Beschreibung:

Early road-going Ferraris were necessarily very closely related to their competition cousins, none more so than the rare and exclusive America/ Superamerica series of large-capacity Gran Turismos whose engines were developed directly from Ferrari's contemporary Grand Prix unit. Introduced in 1947, Grand Prix racing's first post-war formula was for 1.5-litre supercharged and 4.5-litre un-supercharged cars. Ferrari chose the former configuration for his Tipo 125 V12-engined monoposto, designed by Gioacchino Colombo, but had to endure the frustration of watching Alfa Romeo, whose racing team he had managed during the 1930s, clean up with its pre-war Tipo 158 Alfetta. Only in 1949, with Alfa temporarily absent, did Ferrari taste championship success. Aware that his erstwhile employer was planning a return to racing with a revised Tipo 159 for 1951, Ferrari began developing a series of large-capacity un-blown cars as an alternative to the 125 F1. With Colombo departed, Aurelio Lampredi was assigned the task of designing what would become known as the 'long-block', 60-degree, V12 engines. The first of these, a 3.3-litre unit, appeared in 1950 in the 275 F1, growing to 4.1 litres for the successor 340 F1 and finally arriving at 4,494cc for the 375 F1 in time for the Italian Grand Prix in September 1950. The following season was closely fought, only at the final event, with Ferrari handicapped by an inappropriate tyre choice, did Alfa take the manufacturers' championship. Ferrari wasted no time in exploring the potential of Lampredi's successful, Grand Prix, 'long-block' V12 engine as a road-going power unit, introducing the 340 America at the Paris Salon in October 1950, just a few months after its 4.1-litre engine's race debut. Just 23 of these competition-inspired 'big bangers' would be produced before production ceased in 1952. Its successor, the 342 America, was conceived from the outset as a pure road car. More robust and better equipped than the lighter, competition-orientated 340 America, the '342' boasted a 9" longer wheelbase and a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. It retained its predecessor's Lampredi-designed, 4,101cc, two-cam V12 engine which, in '342' configuration, produced 200bhp at 5,000rpm. Just six 342 Americas were made in 1952/53 within the chassis number range '0232AL' - '0248AL', making the model one of the rarest of all Ferrari road cars. All but the first of the series, a Vignale cabriolet on chassis number '0232AL', were bodied by Pinin Farina, two as cabriolets and three as coupés, each of these hand-built cars being a unique creation to individual customer order as was the practice at the time. Designated job number '10948', this car, chassis number '0246AL', the penultimate 342 America made, entered the Pinin Farina plant on 30th December 1952. Painted black, it was displayed on Pinin Farina's stand at the 23rd Geneva Motor Show in March 1953. The car was sold new to Franco Fassio of Genova, Italy the following month and later in 1953 passed into the ownership of Steve Briggs in the USA. Records show that between 1958 and 1989 '0246AL' was owned by William R Peters in Minnesota and Florida during which time it was finished in green with matching interior and subsequently black with green interior. Peters sold '0246AL' to Brad Hallock of San Francisco, California in September 1989 at 43,168 kilometres and the car then underwent refurbishment by Tom Valerio of Valerio Auto Restorations, being repainted black and re-trimmed in tan leather. In 1990 it was sold to Belgium and imported into Europe via Guernsey. In September 1992 '0246AL' was shown during the FF40 meeting in Brussels and at Spa Francorchamps, and again at the Oldtimer Show in Antwerp in March 1994. Impeccably presented, this rare early Ferrari Gran Turismo is offered with old US title deed, assorted correspondence and Guernsey registration papers. Should the new owner wish to import the car into the EU via Great Britain, the reduced VAT rate o