Ferrari 375 MM Coupé Speciale

Vehicle Overview

The Ferrari 375 MM Speciale Ghia: Among the most special of the Ferraris, and perhaps the most historically significant, was this automobile. It was based upon a 375 MM chassis, the second-to-last built, with a competition 340-horsepower, F1-derived Lampredi V-12 boasting three Weber type 42 DCZ 3 carburetors, Magneti Marelli ignition, and Borrani knockoff wire wheels. Chassis 0476MM did not receive a Pinin Farina bodywork for the track; however, it was instead shipped at its November 1954 completion to Ghia of Turin. There, in the coming winter and spring, it was coachbuilt as an extraordinary coupe—bodied, befitting the chassis competition origin, in alloy with a steel inner structure. It is one of only nine road-going coupes built on the 375 MM chassis and the only one of these finished by Ghia, as well as, as it would turn out, the final Ferrari bodied by that firm. Ghia’s design for the 375 MM was similar to their Supersonic coupes and DeSoto Adventurer II show car, with an extremely long hood and front fenders flanking a wide egg-crate grille and emphasizing the power to be found lurking beneath. The body extends back to a curved glass windshield and a semi-fastback roofline with ventilated sail panels, a predictor of the future 250 GT “Tour de France”. At the rear of the car the body extended outward to form subtle tail fins, complete with an integrated chrome bumper “notched” to accommodate the taillights—a feature that echoes American design of the era. So, too, did the two-tone color scheme of Salmon and Anthracite Grey, set off by subtle chrome molding. The hues were an unlikely combination, but on the Ghia Ferrari, it worked—such a bold, flamboyant design was deserving of colors of equal impact. Following its completion in early April 1955, the Ferrari 375 MM Speciale Ghia was exhibited on Ghia’s stand at the annual Torino Motor Show alongside the infamous turbine-powered Gilda.