1953 Ferrari 250 MM Spider Series II on offer at Gooding's Scottsdale auction
Extensive and Well-Documented US Racing History | Arguably the Finest Example of Its Type
Coachwork by Vignale
Estimate: $5,500,000 - $6,500,000
Chassis: 0348 MM
Engine: 0348 MM

An Historically Important, Even-Serial-Number Competition Ferrari
One of 12 Vignale Spiders Built on the Legendary 250 MM Chassis
Sold New to Alfred Momo; Extensive US Racing History
Retains Original Chassis, Engine, Gearbox, and Vignale Coachwork
History and Provenance Documented by Ferrari Authority Marcel Massini
Eligible for the Finest Concours and Historic Events, Including the Mille Miglia

2,953 CC SOHC Alloy V-12 Engine
Three Weber 36 IF4C Carburetors
240 BHP at 7,200 RPM
4-Speed Manual Gearbox
4-Wheel Hydraulic Finned-Aluminum Drum Brakes

They Say:
PROVENANCE
Alfred Momo Corporation, Woodside, New York (acquired new in 1953)
Bill Lloyd, Greens Farms, Connecticut (acquired from the above in 1953)
J.M. Richard Lyeth, Grosse Pointe, Michigan (acquired from the above in 1954)
Jerome C. Earl, Grosse Pointe, Michigan (acquired from the above in 1955)
Charles and Audrey Saffell, Huntsville, Alabama (acquired from the above in 1956)
RRR Motors, Homewood, Illinois (acquired in 1960)
John Delameter, Indianapolis, Indiana (acquired in 1962)
Ken Hutchison, Tower Lake, Illinois (acquired from the above in 1964)
William Jacobs Jr., Joliet, Illinois (acquired from the above in 1985)
Gerald Bowes, Villanova, Pennsylvania (acquired from the above in 1988)
Mark Smith, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (acquired from the above in 1988)
Erich Traber, Berne, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 1988)
David Sydorick, Beverly Hills, California (acquired from the above in 1994)
William Jacobs Jr., Joliet, Illinois (reacquired from the above in 2000)
Victor Muller, The Netherlands (acquired from the above in 2003)
Manny Del Arroz, Diablo, California (acquired from the above in 2004)
Private Collector, US (acquired from the above in 2012)
Current Owner (acquired from the above)

RACE HIGHLIGHTS
MacDill Air Force Base Preliminary Race, Florida, 1954, Walters, No. 6 (2nd Overall)
MacDill Air Force Base Main Race, Florida, 1954, Fitch, No. 6 (3rd Overall)
SCCA Savannah National, 1954, Lyeth (DNF)
Andrews Air Force Base Lincoln Trophy, Maryland, 1954, Lyeth, No. 94 (4th Overall)
Andrews Air Force Base President’s Cup, Maryland, 1954, Lyeth/Hassan, No. 94 (5th Overall)
Chanute Air Force Base Chicago Cup, Illinois, 1954, Lyeth, No. 136 (5th Overall)
Chanute Air Force Base Chanute Trophy, Illinois, 1954, Lyeth, No. 136 (5th Overall)
Offutt Air Force Base Omaha Centennial Grand Prix, Nebraska, 1954, Lyeth, No. 220 (7th Overall, 1st in Class)
Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix, New York, 1954, Lyeth, No. 59 (8th Overall)
Fulton Municipal Airport Forest City Trophy, 1954, Lyeth, No. 50 (5th Overall, 1st in Class)
Fulton Municipal Airport Lake Erie Grand Prix, 1954, Lyeth, No. 50 (6th Overall, 2nd in Class)
SCCA Cumberland Race 11, 1955, Lyeth, No. 220 (5th in Class)
SCCA Cumberland Junior Race, 1955, Schaeffer, No. 220 (1st in Class)
Road America 500, 1955, Lyeth, No. 122D (10th Overall)
Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix, New York, 1955, Lyeth, No. 22(4th Overall)
SCCA Regional Courtland Race 2, Alabama, 1956, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Gainesville Race 1, Georgia 1956, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Gainesville Race 4, Georgia, 1956, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Gainesville Race 6, Georgia, 1956, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Gainesville Race 2, Georgia, 1957, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Gainesville Race 4, Georgia, 1957, Saffell, No. 29 (3rd Overall)
SCCA Regional Courtland Race 2, Alabama, 1957, Saffell, No. 29 (1st Overall)
SCCA Regional Courtland Race 3, Alabama, 1957, Saffell, No. 29 (DNF)
Lime Rock, 1958, Swan, No. 24

FEATURED MEDIA
Cavallino, No. 91
Ferrari by Vignale, by Marcel Massini
Ferrari Serial Numbers Part II, by Hilary A. Raab Jr.
Forza, No. 20
Prancing Horse, No. 41
Prancing Horse, No. 137
Sports Car, March–April 1954
Sports Car, September–October 1956
Sports Car, March–April 1957

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
FCA National Meet, Indianapolis, 1966
Mille Miglia Storica, Italy, 1987
Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance, Michigan, 1987
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, 1988
Copperstate 1000, Arizona, 1995
Rosso Rodeo, California, 1995
Colorado Grand, 1995
Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, California, 1997
VII Cavallino Classic, Florida, 1998 (Third in Class)
Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, 2001
Rosso Rodeo Concours d’Elegance, California, 2003
Mille Miglia Storica, Italy, 2004, Entrant No. 297
European Concours at Galopprennbahn, Germany, 2004
XVII Cavallino Classic, Florida, 2008
XX Cavallino Classic, Florida, 2011

THIS CAR
In 1953, Ferrari unveiled an exciting new model called the 250 Mille Miglia. A development of the experimental 250 Sport that Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo drove to victory in the 1952 Mille Miglia, the latest Ferrari sports racing car was the first series-built competition model to use the now iconic “250” appellation.

Although Ferrari was experimenting with Lampredi engines during this period, the 250 MM was powered by a three-liter V-12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo. Essentially a Colombo block with Lampredi-style heads, the 250 MM engine featured individual porting, hairpin valve springs, and exotic four-choke Weber carburetors. It produced approximately 240 bhp at 7,200 rpm, with the benefit of being smaller, lighter, and easier to maintain than a Lampredi engine.

The 250 MM made its competition debut at the 1953 Giro di Sicilia and quickly earned a reputation as a winner. That April, Phil Hill won the Pebble Beach Road Races in his first outing with a 250 MM Spider. In June, Luigi Villoresi drove a 250 MM Berlinetta to victory at Monza, and the following month, Paolo Marzotto won the Coppa D’Oro delle Dolomiti with a 250 MM Spider. Ferrari built just 31 examples of the 250 MM. Pinin Farina bodied the majority in berlinetta form and Vignale bodied the remaining 13, all but one as spiders. This 250 MM, 0348 MM, is one of the chassis that Ferrari shipped to Carrozzeria Vignale in Torino. During the early 1950s, Vignale designed and built custom coachwork for approximately 155 Ferraris, from the most exclusive road-going models to thoroughbred competition cars. That they succeeded in producing winners on the racetrack and at leading European concours d’elegance is a testament to the vibrant collaboration that existed between company founder Alfredo Vignale and designer Giovanni Michelotti.

In 1953, toward the end of his tenure as a coachbuilder for Ferrari, Vignale debuted a new style for two-seater racing cars that possessed the unmistakable imprimatur of Michelotti. These new Vignale Spiders featured compact proportions, rounded forms, imposing grilles, oval portholes, and triangular cutaways in the rear fenders. Bodies in this general style were built for the two-liter 166 MM/53, the three-liter 250 MM, and the 4.1-liter 340 MM.

Of the 12 Vignale Spiders built for the 250 MM chassis, 10 were fashioned in this updated “Series II” style. Each Vignale Spider was essentially unique and 0348 MM, the penultimate example built, features a decorative chrome grille on the hood and outboard headlights, a feature more commonly seen on the larger 340 MM Spiders.

Originally finished in red with brown leather upholstery, 0348 MM was sold new to the Alfred Momo Corporation in Woodside, New York. Momo, who managed Briggs Cunningham’s racing team, then sold, loaned, or leased the 250 MM to Bill Lloyd, a nephew of Cunningham who raced with the team during the 1950s. The 250 MM saw no racing use while in Mr. Lloyd’s hands, and in January 1954, Briggs Cunningham advertised it for sale in the SCCA Bulletin, asking $10,500.