Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia Supergioiello

The Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia Supergioiello chassis number 0213EL exhibited at the 1951 Salone di Torino. It reassembled the roof line already seen on the Supergioiello series. At the opening of the Turin Motor Show on 4 April 1951, Carrozzeria Ghia Torino unveiled several fascinating commissions executed upon Ferrari’s latest V-12 chassis, of which the 212 Inter Coupe 0213 EL was unequivocally the most attractive and best received. This opinion was not merely popular sentiment: It is the only Ghia design which Ferrari included on their sales literature for the 212 Inter. Ghia provided this stunning show car with a unique closed body in the “Supergioiello,” or “super jewel,” style by Giovanni Michelotti. Chassis 0213 EL’s distinctive coachwork is defined by an elegant profile that combines a high beltline and low roofline. Extremely thin A-pillars support a gently rounded roof unspoiled by the two-piece side windows seen in so many designs executed by Italian coachbuilders for Ferrari during the period. This tails off into a pair of graciously widened rear fenders whose slope creeps forward into the doors, and rearward into a pair of applied chromed “pinch fins” upon the tail of the body—a clever and ingenious nod to the increasing prevalence of the Jet Age fins that came to dominate the so-called Stile Transatlantico. A set of chrome side moldings and matching bumpers are complemented by polished Borrani wire wheels, and the remarkable elegance of Michelotti’s linework upon 0213 EL was further accentuated by a two-tone paintjob featuring a black body and silver roof. The Ferrari’s interior was trimmed to match its exterior quality, with sumptuous tan leather upholstery and thoughtful ergonomic details. Following its debut, press photos executed in Turin by Aldo Moisio were soon being circulated to Ferrari dealers, and in this capacity 0213 EL first appears in an advertisement by the local agent, Fontanella. After another appearance on Ghia’s stand at the Turin Motor Show in April 1952 (this time painted all black), the 212 “Supergioiello” was finally released by the factory and promptly sold in July 1952 to its first owner, an unspecified member of the fantastically wealthy Fassio family. The Fassio patriarch, Ernesto, and his heirs Alberto, Giorgio, and Franca, all counted themselves among Maranello’s best customers.