Renowned auction house RM Sotheby’s prepared an interesting array of retro metal for this year’s edition of the Villa Erba sale. On the shores of Lake Como in Italy, tomorrow will see the sale of a Ferrari aimed at the rich and famous - the 195 Inter Berlinetta Ghia.
The front grille’s shape appears to resemble that of a 1950 Aston Martin DB2, but there are some elements that differentiate the two old-timers. Frank Feeley, the man that designed the DB2’s glorious body and grille, didn’t know about Carrozzeria Ghia’s latest venture with the Prancing Horse and vice versa. Speaking of Ghia, isn’t Ferrari S.p.A. in cahoots with Pininfarina?
Spot on! Before Maranello’s most revered automaker came to BFF Carozzeria Pininfarina and never look back, Ferrari cars mainly wore clothes made by Ghia, Touring, and Vignale. So what’s the story of this 195 Inter Berlinetta by Ghia then? Better put - why is the estimate on this blast from the past €1,650,000 ($1,824,363 at current exchange rates)?
For starters, chassis #0089/S is animated by engine #0089/S. The fourth of 24 examples ever made, this Ferrari 195 Inter Berlinetta is animated by a 2.4-liter (2,341 cc) Colombo V12 fed by a trio of Weber 36DCZ3 carburetors. It may have only 130 brake horsepower at its disposal, but it weighs about 2,200 lbs (997 kg).
Ferrari Classiche certified, the 1951 Brussels Motor Show car and the entrant of the 1957 Liege–Rome–Liege Rally, this 195 Inter has an ace up its sleeve. While the Aston Martin DB2 makes do with a 4-speed manual, the Ferrari has more space to stretch its V12 legs thanks to a 5-speed manual transmission.
If you’re in the market for a pre-250 series Ferrari, this 195 should be on your shopping list.
Now is time for a (not so fun) fact: Ghia is now owned by the Ford Motor Company. From 1973 to 2008, the Ghia moniker became the Blue Oval's top trim level. Eventually replaced by the Titanium as the flagship trim level, the Ghia name lives on via the design studios that produce concept cars under the Ford banner.
Spot on! Before Maranello’s most revered automaker came to BFF Carozzeria Pininfarina and never look back, Ferrari cars mainly wore clothes made by Ghia, Touring, and Vignale. So what’s the story of this 195 Inter Berlinetta by Ghia then? Better put - why is the estimate on this blast from the past €1,650,000 ($1,824,363 at current exchange rates)?
For starters, chassis #0089/S is animated by engine #0089/S. The fourth of 24 examples ever made, this Ferrari 195 Inter Berlinetta is animated by a 2.4-liter (2,341 cc) Colombo V12 fed by a trio of Weber 36DCZ3 carburetors. It may have only 130 brake horsepower at its disposal, but it weighs about 2,200 lbs (997 kg).
Ferrari Classiche certified, the 1951 Brussels Motor Show car and the entrant of the 1957 Liege–Rome–Liege Rally, this 195 Inter has an ace up its sleeve. While the Aston Martin DB2 makes do with a 4-speed manual, the Ferrari has more space to stretch its V12 legs thanks to a 5-speed manual transmission.
If you’re in the market for a pre-250 series Ferrari, this 195 should be on your shopping list.
Now is time for a (not so fun) fact: Ghia is now owned by the Ford Motor Company. From 1973 to 2008, the Ghia moniker became the Blue Oval's top trim level. Eventually replaced by the Titanium as the flagship trim level, the Ghia name lives on via the design studios that produce concept cars under the Ford banner.