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Automotive Lifestyle
VINTAGE: Ferrari 400 SuperAmerica
The last of the Italian automaker’s top-drawer custom Grand Tourers were exquisite examples of elegance and high performance with coachwork by Pininfarina.
Ferrari's final Series 1 400 SuperAmerica was shown at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy. (Photo: Wouter Melissen)
Catering to the world's most fortunate, Ferrari built the America and subsequent SuperAmerica models to special order throughout the 1950s. Except for the earliest examples, these luxurious Grand Tourers were clothed by Pinin Farina and all of them were powered by the Aurelio Lampredi designed “long-block” V12 engine.
The last Lampredi-powered 410 SuperAmerica was completed in November 1959. Ferrari started the decade fresh with the 400 SuperAmerica launched in Brussels in January. Clothed by Pininfarina (after the design house’s name became one word) with an understated Cabriolet body, the Italian manufacturer's latest Grand Tourer sported an all new chassis and engine.
For the first time, the SuperAmerica used a derivative of the “short-block” V12 penned by Gioacchino Colombo in 1946. Back then, it displaced just 1.5 liters, but over the years it had grown considerably in size. At 4 liters, the Tipo 163 version used in the 400 SuperAmerica had a swept-volume almost three times the size of the original.
The type number used raised some questions as it did not relate to the unitary displacement (330 cc) as had become a Ferrari tradition. Ferrari did not release performance figures immediately and some even suggested that the unusual type number was an indication of the horsepower available.
Although Ferrari never explained the type name, the 400 was most likely a reference to the engine's total displacement. Eventually, Ferrari stated the engine produced 340 horsepower, which probably was a tad optimistic as well.
Like the engine, the chassis was derived from the smaller 250 GT model. The biggest change was a wheelbase increase of 20 mm to create a little more interior space.
The lineage of the chassis could also be traced to those used for the earliest Ferraris. The steel ladder frame was constructed of two oval-tube members with several cross-braces to increase rigidity. The front suspension was by double wishbones and coil springs while at the rear a live-axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs were fitted.
Ferrari did break with tradition by replacing the tried and trusted drum brakes with Dunlop-sourced discs. The four-speed gearbox was also very similar to the 250 GT's, though it featured stronger gears to cope with the additional power and torque produced by the bigger engine.
While the 400 SuperAmerica was officially introduced in Brussels, the world had already unknowingly received a first taste of things to come a few months earlier. Late in 1959, Pininfarina showed a striking one-off special commissioned by Fiat supremo Gianni Agnelli.
The bold styling probably disguised the fact that under the skin, the car was very much a 400 SuperAmerica. The only difference of note was the slightly longer, 2,500 mm wheelbase. The second SuperAmerica shown early in 1960 had an altogether more subtle Cabriolet coachwork. From a distance it could even be mistaken for a contemporary 250 GT Cabriolet.
The last Lampredi-powered 410 SuperAmerica was completed in November 1959. Ferrari started the decade fresh with the 400 SuperAmerica launched in Brussels in January. Clothed by Pininfarina (after the design house’s name became one word) with an understated Cabriolet body, the Italian manufacturer's latest Grand Tourer sported an all new chassis and engine.
For the first time, the SuperAmerica used a derivative of the “short-block” V12 penned by Gioacchino Colombo in 1946. Back then, it displaced just 1.5 liters, but over the years it had grown considerably in size. At 4 liters, the Tipo 163 version used in the 400 SuperAmerica had a swept-volume almost three times the size of the original.
The type number used raised some questions as it did not relate to the unitary displacement (330 cc) as had become a Ferrari tradition. Ferrari did not release performance figures immediately and some even suggested that the unusual type number was an indication of the horsepower available.
Although Ferrari never explained the type name, the 400 was most likely a reference to the engine's total displacement. Eventually, Ferrari stated the engine produced 340 horsepower, which probably was a tad optimistic as well.
Like the engine, the chassis was derived from the smaller 250 GT model. The biggest change was a wheelbase increase of 20 mm to create a little more interior space.
The lineage of the chassis could also be traced to those used for the earliest Ferraris. The steel ladder frame was constructed of two oval-tube members with several cross-braces to increase rigidity. The front suspension was by double wishbones and coil springs while at the rear a live-axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs were fitted.
Ferrari did break with tradition by replacing the tried and trusted drum brakes with Dunlop-sourced discs. The four-speed gearbox was also very similar to the 250 GT's, though it featured stronger gears to cope with the additional power and torque produced by the bigger engine.
While the 400 SuperAmerica was officially introduced in Brussels, the world had already unknowingly received a first taste of things to come a few months earlier. Late in 1959, Pininfarina showed a striking one-off special commissioned by Fiat supremo Gianni Agnelli.
The bold styling probably disguised the fact that under the skin, the car was very much a 400 SuperAmerica. The only difference of note was the slightly longer, 2,500 mm wheelbase. The second SuperAmerica shown early in 1960 had an altogether more subtle Cabriolet coachwork. From a distance it could even be mistaken for a contemporary 250 GT Cabriolet.
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