1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe 'Supergioiello' by Ghia
- Engine
- V12
- Colour
- Black with silver roof
The 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé, chassis 0213 EL, wears a unique 'Supergioiello' body designed by Felice Mario Boano and Giovanni Michelotti at Ghia, and was the centrepiece of the 1951 Turin Motor Show — the only Ghia design Ferrari incorporated into its official 212 Inter sales material. After early Italian ownership, the car was purchased in 1958 through the intervention of racing driver Piero Taruffi by Mexican journalist Rodolfo Junco de la Vega, who kept it for over six decades, making it among the longest single-ownership tenures of any Ferrari offered at public auction.
Ownership
- —Auction saleSold US$950,000
- 1952-07-01 →Factory deliveryFassio family memberpartial documentation
An unnamed member of the prominent and wealthy Fassio family, whose patriarch and heirs were among Ferrari's most loyal customers, acquired the car following its release from the factory.
- 1955-10-01 → 1958-11-07Acquisition unknownUmberto Miserinifull documentation
Registered the car in Varese under plate VA 42309; the ACI Estratto documents this and prior registrations in Trieste and Novara.
- 1958-11-07 →Private saleRodolfo Junco de la Vega Jr.full documentation
Acquired via private purchase facilitated by Piero Taruffi for $15,000; the car was shipped from Livorno to Houston then forwarded by rail to Monterrey, Mexico, where it began a decades-long residency. Junco de la Vega personally maintained the car for many years after receiving instruction at the factory, and had it professionally refinished in 1973. After his passing, heirs consigned minor mechanical work to Bob Smith Coachworks in Gainesville, Texas.
Competition
- 1951-11-23Carrera Panamericana1951 Carrera PanamericanaDriver: Piero Taruffi1st overall
Taruffi's winning run through the northbound stages was witnessed by Rodolfo Junco de la Vega, who was covering the event for his newspaper; the victory inspired his eventual purchase of a Ferrari.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1958ServiceFerrari factory
Factory mechanics who had originally built the car in 1951 provided the new owner with several days of hands-on maintenance instruction at Maranello, equipping him to carry out routine servicing himself over the following decades.
Described by Junco de la Vega in later interviews with Ferrari Club publications.
- 1973Bodywork
The car was professionally refinished back to its correct factory two-tone black-and-silver livery.
Described as the only significant cosmetic intervention; the car otherwise retains its original preserved character.
- —MechanicalBob Smith Coachworks
After a period of inactivity following the owner's death, the heirs commissioned work to return the car to a safe and roadworthy condition.
Bob Smith Coachworks is located in Gainesville, Texas.
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