The “Cavallino Legacy” Class
Celebrating our 35th anniversary with an unmissable selection of Best of Show winners
The 35th Palm Beach Cavallino Classic will feature an exceptional class, bringing together a curated selection of winners of the coveted Best of Show title from the past 34 editions.
The cars will be showcased on the front lawn of The Breakers on Friday, February 13 (invitation-only event), and on Saturday, February 14, on the 18th Fairway at The Boca Raton, alongside all other extraordinary automobiles featured in the Concorso d’Eleganza.
Today, we are unveiling a few of them. Four truly remarkable works of art representing the earliest years of Ferrari, and a tribute to Luigi Chinetti: legendary driver, Ferrari importer to the U.S., and founder of the North American Racing Team (NART).
1948 Ferrari 166 Spyder Corsa s/n 016 I
First in line is the 1948 166 Spider Corsa s/n 016 I, Best of Show Competition winner in 2014. With this very car, Luigi Chinetti won the 12 Hours of Paris in April 1948 and set three world speed records for the two-liter class that November at the Montlhéry circuit. Shipped to America in 1949 by racer and constructor Briggs Cunningham, this 166 became a pioneer of Ferrari’s success on U.S. soil, claiming the marque’s very first American victory at the Suffolk County Airport Race in 1950.
1949 166 MM Touring Barchetta s/n 0010M
Equally exceptional is the 1949 166 MM Touring Barchetta #0010M, a Ferrari works car that finished second in the 1949 Mille Miglia with Bonetto and Carpani. Later sold to Lord Selsdon, it went on, with Luigi Chinetti’s help, to win the 24 Hours of Spa that same year. After arriving in the U.S., it made history again as the first Ferrari to win a race in California, at the Palm Springs Road Race. This legendary Touring Barchetta earned Best of Show Cavallino in 2000.
1952 212 Inter Ghia s/n 0191 EL
The 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia s/n 0191 EL made its debut at the Paris Motor Show that October on Ferrari’s stand, displayed next to a cabriolet version bodied by Pinin Farina. It was there that its future owner, Juan Domingo Perón, President of Argentina, first saw the car. The 212 Inter Ghia lived an adventurous life before being meticulously restored to its original condition, just as it left Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin. Making a stunning return to the stage at Cavallino Classic 2024, it captured the Best of Show Gran Turismo award.
1952 212 Europa Cabriolet #0235 EU
Also from 1952, the Ferrari 212 Europa Cabriolet #0235 EU was among the first Ferraris to bear the “EU” engine code and one of the earliest examples bodied by Pinin Farina. The Cabriolet achieved an impressive 9th overall and 3rd in class at the 1953 Nürburgring 1000 km, an outstanding result for a road car! After that single racing appearance, it was brought to the U.S. by Luigi Chinetti in 1954. Modified in the 1980s and repainted red, it lost its original blue color until Ferrari Classiche restored it to factory specification in 2010. Today, it perfectly embodies the essence of Ferrari’s early grand tourers: true elegance and pure performance. It won Best of Show Gran Turismo in 2021.
Stay tuned: more treasures from the Legacy Class will soon be revealed, each one awaiting its moment to shine at Palm Beach Cavallino Classic 2026.