VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

Chassis: 0178ED

Engine: 0178ED (Ferrari Classiche Certified)

Gearbox: 0178E

An aristocratic racing Ferrari from the dawn of Maranello

Few early Ferraris encapsulate the romance of the company’s formative years quite like chassis 0178ED.

Driven in period by Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi—one of Enzo Ferrari’s most important private patrons—the car enjoyed an exceptional competition career during the 1952 season, recording victories in the Coppa della Toscana, the Bolzano-Mendola Hill Climb and the Coppa InterEuropa at Monza, while also contesting the legendary Mille Miglia.

Beautifully clothed by Carrozzeria Vignale to a design by the brilliant Giovanni Michelotti, 0178ED combines genuine period competition success with aristocratic ownership, Ferrari Classiche certification and eligibility for virtually every major historic motoring event in the world. Today it stands amongst the most important surviving examples of the celebrated Ferrari 225 Sport.

The Ferrari 225 – Ferrari’s competition star of 1952

If one Ferrari model defined the 1952 season, it was undoubtedly the 225 Sport.

Powered by Gioacchino Colombo’s enlarged 2.7-litre V12, the new 225 represented a considerable advance over the earlier 166 series. More powerful, faster and exceptionally reliable, it also incorporated a five-speed gearbox—a highly advanced feature at a time when the vast majority of sports and competition cars still relied on four-speed transmissions. The additional ratio improved both acceleration and flexibility while allowing relaxed high-speed cruising over long distances, making the 225 equally suited to endurance road races such as the Mille Miglia and Tour de France Automobile as it was to circuit competition. The model immediately established itself as one of the outstanding sports-racing Ferraris of the early post-war era.

The model enjoyed remarkable success throughout Europe. Ferrari claimed class honours in the Mille Miglia, dominated the Monaco Grand Prix support races, retired only after running strongly at Le Mans, finished second overall in the gruelling Tour de France Automobile and accumulated victories in hill climbs and circuit races across Italy. The 225 Sport proved equally capable of winning races and gracing the boulevards of Paris, Rome and Monte Carlo.

Vignale and Michelotti

By 1951, Carrozzeria Vignale had become Ferrari’s preferred supplier of lightweight competition coachwork. Under the inspired direction of Giovanni Michelotti, Vignale created some of the most elegant and purposeful Ferraris of the early 1950s.

His flowing Berlinettas and Spiders combined competition efficiency with unmistakable Italian elegance, clothing Ferrari chassis destined both for factory-supported teams and wealthy gentleman drivers. Today these early Vignale-bodied competition Ferraris are rightly regarded amongst the most beautiful and desirable coachbuilt Ferraris ever produced.

Count Sterzi and Ferrari’s aristocratic patrons

During Ferrari’s formative years, Enzo Ferrari relied heavily upon a select group of wealthy enthusiasts who not only purchased his cars but also raced them with remarkable success.

Among the most important were Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi of Milan and Prince Igor Nikolayevich Troubetzkoy, husband of Barbara Hutton. Together they founded Scuderia Inter in 1947, purchasing three of Ferrari’s earliest competition cars:

Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa chassis 006I, raced by Clemente Biondetti and Tazio Nuvolari in the final Mille Miglia of Nuvolari’s illustrious career.

Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa chassis 010I (formerly 01C).

Ferrari 166 Spider Sport chassis 001S, in which Prince Igor won the 1948 Targa Florio.

Following Prince Igor’s retirement after an accident at the Circuit d’Albi, Scuderia Inter was disbanded, although the famous name lived on through Ferrari’s elegant Inter grand touring models. Count Sterzi, however, remained one of Ferrari’s most loyal customers and successful private entrants.

Competition history

Completed in May 1952, chassis 0178ED was delivered to Count Sterzi and immediately entered into the XIX Mille Miglia with Olympic bobsleigh competitor Angelo “Nino” Rovelli as co-driver.

Although the pair failed to finish, the Ferrari returned to Maranello where the rear axle was rebuilt before embarking upon a remarkable season.

On 1 June 1952 Sterzi drove 0178ED to outright victory in the Coppa della Toscana before securing class victory in the Bolzano-Mendola Hill Climb. The season reached its climax with another class victory in the Coppa InterEuropa at Monza.

For Monza the Berlinetta evolved into an even more purposeful competition machine. The front and rear bumpers were removed, the distinctive Vignale side scallops were incorporated into the bodywork, an opening rear boot was added and the striking two-tone paint scheme adopted. It is in this historically important configuration that the car is presented today.

Its significance was recognised immediately, with 0178ED being featured in Ferrari’s official 1952 Yearbook.

In March 1954 the Ferrari passed to Florentine racing driver Siro Sbraci before being acquired approximately a year later by Guglielmo “Mimmo” Dei, proprietor of the legendary Scuderia Centro Sud. Subsequently sold to Roberto Federici of Rome, it was later replaced in his stable by a Maserati A6GCS Zagato before crossing the Atlantic to become part of the renowned collection of pioneering American Ferrari enthusiast Carl Bross.

A carefully researched restoration

Whilst in the Carl Bross collection the Ferrari suffered relatively minor scorch damage. Importantly, the incident did not distort or compromise either the original Vignale coachwork or the chassis structure, preserving the integrity of one of the car’s most valuable assets.

A restoration was commenced but never completed and, after being dismantled, 0178ED remained dormant for almost fifty years.

The Ferrari’s renaissance began in 2001 when its present owner acquired the car and entrusted Ferrari Classiche with a meticulous restoration to original specification.

As virtually no documentation survived describing the original interior, Ferrari’s specialists examined every comparable Vignale-bodied competition Ferrari of the early 1950s to ensure that every detail accurately reflected the appearance of 0178ED during its successful 1952 season.

Mechanically, the restoration was equally painstaking. During the Ferrari Classiche certification process the factory took the highly unusual decision that, although the original matching-number crankcase remained with the car, they could not guarantee its long-term reliability for continued competition use. Rather than compromising the certification, Ferrari preserved the original numbered crankcase as part of the car’s historical record and supplied a specially prepared reinforced replacement crankcase carrying the original engine number.

Ferrari Classiche very rarely undertakes such a procedure. It reflects the factory’s desire that the car should not simply become a static museum exhibit but should instead be capable of being driven exactly as Enzo Ferrari intended. For an owner wishing to participate in the world’s premier historic events, it provides the perfect balance between originality, factory authenticity and mechanical confidence.

The engine, transmission and chassis were comprehensively rebuilt, while the Vignale coachwork was restored in the attractive two-tone livery worn when the car won its class at the Coppa InterEuropa at Monza in September 1952.

Upon completion Ferrari Classiche issued its coveted White Book, and in 2016 the finished restoration was invited to the Ferrari Competition Cars class at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

An exceptional opportunity

Today, chassis 0178ED represents one of the most significant surviving Vignale-bodied Ferrari competition cars of the early 1950s.

Eligible for virtually every premier historic motoring event—including the Mille Miglia, Monaco Historic Grand Prix and Le Mans Classic—it combines documented period competition history, aristocratic ownership, Ferrari Classiche certification and matching original chassis, gearbox and engine identity.

Its appeal is heightened still further by the approaching 2027 Mille Miglia Centenary, an edition that promises to be one of the most significant celebrations in the history of the world’s greatest road race.

As an original Mille Miglia entrant with guaranteed eligibility, yet remarkably a car that has never returned to compete in the modern Mille Miglia, chassis 0178ED represents a unique opportunity. Its participation would undoubtedly be welcomed as a historically important addition to the centenary field, bringing back to Brescia a genuine works-era Ferrari that has remained absent from the event for more than seventy years.

Unlike so many important early competition Ferraris, 0178ED has retained the integrity of its original chassis and body while benefiting from one of the most carefully researched Ferrari Classiche restorations undertaken in recent years. Equally at home on the concours lawn or tackling the passes of northern Italy exactly as it did in period, it remains what Enzo Ferrari intended in 1952—a thoroughbred competition Ferrari built to be driven.

Known Competition History

3–4 May 1952 – XIX Mille Miglia

Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi / Angelo “Nino” Rovelli – Race No. 603 (Retired)

1 June 1952 – Coppa della Toscana

Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi – 1st in Class

6 July 1952 – Bolzano-Mendola Hill Climb

Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi – 1st in Class

3 August 1952 – XIV Aosta–Gran San Bernardo Hill Climb

Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi – 2nd in Class

7 September 1952 – Coppa InterEuropa, Monza

Count Antonio “Bruno” Sterzi – Race No. 82 – 1st in Class

28 September 1952 – VI Grand Prix of Bari

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