Automobiles constructed for road use have always played an important role in Ferrari history but it is more usual for authors and publishers to document Ferrari's racing successes. So we dug into the archives and compiled a wonderful assembly of material about the early road cars. Included are road tests and track tests written by extremely knowledgeable authors, historians and drivers such as Phil Hill, Peter Coltrin, Warren Fitzgerald, John Bentley, Michael Bowler, Hans Tanner, and Dean Batchelor, to name just a few and in no significant order!
Much of the mystique of the Ferrari name is associated with its racing successes and it is easy to ignore the significance that road going automobiles played in the marque's heritage. During the formative years covered by this publication, it is possible that without the income generated from the sale of the road cars, Ferrari would not have survived. As with any fledgling business, finances had to be a major concern and the sales of road cars helped provide much needed funds to assist in financing Ferrari's racing efforts. However, the demarcation between the race cars and road cars is often blurred, as many of the cars that were constructed during that era had dual personalities and many of the so called road cars were nothing more than thinly disguised race cars.
Perhaps one of the best examples would be Mrs. Willy Day's purchase of her 375 Mille Miglia. Willy lived in Brentwood, California, in the hills above Santa Monica and West Los Angeles and thought that a hairy, full-bore racing Ferrari would be just the thing to drive up and down those winding roads. She never had any thoughts of entering the car in a race and only ever used it for pleasure, driving it on shopping expeditions or to the golf course! Therefore, while the intention of this book is to focus on the true road going Ferraris manufactured from 1946 to 1956, the reader has to accept that there will be some gray areas.
Included are road & classic tests, new model intros, race reports, performance & technical data plus historical Salons. Models covered are the 166, 195 & 212 Inters, 166 & 195 Sports, 166, 250, 340 & 375 MMs, 340 & 375 Americas together with the 250 Europa and Superamerica.
