www.QV500.com - Ferrari 212 Part 1: 212 Inter
 

212 Inter factory sales brochure from 1952		 The 212 was Ferrari's successor to their short-lived 195, a model produced for a brief spell between 1950 and '51. Like that car, the 212 was available in a pair of alternative configurations, the Inter having been for road use and the Export predominantly for competition. 212's came from a period when it was normal for a customer to purchase a rolling chassis from Ferrari and then send it to the carrozzeria of their choice for a bespoke body and interior to be fitted. Thus, many 212's differ in detail, a wide variety of body styles having been executed from road racing Barchetta’s to a four-seat Cabriolet.
   

212 Inter's were predominantly built on a 2600mm wheelbase chassis although a handful were constructed with shorter 2500mm wheelbase frames. Both versions benefitted from all-round wider track and a more substantial frame that was better able to withstand the stresses caused by Ferrari's latest engines. 212 Export's meanwhile were always built on chassis's with a 2250mm wheelbase, some 350mm shorter. Inter chassis's were stamped in a typically Italian manner and the array of suffix's can be a little confusing. There were frames ending in S, E and EL (for Export Lungo) while late model cars produced between summer 1952 and spring of 1953 were designated EU. One specially produced chassis was even designated with a T! Powering the 212 Inter was an enlarged version of Colombo's 60° V12, displacement rising from 2.4 to 2.6-litres. Bored out by 3mm (to 68mm), stroke remaining unchanged at 58.8mm for 2562cc. Customers were given the option of a single Weber 36 DCF-fed 150bhp at 6000rpm engine or the more powerful triple Weber 32 DCF 170bhp at 6500rpm unit. Regardless, all 212 Inter's (and Export's) used the same five-speed, non-synchromesh gearbox.

 

212 Inter Pinin Farina Coupe chassis 0265 EU		 With the triple carb option, Inter's could reach a top speed of around 125mph and hit sixty in nine seconds, the 150bhp single-carb examples not being that far behind. Some clients would inevitably ask for a hot Export engine to be fitted in their otherwise ‘stock’ Inter and Ferrari would always oblige, such options after all came at significant cost. With two bodies rarely having been 100% identical, it would be impossible to cover every individual design here. However, there were normally fundamental similarities between shells fabricated by the same coachbuilder.
   

By far the most popular designer from this period was Vignale who originally bodied 37 of the 82 Inter's built. Split between 13 Berlinetta's, seven Convertible's and 15 Coupe's, Vignale provided an abundance of alternative designs, some of which can rightly be considered among the Turin organisations finest ever work. While a selection were particularly restrained in their use of stylised details, others were extravagant automotive haute couture designed for achieving maximum effect at the most glamorous auto salons. Also out of Turin, Ghia were responsible for a good proportion of Inter bodies comprising of 15 Coupe's (including at least one collaboration with the Swiss Aigle concern) and a solitary Convertible. Most were restrained, elegant Coupe’s with no flashy trimmings, but a couple were constructed to special order with outlandish bodywork and luxurious features. Touring were beginning to clothe ever fewer Ferrari road cars, the Milanese firm being overtaken by Vignale and Ghia. Once again, their sole Coupe and six Berlinetta's were in keeping with the established Touring style although many clients, especially those in North America, were looking for something a little less familiar.

 

212 Inter Pinin Farina Coupe chassis 0265 EU		 English coachbuilders Abbott fabricated a four-seat Cabriolet body that was quite simply among the ugliest Ferrari's ever produced, its ungainly proportions seeing it discarded soon after completion. Pinin Farina designs were becoming more popular by the time the 212 was in the twilight of production, the first two PF-bodied examples having been eminently comparable Convertible's that shared several details with the 342 America. These and the 11 PF Coupe's were devoid of any over styling, rather a mix of restrained elegance on well-proportioned lines.
   
No doubt Enzo Ferrari approved of Pinin Farina's work for they went on to become his firms carrozzeria of choice soon afterwards. Inter cabins were generally equipped to the wishes of any particular customer, fixtures and fittings often being related to the body style. For example, Coupe's and Convertible's were normally trimmed more luxuriously than Berlinetta's or Spyder's. After its launch at the Paris Salon in late 1951, 212 Inter production went on to total 82 examples by the time the last one was completed in mid 1953. Replaced by 250 Europa's that were predominantly clothed by Pinin Farina, these 212 Inter's marked an end to Ferrari’s golden coachbuilt era. Despite not being the most obvious choice for a competition car though, the Inter was not without some high profile success. Late in November 1951, Piero Taruffi and Luigi Chinetti took a famous victory in chassis 0171 EL on one of the greatest road races, Mexico's Carrera Panamericana. Run over 2000 tortuous miles, second place went to sister car 0161 EL driven by none other than Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi. An emphatic and unexpected result, other Inter's were subsequently raced but none so successfully as these.