Taking a refreshing break from vaporizing the tires of the latest 1,000-horsepower hypercar,->ke177 Chris Harris instead headed to Italy to drive a very special old Ferrari.->ke252 This stunning 1952 Ferrari 212 Export wears barchetta bodywork from Carrozzeria Touring and competed in the 1956 Mille Miglia->ke2659 and 1952 and 1953 Targa Florio. Even though a modern hot-hatch->ke304 would leave it in its wake, this was a seriously quick car in its day. With a 160-horsepower, 2.6-liter V-12, it was the 1950s equivalent of a modern P2 Le Mans->ke1591 racer,->ke148 as is mentioned in this video,->ke278 and is in remarkably good condition, given its rough-and-tumble racing->ke447 history.

Just listening to the tiny, yet charismatic, V-12 sing through some lovely Italian countryside is enough reason to watch this excellent 11-minute video. I could probably listen to it rev and pop and bang on overrun all day. So, join Mr. Harris as he puts on a funny helmet and takes the 212 out on some fantastic Italian roads. Also, this very car will be crossing the auction block at the Villa Erba RM event at Lake Como, Italy on May 23. It’s expected to sell for as much as $8 million — the cost of about six or seven of those hybrid ->ke147hypercars.

1950-1953 Ferrari 212 Inter

Read our full review of the Ferrari 212 Inter.