If you bought a Ferrari in the early days of the company, you could have bodywork from virtually any coach builder you like. That led to some gorgeous creations from Milan's Touring and Turin's Pininfarina, but it also led to this 1950 oddball from Carrozzeria Fontana. Dubbed Uovo, after the Italian word for egg, it's an important car in Ferrari's history and it's headed to auction in August.

Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby's

The Uovo was commissioned by Italian racer Giannino Marzotto, a young textile heir who found Ferrari's factory offerings too heavy and inefficient. The bodywork was created by Carrozzeria Fontana's namesake, Paolo Fontana, along with sculptor Franco Reggani. Thanks to the use of Duralumin, an aluminum alloy mixed with copper, the body was much lighter than a standard Ferrari's.

Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby's

This car combines the chassis of Ferrari's compact 166 MM with the 2.6-liter V12 from the 212 Export. Sounds like a recipe for success, but the car wasn't perfect. The hood had to be raised 15 cm to accommodate a larger radiator than originally intended, and the car had a tendency for difficult-to-control oversteer.

Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby's

In spite of this, the Uovo led most of the 1951 Mille Miglia, with Marzotto behind the wheel, before mechanical troubles forced an early retirement. Marzotto did, however, manage an overall victory at the Coppa della Toscana later that year.

Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby's

Since then, the car has participated in various historic Mille Miglia runs and at one point was displayed in the Enzo Ferrari Museum.

Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby's

Top Gear reports that the sale price is estimated at £4.4 million ($5.5 million USD) when it crosses the auction block at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction later this year. That's a lot by most standards, but compared to a 250 GTO, the Uovo is a bargain. I know which I'd rather have.

via Top Gear

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io