By 1951, Italian automaker Ferrari was in its fifth year of existence, and finally coming into its own as a manufacturer of high-performance sports cars. The 166/195 series took Ferrari’s hard-won racing experience and applied it to their customer cars, with the 195 Inter proving to be both a comfortable gran turismo and a competitive entry for privateer racers.

The stunningly presented Ferrari offered here, chassis 0129S, is reportedly one of 25 195 Inter Coupes built, and the 11th of only 36 Ferraris ever bodied by Carrozzeria Ghia, making this car one of the most exclusive variants of all coachbuilt road-going Ferraris. For the 195, the Columbo-designed V-12 engine was enlarged nearly 25% from the previous 166 model, now displacing a healthy 2,341 cc. As with the 166 Inter before it, the standard induction on the 195 was a single twin-choke carburetor, but some examples received a three twin-choke carburetor setup. As such, many 195s found their way into competition at both amateur and professional levels.

Such performance must have certainly appealed to the first owner of 0129S, legendary Ferrari factory driver Luigi “Gigi” Villoresi. Born to a prosperous Milanese family, Villoresi competed alongside his brother Emilio in the Mille Miglia and Coppa Ciano, first in a Lancia Lambda and later in a Fiat Balilla, on his way to winning the Italian 1,100 cc championship.

From there, Villoresi privately campaigned for Maserati, becoming a full member of the Maserati factory team by 1938. Interned as a prisoner of war during WWII, he returned to win the championship in 1946 and 1947 before joining crosstown rival Ferrari for the 1949 season, promptly winning the Dutch Grand Prix that July. Villoresi stayed with Ferrari for the 1950 season and the advent of Formula 1, placing him in the inaugural lineup for what would become one of the winningest dynasties in motor sports history.

According to an accompanying report by Marcel Massini, 0129S left Italy for Switzerland in 1955, and remained there until 1961, when it came to the US by way of a Mr. Cowden of Dallas, before passing to John Profit, also in the US. By 1988, it was sold to Jos Segimon of Madrid. In 1991, the car was restored by renowned Ferrari expert Bob Houghton in England, and for the next eight years remained in the UK before returning to the US in October 1998, where it appeared at the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance in California. The car was shown at the 35th Annual Ferrari Club of America Annual Meeting held at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia, the following May.

In January 2000, the car was exhibited at the Cavallino Classic concours in Palm Beach, Florida, where it was awarded the Judge’s Cup, followed by the award of Best Ferrari at the Greenwich Concours in June that same year. By May 2002, the car was acquired by its current owner, and began a period of single-party ownership that has spanned nearly two decades.

The June 2001 issue of European Car magazine published a four-page feature on 0129S, writing, “Everyone who has seen the car has been charmed by its physical presence. Its lines are sensually dramatic in a subtle sort of way, from its rakish windshield angle to the sinuous taper of its fender lines. It’s wonderful to observe the smiles, the exclamational and the emotional responses of people who see the car. The car’s aura is pervasive. From the Art Deco gauges to the intricate handiwork in all the interior appointments, all exuding yet another unique dimension of the Ferrari mystique.”

Included with 0129S is a comprehensive, 17-year service history performed primarily by the award-winning Automotive Restorations Inc. of Stratford, Connecticut, totaling approximately $150,000, and it is also accompanied by a tool roll and spare.

Wonderfully preserved and presented, this important piece of early Ferrari history is being offered for the first time in nearly two decades. A proven show winner, with exclusive Ghia coachwork presented in its beautiful color scheme of Avorio (Ivory), which, according to its Massini report, is the car’s originally delivered color, accented by the interior’s tan leather and amber-hue Bakelite switchgear. This quintessential Ferrari exudes all the elegance and performance befitting one of Scuderia Ferrari’s very first drivers, and one of the earliest cars to bear the Ferrari name.