Exotic Car History!
What is a Ferrari 340 Mexico? It is not the same thing as a Ferrari 340 America.
It is a rare, investment grade automobile for sure -- and a Ferrari that the average automobile enthusiast might not even know.
The 340 Mexico cars were pure Italian culture inspired Ferrari racing machines.
Read more about the exotic car and its place in auto pop culture here.
HISTORY OF EXOTIC CARS: THE FERRARI 340 MEXICO
In 1951, Ferrari won a very important car race across the Atlantic from Italy. Called the Carrera Panamericana, the company hoped to repeat a win by creating a new custom exotic product.
So, in 1952 Ferrari built four exotic cars named the 340 Mexico.
Built by Vignale for the 3rd Carrera Panamericana, three of the cars were coupes and one was a spyder.
The coupes handled the roads with varying success and placed as follows:
- One crashed on the first leg.
- A second lost its transmission during day three.
- The last, driven by Jean Lucas and three-time Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti, came in third overall, behind two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs.
- Side Note: Finishing fourth was a modified Ferrari 340 America with Ghia coachwork.
- SOURCE
The spyder was never entered in the race.
EXOTIC CAR SPECS: FERRARI 340 MEXICO
Specs on the car were similar to the 275 S and the 340 America (for cross reference purposes).
The engine itself was a revised version of the 340 America’s 4.1-liter V-12.
The transmission in a Ferrari 340 America was a 4-speed; in the Ferrari 340 Mexico, the builders gave it 5-speed gears to help competition drivers handle the curves found in more treacherous sections of the Carrera Panamericana.
Also different, the Ferrari 340 Mexico exotics used DCF3 carburetors. They also had a slightly longer wheel base than the 340 America.
The Ferrari 340 Mexico produced 280 BHP at 6600 RPM.
AUTO POP CULTURE AND HISTORICAL TRIVIA: FERRARI 340 MEXICO
Ferrari won the Carrera Panamericana race in 1951. The 2,000-mile competition was staged over five days and eight different legs, running essentially through South America.
The results were well-publicized in America, an increasingly important market for Ferrari.
As for what ever happened to the lone spyder version of the Ferrari 340 Mexico? It was purchased as a new car by Bill Spear and shipped to the United States, where it competed successfully in other race venues.
Production of the 340 Mexico lasted until 1953, and only 38 exotic cars of this make and model were ever produced.
Despite limited production, the Ferrari 340 Mexico has some historical accomplishments that were large. The Italian built car with a bit of a Latin heart has wins wins at LeMans, Mille Miglia, and the Targa Florio.
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