Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta

Vehicle Overview

The Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta: The production of road cars by Ferrari began with the 166, and the first-ever Ferrari Berlinetta made its debut at the 1948 Mille Miglia on chassis no. 003S, featuring coachwork by Allemano. It is possible that a chance encounter between Serafino Allemano and Enzo Ferrari led to the design of this car and a similar spider, both of which had a more conservative approach to postwar design. However, at the Turin Motor Show in late 1948, Touring presented two new examples of the Ferrari 166, an open car and a closed 4-seat berlinetta, which took the Allemano design to a higher level. The closed car, chassis no. 005S, was the first Ferrari berlinetta built by Touring, and with the arrival of chassis no. 0026M, the design evolved into the Le Mans Berlinetta fastback, which became a defining feature of the coachbuilder’s closed-body design for several subsequent Ferrari models, culminating with the 212 Export. Touring also crafted the most exquisite barchettas, which were referred to as barchetta’s (little boats) in translation. These barchettas closely resembled the Berlinettas, featuring ‘egg crate’ grilles and a matching waistline crease. It was with these barchettas that the brand truly established its mold and achieved success, as demonstrated by Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon’s victory at the 1949 Le Mans in a 166 MM. A total of 25 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta were built, and they dominated various competition events such as Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, and numerous regional and international races. Throughout the following year of production, the partnership between Touring and Ferrari continued to showcase the brand’s visual appeal. This iconic design was present in 8 of the 212 Exports currently available, as well as in six of its larger counterparts, including the 340 America and a single MM. However, it is in the 166/212 form that the proportions are most harmonious.