1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM

340/375MM coupes are hot, claustrophobic, cacophonous, and demanding to drive. The spyders are simply demanding

by Thor Thorson

Ferrari has been called a racing company with a production department, and nowhere is that emphasis more evident than in the production sports cars of the early 1950s. Not only was Enzo Ferrari passionately dedicated to victory on the world’s Grand Prix circuits, but his sports cars—which were supposed to fund the operation—quickly became dominant racers in their own right.

The heart of the 340 MM and 375 MM cars were their engines. Designed by Aurelio Lampredi, they were intended to provide a large-displacement alternative to the original Colombo-designed V12. The engine’s broad power band and rock-solid reliability made it an ideal weapon for sports car racing. The 340/375MM’s chassis was conventional Ferrari, based on two parallel oval tubes in a welded ladder structure. Front suspension was independent by parallel unequal length A-arms with a transverse leaf spring. The usual Ferrari solid rear axle with semi-elliptic springs and parallel trailing...