Extremely Rare But Important Early Ferrari, A 1952 212 Europa, Heads To Auction

Jan. 08, 2015 11:00 AM ET by Jacob Joseph Auctions / 32 Comments

A Ferrari from the days before "supercar" was a word.

Ferrari had been building road cars for less than a decade when the car you see here was made. The 212 Europa was built to be a GT car, but with a heavy emphasis on performance, not unlike Ferrari's GT cars of today. And like these cars, the 212 had a V12 up front, in this case a 2.6-liter (yes, you read that right, a 2.6-liter V12) that produced 165 horsepower. Obviously not a huge number today, but in 1952 it was a plenty respectable figure.

Coachwork was done by a number of different firms, with this specific car being built by Vignale. It is this firm which did the most significant work on the 212, but it is important to note that the 212 marked the very first time Enzo Ferrari and Pininfarina collaborated on a project. The 212 was built from 1950 to 1952, and not only is this a short time period, but Ferrari was also a very small company back then, so a total of just 82 units were ever produced. The one here will be auctioned off at Amelia Island in March by RM Auctions. As yet there is no estimate on price, not uncommon for something so rare.

Extremely Rare But Important Early Ferrari, A 1952 212 Europa, Heads To Auction

Join The Discussion

Gallery