At the end of 1952 Vignale started producing it’s definitive 2 bumper coupé bodies designed by Giovanni Michelotti for the 116 mph Ferrari 212 Inter.
It is believed no more than six of these twin bumper 212 Inters were produced from a total of 26 Vignale bodied 212 Inters and that today’s featured #0257EU was the first chassis to be so futuristically equipped,
This particular car was initially sold in 1953 to a Turin dealer called Fontanella who exhibited it at the Concorso d’Eleganza San Remo the following year.
Later in 1954 Luigi Chinetti sold #0257EU to paper product tycoon Robert C. Wilke of Milwaukee who was president of Leader Card Inc who would become a well known sponsor of Indy cars.
The cars engine block is believed to have been replaced twice, first due to a crack that developed and secondly after a mechanic who over torqued the heads causing the studs to be pulled from the second block.
The car resided in the United States until 1979 when it was acquired by a Belgian who kept it until 2006 when it returned to the United States.
In 2009 Michael Green in Texas bought #0257EU and the original engine block from John Hadjuk in Indiana whom he entrusted with the mechanical restoration of the car while Gassman Automotive in Waynesboro Virginia took care of the rest.
Mr Green sold the car for just over US$1.7 million including buyers premium at Scottsdale in January 2014 and it is my understanding that the car, seen at Goodwood Festival of Speed in July this year, is being offered for sale again by Tom Hartley Jnr £POA.
Thanks for joining me on this “Pull Up Two The Bumpers” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Chevron. Don’t forget to come back now !
