The 212 Export achieved tremendous racing success, proving to be a truly prolific winner both in Europe and the United States. The 212 Exports took the first three places in the 1951 Tour de France, won the Giro di Sicilia and the Giro di Toscana, and took Piero Scotti to the 1951 Italian sports car championship. Californian Phil Hill raced a 212 Export to great success on the West Coast, including a win at Torrey Pines and a second-place finish at Pebble Beach. From 1951 through 1953, the 212 Export literally gave a skilled driver the best odds in virtually any sports car race. Although other coachbuilders succeeded Carrozzeria Touring as Ferrari’s preferred designer and coachbuilder, Touring’s Barchetta-style bodywork still appeared on both the 212 and 340 in 1951, including Jack and Kingsley Croul’s 1951 Ferrari 212 Export that was originally part of the Ferrari display at the Paris Auto Salon on October 1951. Serial No. 0136E, the car is the 25th of 28 212 Exports built and one of just eight finished in Touring’s Barchetta-style Superleggera bodywork. After its appearance at the Paris Auto Salon, 0136E was sold to Irish race driver Robert Baird, who immediately entered it in the Tourist Trophy race at Dundrod, where he finished 6th overall and first in the 3-liter class. Baird continued to campaign 0136E throughout the British Isles for the next two years, after which it was sold to a South American owner. She next appeared in 1954 at the Grand Prix of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Later, in January 1956, 0136E raced the 1000kms of Buenos Aires in Argentina. The car was unseen for some time before it was discovered in Uruguay by a British Ferrari enthusiast who shipped 0136E back to the UK. Around 1976, a restoration took place, during which a 250 GT engine and 375 MM-style hood scoop were installed by then-owner Donald Nelson of Leicester. Under the care of Nelson, the car appeared at Christie’s International Historic festival at Silverstone and the International Ferrari Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, California. Jack and Kingsley Croul acquired 0136E in 1999 and gave new purpose to the race-winning Ferrari. The Crouls took the iconic Touring Barchetta on various touring events, demonstrating the tractability of the now vintage Ferrari, which proved to be just as comfortable cruising along at 35 MPH as it was in heated competition on the race track in yesteryears. The couple’s first event was in 1999, when they drove 0136E in the weeklong Italia Classica rally. The following year, the Crouls took the Ferrari out for California’s Mille Autunno. By 2011, having thoroughly enjoyed driving the car, the Crouls decided to send the Touring Barchetta to the renowned Wayne Obry and his Motion Products restoration shop. There, the Barchetta received a restoration of the renowned quality for which Obry was known. In other words, no component was left untouched by his Pebble Beach-winning artisans. The Touring Barchetta made her post-restoration debut in 2013. That year, she was invited to the world-famous Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este, situated on the shores of Lake Como. There, her prize was the invitation, along with the scoresheet to make any necessary corrections. Her next event was the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, which Obry essentially described as the world championship of car shows. She acquitted herself well, continuing her winning ways with First Prize in Class M-2. This was followed up in 2014 at the annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida, where a Platino was awarded. Today, 0136E stands as a stunning example of Carrozzeria Touring’s iconic Barchetta-style Superleggera bodywork encapsulating Ferrari’s 212 Export. Now, she’s ready for a new gentleman and lady to enjoy her, all the while adding their chapter to her provenance—whether it be tours, concours or simply going for a blast in the country.
