Discover the Vehicles | Supercars of the 1950s
1952 FERRARI
212/225 INTER SPYDER BARCHETTA
HORSEPOWER: 210
TOP SPEED: 130 mph (1952 Ferrari 212)
ENGINE: 2.7-liter V-12
NUMBER BUILT: 1 (212 Inter with 225 engine by Touring)
PRODUCTION YEARS: 1952
This is the last Ferrari Barchetta (Italian for “little boat”) ever built and the last non-racing Ferrari bodied by Touring. A genuine wolf in sheep’s clothing, the exotic car was ordered by the Ford Motor Company in the name of Henry Ford II and delivered from the factory with a race-oriented, three-carburetor 225 engine and left-hand drive. Evaluated by Ford stylists during development of the Thunderbird, it is believed to have inspired numerous 1955 Thunderbird design features, including the egg crate grille, hood scoop, and overall proportions.
COLLECTION OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
William Clay Ford sits in the driver’s seat at the Henry Ford Museum during the Sports Cars in Review exhibition in 1954.
From the Collections of The Henry Ford
1955 MERCEDES
300SL COUPE “GULLWING”
HORSEPOWER: 215
TOP SPEED: 155 mph
ENGINE: 3.0-liter inline-6
NUMBER BUILT: 867 (1955 300SLs)
PRODUCTION YEARS: 1954-1957
Originally designed for road racing, the 300SL was the world’s first production car with fuel injection. The lightweight construction of the SL, or “super leicht” (super light) was achieved by a rigid tube frame substructure and allowed for much higher speeds than mainstream cars with body-on-chassis construction. Although the structural lattice work provided great strength, each side was so high that the car had to be equipped with roof-hinged doors which, when opened, resembled the wings of a bird in flight, hence the unofficial nickname “Gullwing.” The “SL” designation is still used today in the model names of Mercedes-Benz’s sportiest cars.
COLLECTION OF BRUCE MEYER
Drivers Karl Kling and Hans Klenk drove a competition 300 SL, modified with a grille over the windshield after a vulture crashed through the original, to victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana, giving Mercedes both first and second places in the race.
Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz AG
1956 JAGUAR
XKSS
Formerly owned by Steve McQueen
HORSEPOWER: 250
TOP SPEED: 150 mph
ENGINE: 3.4-liter inline-6
NUMBER BUILT: 16
PRODUCTION YEARS: 1956-1957
As imposing as it is voluptuous, the XKSS was a road-going version of Jaguar’s Type D race car. Designed using aeronautical technology that included a revolutionary monocoque construction, D-Type race cars had seen great success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the race in 1955, 1956, and again in 1957 with an impressive 1-2-3-4-6 sweep. Following Jaguar's withdrawal from competition at the end of the 1956 season, Sir William Lyons decided to convert the unused D-Type race cars into menacing road cars to sell on the American market. However, after a fire broke out at the Browns Lane plant in 1957, only 16 of the intended 25 cars were completed.
COLLECTION OF THE PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM
The XKSS was a road-going version of the successful Jaguar D-Type race cars, which often utilized a vertical stabilizer, or fin, adapted from aeronautical designs.
1959 FERRARI
250 GT LWB BERLINETTA
HORSEPOWER: 240
TOP SPEED: 157 mph (est. 250 GT LWB Berlinetta)
ENGINE: 3.0-liter V-12
NUMBER BUILT: 7
PRODUCTION YEARS: 1959
Bearing chassis number 1519, this was the fifth of seven long-wheelbase, 250 GT Berlinetta coupes built by Ferrari. It was later unofficially dubbed “interim” because it represented a transition between Ferrari’s Tour de France and SWB (short wheelbase) Berlinetta models. It was built to preview the aerodynamic purity of a new Pinin Farina race car body design that was successful enough to garner multiple race victories including first overall at the October 1959 Coupes du Salon.
COURTESY OF A & A PREMIER CLASSICS LLC
Driven by Jean-Pierre Schild, the original owner of the car, and Roger de Lageneste, this 250 GT LWB finished third overall in the 1959 Tour de France race.
Courtesy of Maurice Louche
