When Ferrari finally won the Grand Prix thanks, to a large part, to the Lampredi V12 engine, Enzo wanted to build an on-road vehicle with this engine under the hood. He developed the 340 America showcased at the Paris Salon in 1950. The company would only produce 23 of these units which saw production run till 1952. Ferrari would then bring out the 340 successor - the 342 America built specifically for on-road use. This new model had a more robust frame and yet was much lighter than the 340. It also featured a longer wheelbase with the Lampredi V12 mated to a four-speed gearbox. The new configuration resulted in a 342 America horsepower of 200 at 5000rpm. And yet the 342 was even more limited with just 6 units ever produced making it among the rarest ferries ever built. Let’s dive into our 342 America review to discover find out more about this amazing car. Plus, we take a look at the 342 America price and how much you need to own one. If you are looking to buy or sell your car, or even if it’s your first time buying a car online, check out Exotic Car Trader. We can help simplify the process and ensure that your ideal car is delivered right to your doorstep.
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Ferrari’s road vehicles were very similar in construction and design to their race models. This is certainly the case with the Ferrari America series of cars that had engines derived from the Gran Prix models. Speaking of, the Grand Prix motors included a 1.5 liter that featured a supercharger and a 4.5 liter naturally aspirated engine. Enzo went with the supercharged 1.5 liter which he added to the Tipo Monoposto. This engine was designed by Gioachino Colombo. However, Ferrari lost the race to Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 158 Alfetta in 1930 and it wasn’t until Alfa Romeo was out of the races temporarily that Ferrari tasted their first victory in 1949. However, Enzo became aware that Alfa Romeo was planning to get back into the racing scene with a new Tipo 159 which prompted him to develop higher-performance vehicles. At this time Gioachino Colombo had left and Enzo turned to a Lampredi to design the new V12 600 engines. The first engine that Lampredi designed was the 3.3 liter that was mounted to the 275 F1 and later he built the 4.1 liter mounted to the 340 F1. Lampredi would also design a 4.5 liter that was mounted in the 375 L1. This last engine saw a close competition with Alfa Romeo even though Alfa was the one who eventually took home the win at the final event of the Italian Grand Prix. Enzo was impressed by the performance of Lampredi engines at the races and didn’t waste any time in developing a road car. In October 1950 at the Paris Salon, he showcased the new 340 America. This had the 4.1-liter V12. Only 23 units would be produced with production ending in 1952. Ferrari would then showcase its successor the 342 America at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953 which first came out with the 4.2-liter V12. How many 342 America were produced? Just six of these were made and with the new 342 configuration gave out 200 bhp at 5000 rpm. Production would run from 1952 to 1953 with chassis numbers 0232Al to 0248AL. The first was bodied by Vignale with the subsequent 5 units bodied by Pininfarina. There was a total of three cabriolets and three coupes. So where was the 342 America made? The cars were built at Ferrari’s factory in Maranello Italy. Let’s find out more about what makes this car so special in our Ferrari 342 America review.
Car buyers showed a spike in interest in Ferrari. However, they remained skeptical of the competition engines that were fitted into cars without doing much to detune them. Ferrari became aware of this and made a point to detune the Lampredi engine for the 342 America. The 342 America V12 engine featured a 20mm longer distance between the cylinders compared to the Colombo V12 engine. This is the reason that the Lampredi engine was also called the “long block”. This engine, which first started in the race version 340 Ferrari America, first came out as a 4.5 liter and would later be tuned down to a 4.1 liter. Note that the sixth and last 342 America though got the larger 4.5-liter Lampredi V12. Having a lighter frame than the 340, the 342 America horsepower and torque figures were impressive. It produced 200 hp and 268lb-ft of torque. The engine featured a 60-degree angle between banks and had a single overhead camshaft on each bank with two valves on each cylinder. It also had a single sparkplug for each cylinder and was fed by a trio of Weber Carburetors. It featured an 80mm bore and 60mm stroke. Both the cylinder block and the cylinder heads were constructed out of a light alloy with the V12 mated to the gearbox via a single plate clutch. The gearbox was a synchronized system with a conventional differential. Other than having a much lighter construction, the main difference between the 340 and the 342 was that the latter had a longer wheelbase and featured a synchronized gearbox. A test by Road & Track, an American auto magazine found that the engine resulted in a 342 America 0-60 of just 6.3 seconds. This was impressive by the standards of the day not to mention the 342 America top speed of 186kph. The 342 America had a fuel consumption of 7km/l. With a total length of 179.1 inches, the 342 America also came with 63 inches of width and a 342 America weight of 2680 lbs. 342 engines ran on wet sump lubrication as opposed to the race version Ferrari 340 America which had dry sump lubrication.
While it featured a two-door design, the 342 America interior offered space for four passengers and came with a better-tuned and more user-friendly steering wheel. Just as there were differences on the exterior the 342 America design for the interior also differed substantially from one vehicle to the next. There were variations in the rear quarters, the instrument layout, door trims, and the dash. The seats however all came with a cushioned leather and luxurious finish. There was also sound insulation as well as fabric trims and the cars also featured a carpet. The 342 America also featured a new air filter design.
All of the models apart from the cabriolet that was built by Vignale were built by Pininfarina. Of these five vehicles, there were two cabriolets with three of them featuring a coupe 342 exterior design. As was the practice at the time, each of the Ferrari 342 was hand-built according to customers’ orders. The Ferrari 342 America had a 2650mm wheelbase and a tubular chassis just like the 340. Only this time the car featured wider front and rear tracks compared to the 340 America. The 342 was built at the company’s factory in Modena Italy and had a rear-wheel-drive configuration. A naturally aspirated V12 petrol engine was set in a longitudinal fashion and at the back was a 150-liter fuel tank. It featured both coupe and convertible body styles and with its large fuel tank was a valid option for long road trips. The vehicle had dual air intakes situated on the hood with a large front grill that had an “egg crate” design. As we’ve seen, Ferrari built just six of the 342 America with the first of these built by Vignale. Some of the 342 America exterior features that set it apart from the rest include a rather large intake, outboard conventional headlights, a cooling duct mounted discreetly on the hood, and subtle rear fenders. There were also the signature Vignale slotted tail lights. This model featured the 0232 AL chassis and was sent to Otto Wild in Switzerland. As for the rest of the 342 Americas built by Pininfarina, they came with an oval nose grille with the top end leaning forward ahead of the exposed headlights. The front fenders were also more rounded. But the exterior of the Pininfarina bodywork also differed especially when looking at the cars from the rear. The rear fenders were different as was the decorative rim. The cabriolets featured a dual intake on the hood with one large one and a smaller one on top. Some vehicles featured quarter-front bumpers while others had full-width bumpers. Others came with chrome nosebands.
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The 342 America technology included a rear suspension system featuring a live axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs on each wheel. At the front was a double wishbone suspension and one transverse leaf spring with all the wheels coming with drum brakes. The 342 also featured Hydraulic Houdaille shocks on all four wheels with the car running on Pirelli tires. The engine had a 60-degree angle between banks. It featured a single overhead camshaft on each bank with twin valves on each cylinder. Furthermore, it had a single spark plug for every cylinder and was fed by three Weber Carburetors. Both the cylinder heads as well as cylinder block were constructed out of a light alloy with the V12 mated to the synchronized gearbox via a single plate clutch.
If you’ve already fallen in love with the 342, and you have a few million lying around doing nothing, then you are probably searching for a Ferrari 342 America for sale. This now leads us to the next question in line - how much is a 342 America worth? Well, depending of course on the 342 America trim levels, the price can vary widely but it's in the millions of dollars considering how few of these were built. That said the average price sits at close to $1.5 million.
In our Ferrari 342 America review, we’ve seen a car that is specifically designed for road use but still packs a heavy punch under the hood with that 4.1-liter V12. Combine this with the stunning exterior, and stylish interior plus the fact that only six of them were built, then it starts to make sense why the 342 America pricing is through the roof.
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