Lot 335: Ferrari 410 Superamerica Series III

400 bhp, 4,962 cc Lampredi-designed Tipo 126/58 V12 engine with a single overhead camshaft per cylinder bank and three Weber dual-choke carburetors, Tipo 514 A four-speed manual transmission, Tipo 514 A chassis with independent front suspension with unequal-length wishbones and coil springs, live rear axle with parallel trailing arms and semi-elliptic leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 102.3"

- One of just 34 examples of the 410 SA produced - Unbroken provenance from new - Race-derived engineering, shattering performance - Timeless Pinin Farina styling

Throughout the 1950s, almost all high-end auto manufacturers catered to the owner-driver, but while Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin concentrated on series-production of high-quality automobiles like the 300SL and DB4, and the great French marques labored under socialist regulations and confiscatory taxes, the Italians enjoyed a creative boom that led to numerous benchmarks for style, luxury and high performance. Alone among nations, Italy's automobile industry possessed two enviable attributes: the chassis of Ferrari and Maserati, creations of impeccable quality and performance, and its time-honored coachbuilders, which were unparalleled in creating unique expressions of individual style based upon these race-derived chassis.

Enzo Ferrari was both lucky and astute enough that his laser-sharp focus on competition provided him with a large-displacement engine that provided performance of the highest order while remaining amply tractable for even ordinary drivers, the Lampredi long block V12. Developed by Aurelio Lampredi in 1950 for the 4-liter GP formula then in effect, Ferrari's long block quickly also proved its effectiveness in sports cars and was adopted by Ferrari for a series of large-displacement (for Ferrari) customer cars, which were successful on both the racetrack and the highway alike.

Ferrari's clientele was by necessity beyond wealthy, reaching far into the ranks of the world's richest and most famous. Beginning with the 340, Ferrari and his coachbuilding compatriots at Ghia, Touring, Vignale, Boano, Scaglietti and Pinin Farina created a series of limited-production cars that would epitomize the golden age of luxurious, long-distance, high-performance GT cars so emblematic of the 1950s and 1960s.

Superamerica

No longer bearing formal images, the name Ferrari gave his premier cars  the expression of 1950s aspirations, progress and cutting-edge style  speaks volumes: America. Once the America moniker was adopted, its sequel was logical: Superamerica, with 410 SA production numbering 34 cars along three distinct series built from 1955 through 1959. Displacing 4962 cc, the 410 Superamerica's initial 340-horsepower output was unprecedented in road cars at the time. They were all built to order, with coachbuilders proffering proposals to favored clients in hope of winning commissions to build their expressions of elegance and power. Light, svelte, distinctive, dynamic and even idiosyncratic, each Superamerica was unique, perfectly suiting Ferrari's demanding clientele.

The Lampredi engine was particularly appropriate for these large automobiles. With a large bore and a short stroke, piston speeds were high, allowing high revs with minimum fuss and maximum efficiency. The short-stroke Superamericas were rated at up to 7600 rpm, with a wide operating range that would quickly reduce other large-displacement engines to rubble. Driving a Lampredi-engined Ferrari is a unique experience. Displacing nearly five liters, with six cylinders firing on every revolution, the V12 gives compelling performance at any speed, in any gear.

Weighing approximately 3,200 pounds, the Superamerica provided shattering performance, particularly in its ultimate Series III expression, with 400 horsepower on tap. Notably, Series III engines featured a number of enhancements borrowed from Ferrari's racing cars, including outside-mounted spark plugs from the 250 Testa Rossa along with billet connecting rods, which were polished to a mirror-like finish, echoing those of Ferrari's own Grand Prix cars, 250 TRs and the later 250 GTO. In addition, the Weber carburetors of the 410 SA were the largest fitted to a GT-model Ferrari of the era.

Now, as when new, Americas and Superamericas are as satisfying for their long-distance cruising potential at daunting speeds as they are for their quick and effortless acceleration in traffic. To handle the power of the Lampredi-derived V12, the 410 SA also benefited from a set of massive brakes from Ferrari's sports racing cars, with 15.7-inch diameters, marking the largest drum brakes ever used on a Ferrari GT car.

Chassis no. 1323 SA

The 1959 Series III 410 Superamerica offered here is the 12th car built, in addition to being the 29th of just 34 410 Superamericas built in total between 1956 and 1959. This car, chassis number 1323 SA, carries a detailed and unbroken provenance beginning with its assignment of Pinin Farina job number 15825, with the bodywork ordered on February 26th, 1959. It was originally equipped with covered headlamps and finished in ruby red with grey leather upholstery.

On July 8th, 1959, 1323 SA was completed, and Chinetti Motors sold it to first owner Gill Brothers, a resident of Rhinelander, New York. In 1963, 1323 SA was sold to second owner Henry Desormeau of Latham, New York.

Mr. Desormeau owned and enjoyed his car for quite some time, not parting with it until 1975 when he sold it to Jim Haynes of Lime Rock, Connecticut. In 1979, the car passed through Bill Kontes and eventually to noted collector Hilary A. Raab, Jr. of Crown Point, Indiana.

At this time, 1323 SA was registered in Indiana as PROVA and later as 45 B 7214. The Superamerica remained with Raab until 1998, when it was sold to Luigi Chinetti Jr. of Connecticut, who showed it at the VIII Cavallino Classic concours in Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2004, Chinetti sold 1323 SA to William Grimsley of Sausalito, California. In July 2006, Grimsley submitted 1323 SA for maintenance at the specialist shop of David McCarthy and Patrick Ottis. Brian Hoyt's Perfect Reflections completed a repaint in deep red, and Ken Niminick fitted a tan interior, leather and trim. On October 23rd, 2007, Grimsley sold 1323 SA to Robert Harris of Logan, Utah. On August 11th, 2008, it was shown at the Concours on the Avenue at Carmel, California before it was acquired the same year by the current owners.

Featured as the cover car in the December 2008 edition of Sports Car Market with a detailed analysis, 1323 SA is presented in wonderful condition today. Incredibly rare and beautifully cloaked in one of the finest and most distinctive Pinin Farina body designs, this Superamerica continues to define the pinnacle of Ferrari's legendarily bespoke GT cars of the late 1950s. Priced at a stratospheric $16,800 when new, this 1959 Series III 410 Superamerica carries a known and unbroken provenance from new, including some of this country's most well-known collectors and enthusiasts  gentlemen who continually seek the finest and most exclusive motor cars in the world. 1323 SA remains simply one of the fastest, most exclusive, powerful, stylish and unquestionably desirable Ferrari GTs of all time.