Even without the connection to President Juan Peron, this would still be an important car as it is one of the rare 212s with Ghia coachwork. This car was exhibited at the 1952 Turin Show with a right-hand drive Ghia Cabriolet body. On July 16th it was sold to a Milan publishing house. Just three months later, it was returned to Ghia who re-clothed it with this striking left-hand coupe body. Their chief stylist drew a handsome, uncluttered line notable for its expanse of glassware, slim pillars and careful detailing. Painted yellow and black, it was displayed at the October 1952 Paris Salon. By 1953 it was on its way to Argentina as the property of Juan Peron. Exactly what happened to the car after Peron’s exile is not known, but it emerged in Buenos Aires in 1973 with a five-speed gearbox (from a Ferrari 225 #0172ET). Subsequent history is well-documented—Peron was reunited with the car when he returned in 1974—and it was imported into Switzerland in 1988 from where it was acquired by a German in 1989.
Although superficially well presented when purchased, during 1989-1994 this car was subjected to a painstaking restoration with bills available documenting the cost at no less than $700,000.
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