As one of Ferrari’s earliest road car designations, the Inter name was first applied to the 166 model in honor of the Gruppo Inter racing team, which campaigned some of the earliest 166 Sports to great success. Specified with a larger 2.5-liter engine, the succeeding 212 Inter was made in a modest quantity of 78 cars, of which 37 examples were bodied by the coachbuilder Vignale. The featured car, chassis number 0289 EU, was the last of 26 such chassis completed as coupes.
According to a history report by marque expert Marcel Massini, this Ferrari is the last of six similar cars bodied by Vignale to a design sometimes referred to as the Geneva Coupe. The styling closely echoes the Vignale-bodied 340 Mexico berlinettas that ran the Carrera Panamericana in late 1952, exhibiting similar jutting front fenders with inset headlamps and an eggcrate grille, as well as delicate tailfins. But while the 340 Mexicos had a sloping fastback, these six Vignale-bodied 212 Inters have notchback rear ends that further accentuate the tailfins.
Equipped with triple Weber 36 DCZ/3 carburetors in the style of the racing Export variant, 0289 EU completed factory assembly in January 1953, finished in Camoscio (literally translating to chamois, but a gold metallic shade) paint by Lechleroid over an interior trimmed in Arbo Tan Verde leather. The 212 was delivered new to the Momo Corporation in New York City. Alfredo Momo was a well-known mechanic and importer of European sports cars who achieved greater renown as the chief mechanic for Briggs Cunningham’s racing teams. He soon sold the 212 to its first private owner, local New Yorker James Floria.
Mr. Floria kept the Ferrari for eight years before offering it for sale, at which point it was acquired by Ferrari Club of America co-founder Richard Merritt, of Bethesda, Maryland. The 212 passed through three more owners in short order before being sold in 1973 to Jackson Brooks of Fort Collins, Colorado, and he conducted a full restoration during which the chrome side trim and bumpers were removed. Mr. Brooks later described the car in detail in his 2007 book Cars I Could’ve, Should’ve, Kept: Memoir of a Life Restoring Classic Sports Cars. In 1976 Brooks sold the Ferrari to Fred Jaeger of Racine, Wisconsin, and from him the car passed through a short chain of four more owners over the next ten years, including respected Illinois-based collector William Jacobs.
In 1986 the Inter was sold to Steve Barney, the esteemed proprietor of Foreign Cars Italia of Greensboro, North Carolina. Barney was then joined by Ferrari Market Letter founder Gerald Roush for a run at the 1986 Mille Miglia Storica, an entertaining account of which Mr. Roush published in the next Ferrari Market Letter issue. This was the first of many appearances that 0289 EU made at the reborn Mille.
By the end of the year the Ferrari was acquired by esteemed collector John Zambetti of Malibu, California, and he presented the car at the 1986 Palm Springs Concours d’Elegance, taking a class win. After briefly passing through the purview of Jim Hayes of Lakewood, California, the 212 was sold in 1988 to Gordon Wheeler of Deer Park, California. Mr. Wheeler campaigned the Inter at the Monterey Historic races five times over the following 12 years, in a testament to the car’s enjoyability in vintage events. During this time 0289 EU was exhibited at the 1991 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and it also participated in the 1995 Wine Country Classic at Sears Point, and the 1998 Colorado Grand.
In early 2002 the Ferrari was sold to Japanese collector Hirohisa Kojima, and he returned the car to the Mille Miglia Storica for three consecutive years starting in 2004. During this time Mr. Kojima performed some restoration work that included the addition of grille-mounted driving lamps, and the fender portholes for which Vignale-bodied cars are often known.
In August 2008 the Ferrari was sold to a collector residing in Hawaii who passed away shortly thereafter, and the car was acquired by its next owner in 2010. This owner retained possession for at least four years before the Inter was later acquired by the consignor in 2018.
The new owner quickly entrusted the Ferrari to Fast Cars Ltd. in Redondo Beach, California, for a full mechanical restoration and preparation for the upcoming Mille Miglia Storica. This work included a comprehensive rebuild of the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes, as clarified by invoices on file. The opportunity was taken to tastefully upgrade a few elements for superior performance and convenience, including the addition of Pertronix electronic ignition, a carbon clutch, and a new custom-built fuel tank. This work also included a refinish of the cosmetics to the current livery of Rosso paint over a new tan leather interior.
After successfully completing the 2019 Mille Miglia, the car was returned to Fast Cars Ltd. for continued mechanical restoration work and servicing as needed. This pattern continued for additional events that included the 2019 Colorado Grand, the 2021 California Mille, and a return to the Mille Miglia Storica in 2024 and 2025, where the owner and his son again experienced the enchantment of one of the niche’s most legendary road races.
Chassis number 0289 EU continues to be an ideal candidate for rallying use, being equipped with an outside fuel filler and a dash-mounted racing trip meter and altimeter. It is also important to note that the car retains mechanical stampings consistent with factory data, indicating the presence of the original matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle. Collectors in search of a well-prepared early 1950s coachbuilt Ferrari sports-racing car eligible for major events worldwide need look no further than this stirring Vignale-bodied coupe. As the final 212 Inter clothed by Vignale, it is in a sense the last of a special breed of thoroughbreds.
