212 Export Barn Find
Details on the Markowski Barchetta

Story and color photos by Werner Pfister
(History copyright Marcel Massini)

As displayed at Cavallino XV, 0086E, unrestored.

January 22, 2006.
Peter Markowski, owner of RPM Restorations, in Vergennes, Vermont, proudly displayed a very tired 212 Export (0086E), in it's first public showing in 38 years. Found in the proverbial barn, the barchetta had originally been owned and raced by the Marzotto brothers in 1951.

Markowski had known about the car for more than 40 years, when Stan Hallinan of Concord, NH, mentioned to him that he had purchased a Marzotto Ferrari. Markowski, of course, rushed over to see it, since he too, owned a Marzotto Ferrari. Amazingly, Markowski had purchased the first 340 America, at the tender age of fifteen.

Needless to say, Markowski was thrilled to see the Marzotto barchetta, and asked Hallinan if he could have first right of refusal, should the car ever be offered for sale. He had to wait almost forty years, but eventually Hallinan decided to sell, and made good on the first right of refusal. Markowski jumped at the chance.

0086E began life when the Marzotto brothers purchased the car from Ferrari in 1951 as a bare chassis. They commissioned Carrozzeria Fontana of Padua to construct a racing body which has often been called a "Carretto Siciliano", or "Sicilian cart." Marzotto achieved successes with this car in its inaugural event, winning first overall in the Giro di Sicilia, but dnf'd at the Targa Florio the same year.

Another body for 0086E, this time a station wagon, or "shooting brake". Image courtesy of Marcel Massini.

Subsequently, the Fontana body was removed and Vignale rebodied the car as an export spyder. In a strange twist of fate, the Fontana body wound up on the same 340 America which Markowski would purchase as a fifteen year old enthusiast. In rapid succession, Marzotto had Fontana put a shooting brake type body on 0086E, and eventually back to a spider body reconfigured out of the first body!

In April of 1952, the 212 returned to competition at the Giro di Silicia and placed 7th, and again dnf'd at the bigger event, the Mille Miglia. In the late 1950s, at the end of it's competitive life, the car found it's way to Jim Flynn, who competed in a race at Watkins Glen in 1959.

By 1952, 0086E had been rebodied again. At the Mille Miglia, the car is driven by di Lapigio and Piccolo. Image from "The Red Arrows".

Forty years ago, when Markwoski first saw Hallinan's Marzotto, the body was still painted. But in 1967, Hallinan decided to strip the paint. Interestingly, although not a factory team car, the Marzotto 212 sported large Scuderia Ferrari decals, and thankfully, these were spared from the paint remover. 0086E still proudly displays the Scuderia Ferrari prancing horse on its flanks.

During the next 38 years, the car was stored in a barn and was the home to an extended family of rodents. Years of neglect and major doses of D-Con rodent poison took their toll in the engine bay.

After getting the 212 home, Markowski immediately set about to clean the engine of debris. He doused the entire engine compartment with Marvel Mystery oil to put a lid on the decades old embedded odors. And that's the way the car was displayed at Cavallino.

Markowski says that the drive train is entirely original, which is one of the reasons he always wanted this car. He had to sell the 340 several years ago, and says that this 212 is a "keeper". He hopes to restore it to its original appearance.

Ferrari 212 Export 1951, Chassis# 0086 E
Engine internal #10/E
Copyright Marcel Massini 10/30/02

February 22, 1951	Chassis sold to WI.PU.CO., Via Larga 8, Milan, Italy, for first owner Count Vittorio Marzotto, Valdagno/Italy Certificate of origin #118 issued
March 1951	Much delayed the new chassis frame arrived from the Ferrari factory for the Scuderia Marzotto of Valdagno, Italy Giannino and Vittorio Marzotto had the naked chassis BODIED by Carrozzeria Paolo Fontana of Padua as an ugly and very crude "Sicilian chariot" or "Carretto Siciliano" „h1 (see also Prancing Horse magazine, issues# 86 and 87)
March 20, 1951	Registered on Italian license plates of Vicenza SVI 20371ˇ¨
April 1, 1951	Raced at the XI Tour of Sicily by Count Vittorio Marzotto and co-driver Paolo Fontana, race #440, placed 1st OA (pictured on pages 201/202 of the book "Ferrari Automobili 1947-1953", authored by Corrado Millanta, Luigi Orsini and Franco Zagari) (pictured page 71 of Pino Fondi's book "Il Giro di Sicilia")
May 8, 1951	Engine 0086 E was equipped with three carburetors instead of the original single one
1951	REBODIED by Carrozzeria Vignale of Turin as a spider (similar to chassis #0076 E)
July 15, 1951	Raced at the Grand Prix of Portugal at the Circuito Vila real by Giovanni Bracco, race #14, placed 1st OA (pictured pages 74/75 of the book "Piloti Biellesi", authored by Enzo Russo)
July 16, 1951	Raced at the Lima Stadium Night Festival at Oporto by Bracco, race #16, placed 1st OA
Then	Following a design by Count Giannino Marzotto and Mr. Reggiani the car was REBODIED again by Fontana's coachworks into a Station Wagon (type "Giardinetta" or "Famigliare") It was said that the station car would be used as a spare parts transporter for the Carrera Panamericana in Mexico in November 1951.
Later	REBODIED again by Fontana, now as a spider with insweep body flanks
March 9, 1952	Raced at the Tour of Sicily by Guido Mancini on race #464, still on Italian license plates “VI 20371”
March 19, 1952	Raced at the Grand Prix Siracusa by Sergio Sighinolfi, entered by Scuderia Marzotto, race #16, placed 2nd in the Gold Cup sports category
May 3, 1952	Raced at the XIX Mille Miglia by Fabrizio Serena di Lapigio and co-driver Walter Piccolo, on race #628, still registered on license plates “VI 20371” as the car was on loan from the Scuderia Marzotto Shortly after Rome the car took fire
July 13, 1952	Raced at the VI Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti by Guido Mancini, on race #102, placed 12th OA (pictured page 109 of Gianni Cancellieri and Cesare De Agostini’s book “Polvere e Gloria – La Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti 1947-1956”, published by Giorgio Nada Editore 2000)
March 14, 1953	License plates changed by the Scuderia Marzotto from “VI 20371” to new license plates “VI 24196” (because the former license plates “VI 20371” had been “demolished” according to the ACI/PRA documents)
1953	Raced by Serena and Mancini in Italy
May 24, 1953	Raced at the Terni-Marmore hillclimb by Serena on race #925 (pictured in the Ferrari Yearbook 1953))
August 15, 1953	Raced at the Pescara 12 hours, XXII Coppa Acerbo, by Mancini-Serena on race #16
October 7, 1953	Sold to Guido Mancini, Rome, Italy
January 10, 1954	Re-registered on Italian license plates of Rome “Roma 193078”
Late 1950s	Owned by James A. Flynn, Syracuse/NY/USA (who also owned 290 MM Spider Scaglietti #0626)
October 17, 1959	Raced at Watkins Glen by Flynn, race #138 4 (see page 15 of Prancing Horse magazine, issue# 52)
August 6, 1960	Raced at Montgomery/NY by Flynn on race #238, placed 11th
June 24, 1961	Raced at Watkins Glen/NY by Flynn
1965	Owned by Stan Hallinan, Concord/NH/USA
December 2005	Sold by Hallinan to Peter Markowski, Vergennes/VT/USA In unrestored original condition, unpainted, partially disassembled
January 21, 2006	Shown by Markowski during the XV Palm Beach Cavallino Classic at The Breakers, Palm Beach/FL