by Michael Satterfield
Just twenty of the Ferrari 225 Sport chassis were produced, fourteen were spyder bodies by Vignale of Turin, a Giovanni Michelotti design that would influence Ferrari styling for many years to come. The 225 S was more than just good looking, it was also a force on the race track. With 150 hp and a capable driver behind the wheel, the 225 S was credited with over 60 class and overall victories including the Mille Miglia, Giro di Sicilia, and gave Ferrari not just its first-ever win at Monaco but a 1-2-3 finish.
This Ferrari 225 Sport Spider is chassis number 0214 ED and was completed in July 1952 and sold to an Italian owner. The car was loaned to Irish publisher William Robert “Bobbie” Baird who repainted the car an Irish Green and campaigned it in the Daily Mail International Trophy at Boreham with Roy Salvadori behind the wheel. Baird also drove the car to victory at the Craigantlet Hillclimb and he and Salvadori would also take 3rd overall at the Goodwood 9 Hours.
In 1953 the car would find a new life in South America, being campaigned in Argentina by Carlo Lostaló in the Grand Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires, the Premio Verano at the Autodromo Eva Peron, the Grand Prix Governador Carlos Evans at Mendoza where he won 1st overall. While in South America the car would eventually be sold and found itself racing again in 1967 with a Chevrolet engine under the hood.
In 1986 the car was sent to Mirabella Racing Srl of Brescia, Italy for a full restoration and took part in the 1986, 1987, and 1988 editions of the Mille Miglia. The car was then purchased by Lynn Larson of Lincon, Nebraska who continued to campaign the car in the Mille Miglia as well as the Colorado Grand. The car changed and once more and was sold to Scott Rosen of Bedford Hills, New York who again had the car restored before selling in 1997 to its current owner.
The 225 S is very desirable as it is one of the few Ferraris that can take part in major international events like the Le Mans Classic, the Mille Miglia, and the Monaco Grand Prix Historique. Offered for $2,950,000 by RM Sotheby’s Private Sale, it is an amazing piece of motoring history.
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Michael Satterfield
