The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
The ultimate italian coachbuilder site
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.
The coachwork that Vignale fashioned for chassis 0287 EU is from a series of six similar bodies built for Ferrari’s 212 Europa chassis. Dubbed the “Geneva Coupe,” the basic design shared many similarities with the Vignale-bodied 340 Mexico Berlinettas, with their forward-thrusting front fenders, imposing eggcrate grille, low-set headlamps, swept-back roofline, and ornamental tail fins. Unlike the competition-oriented 340 Mexico Berlinettas, the road-going 212 Europa Coupes incorporated luxurious interior appointments, marvelous handcrafted details, and a distinctive bumper treatment that accentuated the dynamic character of the design. In typical Vignale practice, each of the six examples built was unique and easily distinguished by its individual livery, chassis specifications, and detailing. Many Vignale-bodied Ferraris were painted in dramatic two-tone color schemes and 0287 EU is certainly no exception, as it was tastefully finished in red with a black top and matching accented fins on the hood and rear fenders. Completed in January 1953, the 212 Europa first appeared during the preview of the Salon de l’Automobile in Paris that March. In June, the certificate of origin was issued, and 0287 EU was sold to its first private owner, Thomas D. Neelands Jr. of New York.
The story of Carrozzeria Vignale represents one of the many somewhat forgotten success stories born against the backdrop of an Italy that was torn apart by the Second World War and which, starting from the end of the 1950s, was able to recover enough to know a real miracle. economical just a few years later.
