VIN: the Bob Wilke Ferrari 410 Superamerica chassis 0473 SA
History of chassis 0473 SA
Between 1955 and 1959, the 410 Superamerica was Ferrari’s flagship road car. 35 were built across three series, most of which differed in detail from one another.
In addition to the standard Pinin Farina coachwork, several 410 Superamericas were manufactured with custom bodies. One such car was chassis 0473 SA; perhaps the most outlandish Ferrari of the 1950s.
It was commissioned by Bob Wilke of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Wilke owned Leader Card, a company that manufactured high quality envelopes, cards and packaging. He was also heavily into sporting automobiles; in addition to a fleet of super high end road cars, Wilke was patron of the Indy 500-winning Leader Card Specials for more than 15 years.
Between 1951 and 1955, Bob Wilke commissioned five special-order Ferraris.
The first trio were two-tone Vignale Coupes: a yellow and dark blue 212 Export (0128 E), a black and dark green 212 Inter (0257 EU) and a dark red and silver 375 America (0327 AL).
For the next pair, he turned to Ghia.
In late 1954, Wilke placed an order with with Ghia for a unique 375 Mille Miglia (0476 AM).
Shortly before the two-tone salmon pink and anthracite 375 was completed, Wilke appointed Ghia to create his second Speciale: a spectacular dream car based on Ferrari’s soon-to-be-released 410 Superamerica.
The commission was placed in March 1955 and Wilke played a key role in formulating the design. He made several trips to Italy during the construction process which took about a year.
The end result was perhaps the ultimate interpretation of futuristic 1950s styling.
0473 SA featured a short nose that was home to an oversize grille, V-type bumpers and inboard headlights. The grille and bumpers were chrome-plated as were the chunky swage trims that ran the entire length of each flank. The wheels were partially enclosed.
At the rear, Ghia added enormous knife-edge fins that housed stacked tail light clusters.
The bright red aluminium body incorporated intricate compound curves and wraparound single-piece windscreens. Single exhausts per side exited through the large back bumper bullets.
The cockpit was upholstered with two-tone black and white leather seats and matching door panels. The dash had a raised central section to mimic the power bulge and no less than ten custom gauges. A massive chromed centre quadrant with six control levers was located above the transmission tunnel.
Ghia also fitted a unique deep dish wood-rimmed steering wheel with chrome-plated spokes plus matching boss and inner ring.
Mechanically, 0473 SA was enhanced with front disc brakes and an engine that had been bored out by an additional 200cc. Although output figures were never published, this 5.2-litre unit was thought to be rated at around 365bhp compared to 340bhp for the standard 410 Superamerica.
Top speed was said to be in excess of 170mph.
0473 SA was displayed on Ghia’s stand at the 1956 Turin Motor Show which took place between April 21st and May 2nd.
It was subsequently delivered to Ferrari’s US importer, Luigi Chinetti.
Bob Wilke personally collected 0473 SA from Chinetti’s New York showroom and drove it back to Milwaukee.
Wilke retained 0473 SA until his death in 1970.
A few years later, it was sold to family friend, Gary Wutke, who kept it until the mid 1980s when it joined the collection of John Mecom Jr. in Texas.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
