1951 – A Very Good Year Indeed
I haven’t done this in a while, so it must be time. The latest Car of the Week is this impeccably beautiful 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Spyder seen at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. Owned the last twenty-six years by Jeffrey and Frances Fisher, this seventy-five year old car is in pristine condition. Restored in the early 2000s to its original striking metallic teal green and black livery with matching teal leather, the car not only won its class at the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours, but also garnered the Most Elegant Sports Car award.
Just look at it – unbroken lines gracefully move across gorgeously blended surfaces, highlighting the period’s obsession of blending sporting purpose with elegance. Possibly the most obvious yet overlooked feature of this Ferrari is the polished chrome piping that runs unbroken completely around the car. And unbroken is quite literally true – only the door seams break the continuity of this piece. A remarkable display of skill and craftsmanship.
From a curl under the headlights, the chrome strip ascends. Following a transition line it curves past the grill, highlighting the fender/hood seam as it gently curves past the base of the windshield (a beautiful shape all its own), along the crown of the door before curving and falling perfectly around the trunk lid seam and returning, in a looping orbit, to repeat the same lines along the other side of the car, ending its journey in an identical curl under the opposite headlight.
Devoid of distractions, it has no visible door handles, no bumpers, no side mirrors. Just purity of line, unbroken, unspoiled. Breathtaking.
Stylish gauges and switches highlight the simple dashboard behind the right-hand positioned, classic Ferrari steering wheel while the Vignale logo, complete with stretched and engraved wings, adorns the left side of the dash. The interior is simple, in keeping with a sports car of the period. But what is here is exceptional.
Giovanni Michelotti penned the design for this Vignali-built rolling work of art. Although he only lived to be 59, he was a prolific car designer, and one of my favorites. He created notable cars for Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, Volvo, Triumph, BMW (including the 2002), Abarth, Cunningham, Ford, Fiat, and others.
This particular car was originally sold to gentleman racer Count Umberto Marzotto, and quickly became a competitive racer through 1953. With its 2.5L Columbo V12 engine, this embodies everything that’s classic about the best early Ferraris.
I spoke briefly to one of its owners, Frances Fisher, who admitted to dearly loving this car, claiming “we will never sell it.” I can see why. Every line is perfection. The colors are beautiful and highly unusual for both Ferrari and the time. To me, it is simply exquisite.
Certainly, there are other cars at the 75th Pebble Beach Concours that are worthy of equal praise. But, to my mind, this is the perfect little sports car. Compact, simple, sporting. Not a wasted feature or a misplaced line. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. It is one of my all-time favorite cars.
