Six cars built in 1952 and 1953, a tamed sister of the 340 America and the costliest Ferrari of its day.
The Ferrari 342 America was a road sports car built six times in 1952 and 1953. It was a longer, more comfortable sister of the 340 America, powered by a V12 of 4,101 cc or, on two cabriolets, 4,522 cc. It was the most expensive Ferrari of its time.
The Ferrari 342 America is a road sports car that Ferrari built only six times, in 1952 and 1953. It was the longer and more luxurious sister of the 340 America, and at the time it was the costliest Ferrari of its era. Its story runs from the racing roots of the company to the first steps of its luxury touring line.
Where did the 342 America come from?
Ferrari grew out of Scuderia Ferrari, a racing team in Modena, and its early road cars were the 166, the 195 and the 212, each sold in tiny numbers. The 342 America came from a line of coupes and convertibles aimed at American buyers, who wanted big engines rather than small, highly tuned ones.
The Colombo engine is often called a short block for its overall length, in contrast to the long-block Lampredi units. Almost all of these early Ferraris used V12 engines designed by Gioacchino Colombo, offered over the years with capacities from 2.0 to 3.0 litres. European customers liked those cars, but North American buyers were less interested in small engines. From 1951 Ferrari therefore built a series of coupes and convertibles powered by the larger, much stronger long-block engines designed by Aurelio Lampredi.
The first of that series was the 340 America, and 25 were sold across 1951 and 1952. Most of them had a sporty, aggressive look, because they could be raced as well as driven on the road.
The 250 model family of 1952 brought Ferrari into series production. The 342 America followed in the same year as a more comfortable development of the same idea.
A tamed, more comfortable version of the 340 America that opened the road to Ferrari's luxury touring cars.
How did the 342 differ from the 340 America?
The 342 America answered customers who wanted more comfort and everyday usability. Ferrari developed the 340 America into the 342 in 1952, describing the result as an exclusive gran turismo and a tamed version of its predecessor. Six cars were built with similar technology and different bodies.
Many observers see the 342 as the starting point of a series of luxurious touring cars. That series reached its peak more than a decade later, in the 500 Superfast.
Specifications at a glance
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cars built | Six, in 1952 and 1953 |
| Wheelbase | 2,650 mm (104.3 in) |
| Tipo 102 V12 displacement | 4,101 cc (250.3 cu in) |
| Tipo 102 output | 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) at 5,000 rpm |
| Tipo 104 V12 displacement | 4,522 cc (275.9 cu in) |
| Tipo 104 output | 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) |
| Compression ratio, Tipo 102 | 8:1 |
| Gearbox | Fully synchronised four-speed manual |
What engines did the 342 America use?
Four of the six cars used the Tipo 102, a 60-degree V12 that also powered the 340 America. The two Pininfarina cabriolets received the larger Tipo 104, enlarged to 4.5 litres, which Ferrari fitted as standard in the 375 America from 1953.
The Tipo 102 is essentially an enlarged version of the small Colombo twelve-cylinder. Its cylinder centres sit further apart than on the Colombo engine, which allowed larger bores. Each bank carries an overhead camshaft working one inlet and one exhaust valve per cylinder, and three Weber 40 DCF twin-barrel carburettors feed it.
The 340 America was the sportier model, so the 342 gave up some output. Compared with the 340 America, output fell by about 20 PS to 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp). Maximum output arrives at 5,000 revolutions per minute, and all 342 engines use wet-sump lubrication.
The Tipo 104 keeps the basic character of the Tipo 102 but is bored out. Its bores measure 84 mm with a 68 mm stroke, which lifts the displacement to 4,522 cc (275.9 cu in) and the output to 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp).
Gearing was another difference. The 340 America had a hand-shifted four-speed with an unsynchronised first gear. The 342 America received a fully synchronised four-speed in its place.
Chassis and suspension
The frame of the 342 is a tubular lattice of oval steel tubes, closely related to the frame of the 340. Its wheelbase of 2,650 mm (104.3 in) is 230 mm longer than that of the earlier car, which makes the 342 the longer car of the pair.
The running gear of the 342 matches that of the shorter 340. The front wheels hang individually from double wishbones with lever-arm dampers, and a single transverse leaf spring sits in front. At the rear there is a rigid axle, located by two trailing arms and carried on semi-elliptic leaf springs running lengthways.
Who built the 342 America, and who owned it?
Three of the six were open cabriolets and the other three were coupes. Six cars were built: one Vignale cabriolet, three Pininfarina coupes and two Pininfarina cabriolets. Former Belgian king Leopold III took over chassis 0234 AL, while chassis 0248 AL reached an American customer through Luigi Chinetti. Both cabriolets belong to American collectors today.
The Vignale cabriolet
Chassis 0232 AL was completed late in 1952. Vignale is credited with its body, while the styling came from Giovanni Michelotti, and it is the only car in the series with a Vignale body. The car is laid out as a 2+2 convertible, with a large grilled air opening at the nose and a step in the beltline above the rear wheels. That step is a recognisable Michelotti habit of the period.
The car went to a Swiss customer in January 1953 and was sold to the USA a few years later. At one stage it wore a two-tone green and beige paint scheme. Early in the 21st century it joined the collection of the then chief executive of Samsung. In 2017 it sold for US$2.2 million to American collectors, and after restoration it received a single-colour light blue paint.
The three Pininfarina coupes
Pininfarina designed and built three coupes on the 342 chassis, probably with subcontractors involved, and each differs in its details. All three share a long front overhang and round headlamps set into the wings. Each has a notchback, but the roof treatment is individual on every car.
Chassis 0240 AL, built in 1952, has a three-part rear window that reaches into the flanks, which creates the look of a rear panoramic window. It has push buttons in the rear wings instead of conventional door handles. Delivered in grey to an Italian customer, it was sold to Sweden four years later and repainted red. Hermann Layher acquired it in 1981, and it is displayed at the Technik-Museum Sinsheim, which he runs.
Chassis 0242 AL has a trapezoidal roof with a narrow C-pillar that slopes toward the rear. The rear end of this car follows the layout of the 0240 AL. Its first owner was the Swiss entrepreneur and racing team owner Georges Filipinetti. In 1980 its engine went into a 340 America, and the car was later restored by an Italian specialist firm in single-colour light blue.
Chassis 0246 AL changed its roof more than once. Its original body was modelled on that of the 0240, with the same three-part rear window, but its roof stood higher. It was finished in December 1952 in its original form and shown in black at the Geneva Motor Show of 1953. At least since 2007 the roof had worn a light colour that contrasted with the lower body, which stayed black. Between 2011 and 2017 it was restored in California, and the roof regained its original shape. The finished car wears light green and silver paint.
How have the cars fared since?
All six examples still exist in the 21st century. The histories of most are well documented, and they are exclusive classics that trade at seven-figure dollar prices. The two cabriolets were each valued at more than US$10 million in 2019.
The Vignale cabriolet appears regularly at international classic car shows.
