Ferrari 212 Europa Coupe by Pininfarina
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Car producer : |
Ferrari |
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Model: |
212 Europa Coupe by Pininfarina |
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Year: |
1951-1953 |
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Type: |
Coupe |
The Ferrari 212 Inter replaced Ferrari's successful 166 and 195 Inter grand tourers in 1951. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show that year, the 212 was an evolution of the 166 — a sports car for the road that could also win international races.
The chassis was similar to the 125 with double wishbones in front and live axle in back. Coachbuilders included Carrozzeria Touring, Ghia, Vignale, and now Pinin Farina. The latter was an important move for the company, as Farina was already well-known and adding his styling skills would be a tremendous boost for Maranello. However, Pinin Farina was as proud as Enzo Ferrari, and neither would go to the other to request business up to this point. A mutual meeting halfway between Maranello and Turin was the negotiated solution.
Both 2,500 mm (98.4 in) and 2,600 mm (102.4 in) versions were built (Export and Inter models, respectively), both with a larger 2.6 L (2563 cc/156 in³) version of Ferrari's Colombo V12 engine. Like the 195, the additional displacement over the 166 was achieved with a larger bore, this time to 68 mm. Output was 150 to 165hp (111 to 123 kW) with one or three Weber 36DCF carburetors. The short-wheelbase Export model got the more-powerful engine. 5hp (3.7 kW) more was on the table for 1952 thanks to better cylinder heads.
A single 212 Inter, was fitted with the available "225" or 2.7 L Colombo V12, creating a unique model that would be properly referred to as a 225 Inter. This one-off model was given a fetching Giovanni Michelotti penned berlinetta body by Vignale.
The Ferrari 212 Export was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1951 to replace the 195 S. It had a shorter wheelbase than the road-oriented Ferrari 212 Inter model, which was a Grand tourer.
The Colombo engine used in the Export had an 8.0:1 compression ratio, up from the 7.5:1 ratio used in the Inter. Customers who wanted the Export to be a faster GT than the Inter ordered the engine with one Weber 36 DCF carburetor, which would give a power output of 150hp (112 kW) at 6000 rpm. Most Exports were used in competition and were fitted with a more complicated setup with three Weber 32 DCF carburetors, yielding a power output of 175hp (130 kW; 177 PS) at 6500 rpm.
Twenty-eight 212 Export models were built.
In 1951, 212 Exports took the first three places in the Tour de France automobile racing event and won the Giro di Sicilia and the Giro di Toscana motor races.
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.
In October 1952, Ferrari initiated a gradual transition from the earlier series 212 platform, developing the first of the Europa series (designated by the EU serial number). The first of these cars debuted as the Inter Cabriolet with coachwork by Pinin Farina (chassis number 0235 EU). The new GT car was well-received in part due to the increased wheelbase and improved chassis dynamics. Just 78 examples of the 212 Inter were produced between 1951 and 1953, with 26 of the final 29 cars receiving the EU chassis designation as Europas. These cars were powered by the 170bhp, 2562cc SOHC V12 engine with three Weber 36 DCF carburetors. Power fed through a 5-speed manual gearbox, featuring independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and coil springs, live rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs and parallel trailing arms, with 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Each of these rare cars were masterfully hand-built, often tailored to a specific customer.
