The specimen presented as a street car at the Paris Salon was a Coupe type designed by the bodybuilder Ghia. This 340 America Street was a really habitable 2 + 2, thanks to a larger chassis. In fact, the chassis was named AL by “America Lungo”, with lungo being the Italian term for long. It was one of the few stylish type 2 + 2 cars of the 1950s.
The Ferrari 340 America presented in Paris was bought at the same Salon by the Englishman David Brown. For the first time in history a Ferrari was imported into England. Later, David Brown himself would buy the now legendary British company Aston Martin.
The coupe 2 + 2 designed by Ghia looked simple and elegant. The front grill stood out not only because of its dimensions, but because there really weren't much more details to see. The bodywork was large and the windows were also, with the purpose specially considered to give a feeling of space in a car that could eventually move 4 passengers.
Ghia manufactured a total of 5 340 America street coupe, although one of them was used to compete in the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in 1952. The 340 took fifth place in the race led by Ernie and Jack McAfee.
The other bodybuilder who made Ferrari 340 America street cars was Vignale. The coupe models were designed with sporty lineage and design elements typical of racing cars. Vignale also designed a 340 America convertible, although only one copy was produced.
Power: 220 hp at 6,000 rpm
Acceleration 0 to 100 km/h: 8 s
Top speed: 220 km/h
Rims: 15 inches
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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