FERRARI 212 Export 1951-1952 Photos, engines & full specs

In 1951 Ferrari was still building its empire as a motorsport icon, but the customers already knew its products on the race tracks.

After its customers raced the first cars, they started to use them on weekend races, but the cars were too heavy. Then, Enzo Ferrari began to offer vehicles made especially for racing but still able to transport their owners in comfort. The Ferrari 212 Export was just that kind of car, built on the same chassis as the 212 Inter but with some magic tweaks that made it special.

The 212 Export was available as a coupe or as a roadster. While the latter was more of a race-car, the Export was a multipurpose vehicle. It was able to storm a race-track and be usable when driving in the rain. Its torque and power allowed it to be driven in the top (fifth) gear from 10 mph (16 kph) to over 90 mph (145 kph). Ferrari built the Export with aluminum body panels to make the car lighter.

The car's sloped back allowed a smoother airflow and less wind resistance. That design led to another advantage for the interior, where the carmaker could have installed two bucket seats at the front and a shelf in the rear for luggage.

The 212 Export featured a V12 engine based on the original Colombo design, but with a different bore and stroke that led to a 2.6-liter displacement and three carburetors. While it was an excellent solution for racing, it wasn't that useful on regular streets. That's why Ferrari offered an option for a different intake manifold fit for a single twin-choke carburetor that provided enough power but a better fuel-efficiency.