1951 Ferrari 212 Export Restored & Rewarded

One of the most unusual race cars in all of Ferrari history just won the Phil Hill Award for the Best Competition Car at the recent 2017 Ferrari Club of America International Concours at the Daytona Speedway in Florida. The car is the 212 Export Touring Barchetta, s/n 0102 E, entered by Tom Peck, Jr.

The car started out as a wonderful Touring Barchetta and was raced in 1951. In 1953/ 54, it was bought by a Hollywood Studio to be part of the now infamous movie “The Racers”. It was rechristened as the Burano for the movie (no doubt a non-Italian’s idea of what an Italian race car should be called) and the name stuck for many years.

It went through a succession of owners, still with the same Burano body, and it became somewhat famous in its own right, no doubt because of its movie fame but also because of the new look given to it in the movie - it was racy and gutsy and pure Hollywood.

But it wasn’t correct. In 2015 it was bought by Tom Peck who sent it to Ferrari Classiche for a complete restoration. Helping this project along was the fact that the original Touring body was never really destroyed. Tom Peck found it, and gave it to Ferrari Classiche so they could complete a very very nice restoration.

The car was restored over the next two years and was shipped to Florida just before the FCA meet, where it collected a Platino and the Major Award. From here the car goes to Bob Smith Coachworks in Texas for a final detailing and then the car will be presented at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August.

A full history of this 212 Export by historian Alan Boe will be in the August 1 issue of Cavallino, #220, with salon color, historical images and restoration photos. Subscribe today.

Images here courtesy Ferrari Classiche.