VIN: the Johnny Ysmael / William Doheny Ferrari 340 America chassis 0132 A
History of chassis 0132 A
Chassis 0132 A was one of five 340 Americas equipped with closed bodywork by Vignale.
The first (chassis 0082 A) was a works racing car driven to victory in the 1951 Mille Miglia by Luigi Villoresi and Piero Cassani. Another works machine was created for the 1952 Le Mans 24 Hours where it finished fifth in the hands of Andre Simon and Lucien Vincent.
The remaining three examples were all built for road use. Chassis 0174 A was sold to shipping magnate, Giorgio Fassio, and chassis 0212 A to Emperor Bao Dai.
The commission for chassis 0132 A came from American-domiciled Filipino, Johnny Ysmael, whose family had made a fortune from land sales in the Philippines. The car was a gift from his grandmother, Dona Magdalena Hashim Ysmael-Hemady.
Appearance-wise, 0132 A was the closest of this road-going trio to Ferrari’s Mille Miglia winning example. It featured a largely comparable profile accentuated with the kind of elaborate detailing Vignale’s road cars were renowned for.
Built to Johnny Ysmael’s specification, it was painted yellow with black flanks and a black bonnet. Special features included extended chrome trim around the front and side glass, a chrome swage line, driving lights recessed in the front grille, unique split level bumpers and six exhaust pipes.
The black interior was also highly customised.
Ysmael requested special Jaeger instruments. The 8000rpm tach came with integral water temperature and oil pressure readouts. The 240kmh speedometer featured an integral fuel gauge and clock.
Ysmael also had Vignale manufacture a unique two-spoke steering wheel with ribbed rim and flat top. Concealed behind a central panel in the dash was a triple layer cigarette humidor.
These and many other special features saw the final price reach an extraordinary $25,000.
0132 A was given its factory shakedown in November 1951.
In early 1952 it was delivered to the official Ferrari agency for Rome, Ponti & Mambretti.
0132 A also appeared in the February 1952 edition of Road & Track magazine.
Ysmael had the car exported to Los Angeles where it was maintained by Ernie McAfee’s Ferrari dealership on Sunset Boulevard.
Soon after taking delivery, Ysmael had McAfee modify 0132 A with twin hood intake scoops to improve cooling. The car had originally come with just one small intake.
In 1953, Johnny Ysmael sold his Ferrari to William Doheny of Brentwood, California. Doheny was a director of the Union Oil Company and the grandson of pioneering oil tycoon, Edward Doheny.
William Doheny later sold 0132 A to Ernie McAfee.
In the late 1950s, the car was purchased by fellow Californian resident, James Walter.
During the 1960s, James Walter fitted a Chevrolet engine but importantly kept the original unit. His family retained the car until August 2019 when it was sold by Bonhams at their Quail Lodge auction.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ysmael family archive
