The big easy: the relaxed style of the 1950 Ferrari Inter Coupe Ghia, up for auction in Monaco
Do you ever get the impression that modern performance cars are trying just a little bit too hard? Of course, they are better than old cars, at least in any way you can definitively measure – faster, safer, quieter, and much less likely to let you down.
It is not a question of simply being good, but the fact that they are constantly making a point of reminding you how good they are. This they do in three ways:
Firstly, by making cars look more aggressive, with things like fat tyres and various aerodynamic accoutrements. You can make the argument that these are there to improve performance, and up to a point this is true. But for the most part exaggerations in girth of rubber and size of spoiler is about plumage rather than practicality.
Secondly, there is a great deal of audio-enhancement. Manufacturers have always cared about how their exhaust notes sound, because as anyone one who has a weakness for cars will know, the noise is essential. But as modern engines get smaller and more efficient, they are also getting less noisy, which means an increasing trend to synthesise sexy car noises and play them through the car’s stereo system. Sounds great, but once you know it is fake, it is hard to forget it.
The third thing they do is give you endless amounts of performance toys to play with. You can switch between sport/race/comfort/snow and whatever other bewildering array of driving modes you have. Often it doesn’t make much difference, beyond changing the volume on your synthesised engine noise. Yet once you start fiddling, it can be very difficult to stop.
For a break from all this grumpiness about the modern world, have a look at this beautifully relaxed specimen, a Ferrari 195 Inter Coupé delightfully pictured in its adoptive home of Hong Kong. The mid-century Ferrari has skinny tyres and not a single wing bolted onto the coach-built Ghia body. And while you will be required to shift gears in the old-fashioned manner, there are no driving modes to toggle between. And of course the glorious sound from the V12 engine is 100 per cent genuine Italian.
It might not be trying too hard, but beneath the relaxed exterior is the heart of a true sports car. In 1950 a racing version, the 195 S, was driven to victory in the Mille Miglia. The winning driver, Giannino Marzotto – nicknamed the Flying Count – was pictured grinning as he crossed the line, cigarette in his mouth, dressed in his standard race gear of jacket, tie and pressed shirt. Apparently it is not only the cars that have changed.
The 1950 Ferrari 195 Inter Coupé by Ghia is Lot 146 in the RM Sotheby’s Monaco sale on Saturday 12th May 2018. Estimate €500,000 – €600,000.
