1954 Ferrari 375 America Vignale Is An Exceedingly Rare And Elegant GT

Unless you live in Beverly Hills, the French Riviera, or the United Arab Emirates, you’re not likely to find Ferraris exactly what you might call “common” or “ubiquitous”. Even so, some are rarer than others. Like this 1954 Ferrari 375 America, for example.

The Prancing Horse marque only made a dozen 375 Americas, based on the 250 GT but with a bigger engine and more of a grand-touring disposition for discerning US customers. Each one was custom bodied by a variety of coachbuilders, including this one, by Vignale, which was the star of the 1954 Geneva Motor Show.

Chassis number 0327 AL was uniquely styled by Alfredo Vignale (long before selling his carrozzeria to Ford) and delivered new to Robert Wilke, a Wisconsin native and Indy team owner. With a 4.5-liter V12 delivering some 400 horsepower – a heck of a lot for its time – it could cover Midwestern miles with ease. And with such unique and elegant coachwork, it could really turn heads.

The car passed through the hands of a number of prominent collectors. including the famous Blackhawk Collection and former Ferrari importer Fritz Kroymans, and featured at some major concours, repainted and restored several times over the course of its history.

Now returned to its original two-tone Amaranto burgundy and metallic grey livery, it’s sure to garner its fair share of attention in Monterey, where RM Sotheby’s will sell it off to the highest bidder, marking the first time that one of these unique 375 Americas will have come up for auction in the past seven years.

Photos by Robin Adams courtesy of RM Sotheby’s