I shot this photo at another rally rest stop, which happened to be a notable restoration shop. This car’s body was off the superleggera frame, and on a jig, undergoing extensive work to be put back to proper shape. As you can see the body is a lightweight alloy and rather delicate at that.
Do you know the car?
Wow! I bet it was a Ferrari 340 America, but I almost said 166 MM Barchetta. Very very nice! I always think that weird crease under the headlights makes it look sad… Maybe it’s sad that so many of its brothers went to Pininfarina instead of Touring?
Comment by sfoskett — April 29, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
Ferrari 212?
Comment by markc — April 29, 2009 @ 12:59 pm
I’ll go with sfoskett’s guess of a Ferrari Barchetta. Early 50s….
Comment by vrooomie — April 29, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
Close, but not quite guys. Though with only this view it is hard to say exactly what it is, so we’ll call it done.
It is a Ferrari 166 Touring body coupe (not Barchetta). Here are some photos of it a bit farther on in the process:
http://ferraricraft.com/2008/12/22/touring-bodied-ferrari-166/
Comment by chuck goolsbee — April 29, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Those lines on the body? they’re called ‘lofting lines,’ and I learned how to do this, back in the late 80s, when I began building custom race car bodies. It’s obviously also used on restorations and now can be ‘lined’ with lasers…cool technique!
Comment by vrooomie — April 29, 2009 @ 2:43 pm
Oh yeah.. the guys at RPM are true artists… literally! Eben Markowski does their body and fabrication work, and when he’s not doing that he’s a sculptor.
Comment by chuck goolsbee — April 29, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
“Eben Markowski does their body and fabrication work, and when he’s not doing that he’s a sculptor.”
Wow…I’m speechless! What a wonderful talent!
Comment by vrooomie — April 30, 2009 @ 4:49 am
Those fog lights definitely belong on a later Touring Ferrari like a 340 America. The early 166 coupes and racers had tiny little lights not big fogs. I’ve only ever seen those on road-going Barchettas and big-engine Americas. But a very very cool car nonetheless! I gotta believe RPM and the owner know what they’re doing with the lights!
Comment by sfoskett — April 30, 2009 @ 8:15 am
I may be in the minority on this, and that’s OK but..that car is *utt BUGLY*!
Cool work, though, to fix it up!
Comment by vrooomie — May 1, 2009 @ 10:40 am