Unregistered
Chassis no. 0120A
Engine no. 0120A
Touring body no. 3564

- Ex-24 Hours of Le Mans 1951, Tourist Trophy 1951 with Mike Hawthorn, 12 Hours of Sebring 1953, Daytona Speed Week 1954
- The most powerful Ferrari at the time
- Rare and exceptional model, pure lines of Touring body, one of seven built
- Fascinating history, extensive file, fully documented by Massini
- Meticulously restored, original engine
- Fresh on the market, in the Bart Rosman Collection since 1975
- No reserve

Le Mans 1951. Compared with the previous year, the starting grid had evolved, with the models developed before the war gradually making way for more modern machinery. The breakthroughs made in aerodynamics continued, as could be seen with the new C-Type Jaguar or the streamlined Porsche 356. In the wake of its victory in 1949, Ferrari turned out in force with nine cars, including four 340 Americas, the firm's most powerful model with its 4.1-litre V12. Alongside the cars driven by Chinetti and Chiron, whose reputation was well established, no. 18 was entered by Eddie Hall, sharing the driving with Giuseppe Navone. A former bobsleigh champion in the British team, Hall was an experienced driver who had raced extensively before the war, notably with MGs and Bentleys. In 1950, he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with his aerodynamic Bentley Corniche and succeeded in finishing eighth after driving for 24 hours without handing over the wheel to his co-driver a single time, a feat unrivalled to this day!
In 1951, the crew of no. 18 proved very quick and it was the fastest Ferrari in qualifying. This performance was confirmed in the race, when theirs was one of the few cars to complete a lap in under 5 minutes, with the fourth fastest time behind Moss and Walker's Jaguar C-Types and Fangio's Talbot.
At 4 p.m. on 23 June, the race started and the Ferrari took its place among the leading cars, along with the Jaguars, Cunninghams, Astons and the other Ferraris. During the race it poured with rain, putting the drivers of open cars at a disadvantage. No. 18 lapped consistently and, halfway through the race in the middle of the night, it was in third place behind the Jaguar of Whitehead and Walker (which would go on to win) and the Cunningham of Walters and Fitch. When day broke, the rain let up and the Ferrari stopped in the pits to refuel. But when it was due to leave the pits, the starter refused to turn. The driver made several attempts, but to no avail. They were out of the race ...

It is this very car that we are offering here. Sold new on 7 June 1951 to Edward Ramsden "Eddie" Hall, on 13 June it was assigned the Italian registration number MO 25270. The next day, it was tested at the factory and fitted with extra lights for the 24-hour race at Le Mans. After Le Mans, on 15 September the car took its place on the grid for the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod (in Northern Ireland), where Hall teamed up with Mike Hawthorn, the future F1 World Champion. The car was slightly modified, with a deflector rather than a full windscreen, but the event came to an abrupt end when Hall came off the track on the first lap.
In 1953, the Ferrari was sold to William B. Lloyd, an American from Green Farms, Connecticut, who entered it in March that year in the 12 Hours of Sebring. It was due to be driven by Lloyd and Tommy Cole, but, suffering from engine problems, it took only part in testing. Soon afterwards, it was sold to William Spear, from Westport, who lent it to John Rutherfurd, a property developer from Palm Beach. Rutherfurd took part in boat racing, and his Packard-engined 'Juno', one of the first three-point hydroplanes, won several competitions and records. He was also an aviator and served in the US Army during the First World War.
At the start of the 1950s, Rutherfurd became interested in motor racing and his love of setting records led him to enter his friend Spear's Ferrari 340 in the Daytona Speed Week in 1954, with sponsorship from Champion spark plugs and Sinclair Oil lubricants. In front of 4000 spectators, he drove the course in both directions and posted an average speed of 136.03 mph (218.92 kph). The event was captured for posterity on some rare colour slides which convey the magnificent atmosphere of the period and show the car's blue livery. In addition, Sinclair Oil used this achievement to illustrate a huge advertising campaign promoting its Sinclair Power X oil.

Soon after the event, Spear sold the car to Richard Hall from Albuquerque, who in turn sold it in 1959 to Robert Schroeder from Dallas. Schroeder set about stripping down the car for a restoration which was never completed, but the engine and various components were refurbished. After Schroeder's death, his heirs sold the car in 1974 to Joel Eric Finn, from Ridgefield; Finn then sold it on 7 October 1975 through the Dutch dealer Rob de la Rive Box to Bart Rosman from Hilversum in Holland. The purchase price declared was 1800 $ and the car was then shipped to Rotterdam.
In 2013, the 340 was entrusted to Alwin Hietbrink Coachbuilding in Haaksbergen for the body to be restored. The workshop evidently sought to respect the integrity of the car: the chassis was preserved, as were all the exterior body panels, and a high-quality paint job carried out respecting the original blue. The running gear and transmission are in situ, but the engine has not been installed and is on a separate stand. As the specialist Marcel Massini has confirmed, it is the original engine, but the gearbox and rear axle were replaced in period. The dashboard is complete, with its authentic instruments, but the seats are missing. It is interesting to note that this is the only 340 Touring barchetta with a rear-hinged bonnet.
The history file includes the report from an inspection carried out in June 2022 by Massini, which provides details of the work undertaken. Massini also established a comprehensive history of the car.

As its name indicates, the 340 America was primarily intended for the American market and its engine was derived from the 340 Grand Prix single-seater, an intermediate model equipped with a 4.1-litre version of the V12 designed by Aurelio Lampredi. Modified for endurance racing, it developed 300 bhp in the 340, whose body by Touring was derived from the 166 barchetta. The model subsequently evolved into the 340 Mexico and 340 Mille Miglia, which are equally rare.

In summary, the car we are offering has a number of exceptional characteristics: an extremely rare model, its elegant styling a blend of sportiness and discretion, it can boast a brilliant entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as appearances in prestigious sporting events, including a record at Daytona, followed by an advertising campaign. With its well-documented history, it is presented for sale with its chassis, engine and original Touring body, and has been in the same ownership since 1975 (i.e. for 47 years). This is the first time since then that it has come onto the market.
It is one of the last competition Ferraris from the 1950s to retain its original integrity. It comes with extensive documentation including period photos, build archives, import documents, correspondence, reports, handwritten notes and even a rare '340 America Owner's Manual' from the factory.

Once it leaves the workshop, the car will be enthusiastically welcomed at all the top historic events around the world, including the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023, and will undoubtedly be the jewel of the collection it is destined to enter.

Full catalogue and more photos https://www.artcurial.com/en/sale-4315-retromobile-2023-artcurial-motorcars