There were a few small-block Vignale Ferraris with the same styling as the famous 1952 racing trio, The Ferrari Mexicos, that were both more attractive and much more pleasant to drive. And of these, perhaps the most beautiful of all was a little 212 Export Lungo (EL), chassis #0197EL to be exact, painted in black and yellow, a two tone effect which would also adorn the 340s. Often known as the “Bumblebee” for obvious reasons, it was one of at least three sister Vignales with perfectly proportioned lines, vestigial fins at the rear, and the egg-crate grille nestled between the exuberant fenders.
At the rear, the leading edge of the elegant fins are embedded with bumperettes; two trunk levers on either side of the license bracket echo the inset tubular signal lights in the fenders. Up front, large headlights are placed in the grille while driving lights are outside of the oval shaped opening. The interior is very nicely appointed, with tortoiseshell switches and window crank bezels, the huge dual instruments and the yellow-piped black leather bucket seats. There is a radio, if you care, a wonderfully preserved Condor unit with Italian cities printed on the tuning scale.
Body by coachbuilder Vignale. Equipped with a V12 engine displacing a total of 2562cc. With the optional three dual throat carbs it could produce about 150hp at 7000rpm. In 1963, the cars was painted in red. In 1976, a 250GT engine was installed in place of the missing 212. Sold for $804,500 in an auction in 2009. (bonhams.com)
