FIVA has spent 2016 handing out special awards for cars that have met its standard for preservation and the last award has now been given out. The car to receive the award is car that is recognised instantly by the famous prancing horse. That's right, it's a Ferrari.
From left to right: Jeanlou Ranwez (President of CAC), Patrick Rollet (FIVA President), Lidia Brito ( UNESCO Regional Director), Valentina and Matias Sielecki, Alec E Daly (FIVA Ambassador South America) – photograph by Miguel Tillous
A 1952 Ferrari 195 Inter to be exact. If you've not heard of it then don't worry because I hadn't either. Featuring a Vignale body and a 2.3 litre Colombo-designed V12 engine mated to a 5-speed manual, this model won the award whilst on show at Autoclásica in Argentina.
Its first owner was Italian actress Anna Magnani (famous for The Rose Tattoo) who owned it for six years before it was sent to the US in 1959 to become part of the William F Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada. Roll the clock forward 36 years, the car was then bought by its current owner, Daniel Sielecki, who actually used it in the 1996 Mille Miglia.
From left to right: Alec E Daly, Lidia Brito, Daniel Sielecki, Patrick Rollet, Jeanlou Ranwez – photograph by P.H. Rodriguez Wilkinson
The award was handed to Mr Sielecki by FIVA president Patrick Rollet, who commented: “October’s Autoclásica in Argentina was the final event of 2016 at which FIVA will present a preservation award, and choosing the winner from a selection of such beautifully preserved, important motor cars was hugely enjoyable – but not easy.”
The 195 Inter will join the other winners at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris over the course of 'Paris Week', an event organised by FIVA which runs from the 16th to the 20th of November.