLD for $ 7.5M by RM Sotheby's
A 375 MM made in 1953 crashed in a 1954 Swedish race. It was shipped to Italy to make it the only 375 MM spider by Sergio Scaglietti, wider and lower than the Pinin Farina spider.
It was sold for $ 7.5M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2022, lot 238. It is fitted with its matching number engine and has been restored in its 1954 configuration.
Scaglietti would soon go on to become Ferrari's preferred coach worker for racing models and production berlinettas.
It was sold for $ 7.5M by RM Sotheby's on August 19, 2022, lot 238. It is fitted with its matching number engine and has been restored in its 1954 configuration.
Scaglietti would soon go on to become Ferrari's preferred coach worker for racing models and production berlinettas.
1954 Mercedes-Benz W196
1
2013 SOLD for £ 19.6M by Bonhams
Everything goes very fast, in any meaning of the word, for Mercedes-Benz at the beginning of 1954. Technology is the best asset to win competitions. For coming back to racing, the German brand aligns the 300SL model for endurance and the W196 single-seater for Formula 1.
The original body of the W196 is the streamlined Stromlinienwagen in magnesium alloy, low, wide and smoothly curved with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the air friction. The engine is a straight eight 2.5 liters with two camshafts. The top speed in this configuration reaches 290 km/h.
They are committed to win. Mercedes manage to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season in a Maserati.
Four cars are ready for their debut race, the Grand Prix de France in Reims on July 4. With the chassis 3, Fangio starts in pole position and wins the race while a teammate finishes second.
Meanwhile an open wheeler was under design for difficult circuits such as the Nürburgring. Fangio requires it for that event happening in August. Chassis 3 is re-bodied for him as an open wheeler while two brand new cars, chassis 5 and 6, are released with the new body. Fangio once again catches the pole position and the final win.
Three weeks later Fangio wins the Swiss Grand Prix with Chassis 6 still in open wheels. Fangio terminates the season with his second Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship title.
Preserved as an open wheeler, the 6 was sold for £ 19.6M on July 12, 2013 by Bonhams, lot 320. It was at that time the only example of the model in private hands.
The original body of the W196 is the streamlined Stromlinienwagen in magnesium alloy, low, wide and smoothly curved with enclosed wheels. Surrounding the wheel by a piece of bodywork is a theoretical advantage because it limits the air friction. The engine is a straight eight 2.5 liters with two camshafts. The top speed in this configuration reaches 290 km/h.
They are committed to win. Mercedes manage to take the best driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, world champion in 1951 with Alfa Romeo, who had just won the first two grand prix of the season in a Maserati.
Four cars are ready for their debut race, the Grand Prix de France in Reims on July 4. With the chassis 3, Fangio starts in pole position and wins the race while a teammate finishes second.
Meanwhile an open wheeler was under design for difficult circuits such as the Nürburgring. Fangio requires it for that event happening in August. Chassis 3 is re-bodied for him as an open wheeler while two brand new cars, chassis 5 and 6, are released with the new body. Fangio once again catches the pole position and the final win.
Three weeks later Fangio wins the Swiss Grand Prix with Chassis 6 still in open wheels. Fangio terminates the season with his second Formula 1 Drivers' World Championship title.
Preserved as an open wheeler, the 6 was sold for £ 19.6M on July 12, 2013 by Bonhams, lot 320. It was at that time the only example of the model in private hands.
2
00009/54
2025 SOLD for € 51M by RM Sotheby's
After the chassis 6 narrated above, eight other W196 were released, numbered 7 to 10 and 12 to 15.
The 9 was first tested in December 1954. It was raced as an opened wheeler by Fangio in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in January 1955, winning that event. It was re-bodied as a Stromlinienwagen before being driven at Monza by Stirling Moss for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. It achieved the fastest lap in that event.
Maintained in its Monza body, it was donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. From the collection of that museum, it was sold for € 51M in a single lot auction by RM Sotheby's on February 1, 2025. The auction is held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Its photo in the Indianapolis Museum in 2013 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Doug4422, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The 1955 season was shortened by the cancelling of many Grand Prix after the accident at Le Mans. Mercedes-Benz then withdrew from motor sport including Formula 1, terminating the short but highly successful story of the W196.
The 9 was first tested in December 1954. It was raced as an opened wheeler by Fangio in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in January 1955, winning that event. It was re-bodied as a Stromlinienwagen before being driven at Monza by Stirling Moss for the 1955 Italian Grand Prix. It achieved the fastest lap in that event.
Maintained in its Monza body, it was donated in 1965 by Mercedes-Benz to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. From the collection of that museum, it was sold for € 51M in a single lot auction by RM Sotheby's on February 1, 2025. The auction is held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Its photo in the Indianapolis Museum in 2013 is shared by Wikimedia with attribution : Doug4422, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The 1955 season was shortened by the cancelling of many Grand Prix after the accident at Le Mans. Mercedes-Benz then withdrew from motor sport including Formula 1, terminating the short but highly successful story of the W196.
1954 Ferrari 375 Plus
2014 SOLD for £ 10.7M by Bonhams
In 1954 Ferrari is once again increasing the power. The new model is the 375 Plus, with a volume of 4.9 liters which provides a tremendous power and earns it the nickname of Fearsome 49. Five cars are made.
The first of these five 375 Plus, coachworked in spider by Pinin Farina, was sold for £ 10.7M on June 27, 2014 by Bonhams, lot 320. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Used extensively in competition in 1954 notably with Maglioli, this car was owned for a short time in 1955 by Kimberly. Dismantled by a subsequent owner, it was restored in a satisfactory state of authenticity including the reassembly with its original engine.
The technological achievement of this line of models is the big block 410 S, built in four units in 1955.
The first of these five 375 Plus, coachworked in spider by Pinin Farina, was sold for £ 10.7M on June 27, 2014 by Bonhams, lot 320. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Used extensively in competition in 1954 notably with Maglioli, this car was owned for a short time in 1955 by Kimberly. Dismantled by a subsequent owner, it was restored in a satisfactory state of authenticity including the reassembly with its original engine.
The technological achievement of this line of models is the big block 410 S, built in four units in 1955.
1954 Ferrari 375 America
2022 SOLD for $ 7.6M by RM Sotheby's
Released in 1953 by Ferrari as a speedy road car for wealthy customers, the Ferrari 375 America marks a new trend in the America range previously considered as a qualifier for high end sports car.
It uses a 4.5 liter long block V12 engine designed by Lampredi for the 375 MM and its top speed exceeds 250 km/h. Its population was only 10 cars plus 2 upgraded 250 Europa. The new AL suffix of the chassis number means America Lungo referring to the elongated wheelbase.
An Europa was upgraded in 1954 as a 375 America and fitted as a unique alloy cabriolet by Vignale for preparing a personal sale by Enzo Ferrari to a friend's daughter who put it in storage. All the other 375 were fitted as coupes, eight by Pinin Farina and three by Vignale.
Retaining its matching number engine and its original gearbox, rear axle and body and accompanied by an original factory hard top, this special was sold for $ 7.6M from a lower estimate of $ 6.5M by RM Sotheby's on August 20, 2022, lot 321.
It uses a 4.5 liter long block V12 engine designed by Lampredi for the 375 MM and its top speed exceeds 250 km/h. Its population was only 10 cars plus 2 upgraded 250 Europa. The new AL suffix of the chassis number means America Lungo referring to the elongated wheelbase.
An Europa was upgraded in 1954 as a 375 America and fitted as a unique alloy cabriolet by Vignale for preparing a personal sale by Enzo Ferrari to a friend's daughter who put it in storage. All the other 375 were fitted as coupes, eight by Pinin Farina and three by Vignale.
Retaining its matching number engine and its original gearbox, rear axle and body and accompanied by an original factory hard top, this special was sold for $ 7.6M from a lower estimate of $ 6.5M by RM Sotheby's on August 20, 2022, lot 321.
