Friday's Ferrari

The Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1997 featured a Ferrari display in the paddock which included the car pictured below.

It's a 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico which at that time was owned by Carlos Monteverde and is chassis #0226AT. The car is powered by a 4,102cc V12 engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi and the body designed by Giovanni Michelotti for Carrozzeria Vignale. Only four of these cars were produced, three Berlinattas and one Spyder, and they were built specifically to take part in the Carrera Panamericana race from the south of Mexico near the border with Guatemala to the north of the country near the border with Texas. In the end the Spyder which was entered for the American Bill Spear did not start in the race but the three Berlinettas did. The car above was driven by Alberto Ascari and Giuseppe Scotuzzi and retired after an accident in the early stages of the race. One of the other cars, driven by Luigi Villoresi and Franco Cornacchia, also failed to  finish, but the third Berlinetta, driven by Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, finished the race in third place.

Friday's Ferrari

Today's car is one from the Ferrari feature at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992. It's a Ferrari 250MM Panamericana.

Here's what the programme had to say about the car:

'Front engined V12; 3 litres; 240bhp at 7200rpm; ifs/wishbones-coil spring; rigid axle rear/semi-elliptic leaf springs. Introduced 1952 Paris Show. 33 built. Mostly Pininfarina berlinettas or Vignale spyders. Mainly used in competition by private entrants. This car, then with a 2.6 litre engine, was driven by Ruiz Echevarria & Villegas Becerril in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. It was later brought to 250MM specification by the factory.'

Note April 2015: The serial number of this car is 0239EU.