While Monterey Car Week may have suffered from an overabundance of hypercars, there will never be enough of the strange one-off or limited production coach-built cars for my taste. This year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance featured a bunch of uniquely-bodied cars, including an absolutely charming Ghia-bodied Ferrari.
Although Turin’s Carrozzeria Ghia did a few Ferraris, that brand will always be associated with rival design house Pininfarina in my mind. Ghia makes me think of Fords and Alfas. In fact, Ghia was sometimes judged to be “too extreme” for the otherwise conservative Ferrari.
That’s why this 1954 Ferrari 375MM, bodied by Ghia, is such a treat. It’s just a little bit off from your average post-war Ferrari. Though it has the proportions of a 375MM, all the details are just a touch too playful and even art deco for your average 375MM (if such a thing exists).
Built by Ghia on a Giovanni Michelotti design, this coupe just feels very un-Ferrari in a way. First, the chrome-trimmed two-tone paint with the character line aft of the door is charming and even frisky. Even the color itself, a bright orange, feels more Mopar than Ferrari.
Just look at this little character line, with the tiny small details along the kink. Absolutely lovely. I’m not the only one who noticed, Daniel Golson over at Jalopnik also couldn’t look away.
The matching interior is excellent.
Here’s a little history on this particular vehicle, which is one of only 26 made, with most being bodied by Pininfarina:
The 375 was developed out of the 4 liter GP formula. With its big Lampredi engine the 375 was designed to out run and handle all other cars on the road. With a total of 29 units built (26 by Pini Farina) and three others. This is one of the other coach built cars and the only Ghia bodied 375 MM.
The first owner was Bob Wilke of Wisconsin, President of Leader Cards Company and sponsor of Indy racing teams. A close friend of Enzo Ferrari and no stranger to Luxury Ferrari’s having owned six within a ten year span.
Unsurprisingly, this is the car that won the Ferrari Early class at Pebble Beach this year.
I just love it.
So This was the product of that rumored Ferrari-Harley Davidson collaborative project!
Can’t with the reverse duct instead of a rear quarter window….
I was fortunate to have a nice place right at front of the main show lane. I especially loved the Carrozzeria Ghia emblem font on the side.
https://ibb.co/CHS8Xqw
The Wilke Family is about as American racing as you can get.
Styling from back reminds of Karmann Ghia, from front reminds of Volvo P1800. I wonder why …
Totally on-brand in a Home Depot parking lot.
Once again I find myself left cold by a Ghia design (I also feel the same way about Zagato). Ferrari worked primarily with Pininfarina for a reason, and it works for them.
I agree with others that the grey doesn’t really work great with the two tone, and the hood and front wheel to a-pillar lengths are entirely too long to work well. How’s the saying go? I wouldn’t kick it out of my garage but I find an awful lot of other Ferraris to be much more attractive.
“ It’s just a little bit off from your average post-war Ferrari. ”
Were there any pre-war Ferraris?
The Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 was built after the war had begun but shortly before Italy itself declared war so it comes down to one’s preferred definitions of “Ferrari” and “pre-war.” It’s certainly fair to say it isn’t post-war.
So no pre-war Ferraris?
I think I like the car but that two-tone scheme is too distracting for me to really decide. It’s certainly cool for being a different style of Ferrari, though.
I would have preferred if the grey were white – but it’s also not my Ferrari.
That said – the chrome is perfectly placed for a two-tone paint scheme.
Not sure whether it’s saying Ghia or just a remnant of earlier auto styling, but the features that seem unusual and are indicating one of those to me are the rather rounded roof and boot.
Well, orange you going to be happy being an orange Ferrari?
I like it simply because it doesn’t look like the owner takes it terribly seriously: would almost say it expresses whimsy.
Can’t help wondering what Adrian would do with that long hood. This Ferrari makes an XKE look nose positively conservative.
Yeah, didn’t he complain about the A-pillar to front wheel well distance on the XKE? The 375 MM definitely “outperforms” the Jag in that respect.
This gives me an idea, we need a “Goth vs. the [design] Gods” feature in which Adrian points out the flaws on some of the classic designs of the hallowed designers.
I’d read it.
Me too. And be utterly agog at the comments.
This Ferrari does have an advantage over the XKE in that it doesn’t look like a tongue.
Love the car, not a fan of the paint scheme. I really don’t understand why that muddy gray color has become popular on cars.
Normally I would agree as I’m all for widening the spectrum of color for cars. But I like a two-tone paint scheme when a muted color is used with a really bright color, especially when it isn’t the way more common black/white+primary colors. Obviously this car, with its already attention grabbing shape, would look like a joke if it were all this shade of orange. This shade of gray works really well with safety-vest orange.
What, you don’t like the “gloss primer” look?
For some reason I kind of like that gray and I hate myself for it.
Thats about the only type of non-color I like, otherwise give me something vibrant
I think it looks fantastic. I’m all for colorful cars but what’s the deal with people getting so up in arms about shiny grey? It’s popular because people like it. I feel the same way about black wheels. I think they look great but I see a lot of disdain towards them.
Feel free to buy more orange and yellow cars, I love those, but who makes any? Look up how many color choices you get for pretty much any random car not made by Porsche. 4, 5, perhaps as many as 6(!) colors. That’s not so much a “choice” as it is being forced to take what they give you.
I love Michelotti’s designs. The Triumph GT6 I have is quite a looker thanks to him.
Is finding the happiest Ferrari like finding the happiest Cure song?
(I know everyone thinks it’s Friday I’m In Love but really it’s Wrong Number.)
+10 internets for looking past Friday I’m In Love. Truly a connoisseur.
Thanks for the tip, I’d never heard this before. I don’t know about happy, but it’s the first time I’ve seen a Cure video and thought “Robert Smith seems fun.”
“Mint Car” has to be a contender. But like I told my kid when she got into the Cure, you’re going to get “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” as well as “Love Cats”. Depending what mood you’re in depends which Robert you’ll connect with.
About the Ferrari, it’s fun, but I think the Volvo P1800 wore it better.
Close To Me has just enough silliness to overcome some of the other emo whining.
Right now Ferrari is preparing to sue someone over that paint job. Which makes me like it even more.
Beautiful car, and thanks for more info and pics! I’ve been waiting to hear about this since the Reddit AMA.
From the top rear 3/4 shot and in side profile it looks like someone had a custom Italian body put on top of a 1964 mustang or custom Italian body on top of a 1959 Chrysler prototype the color scheme certainly is bold, overall a pretty design
I agree, there is some Mustang in this things family line.
Considering the age of the car – it’s the Mustang Fastback that was knockoff of the Ferrari.
Love Ferraris, especially the very old ones.
This one? No…looks just weird as hell with this color scheme, and excess chrome crap on it.
Fight me…
Should’ve been a character in Cars; “Giovanni”, the dapper, sigar-smoking and fun-loving Italian with movie star looks.
Is that thing stretched? The last photo makes the schnozz look cartoonishly long!
Edit: almost like it’s happy to see everyone!
“Is that a Ferrari in your garage or are you just happy to …..”
“Oh. My pride.”
https://youtu.be/mZNr9C7zkw8?si=JSq7Ig0iw0wJzXzR
A color scheme reminiscent of concrete and construction fencing. I actually kinda like it.