1960 Ferrari 250 GT Speciale

As racing costs continued to increase, Ferrari found itself in a state of transition during the mid-to-late 1950s, offsetting those costs by selling more road-going models. Ferrari had offered road-going models in the past, but they were essentially built to order and due to the low volume and high costs, they were unprofitable.

The Ferrari touring cars were luxurious and well-appointed with more soundproofing than the racing cars but with a strikingly similar chassis and drivetrain. The had complete instrumentation, a luxurious leather interior, and many other passenger amenities. The 250 Series became Ferrari's first volume-produced model beginning with the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to 1954, albeit with fewer than 20 examples built. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan created coachwork for many of the cars that had preceded the 250 Europa, but there was no attempt at standardization for series production and no two cars were alike. This changed with the 250 Europa, with Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') becoming the preferred coachbuilder, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. A new 250 GT road car was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March of 1956, but Pinin Farina was unable to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.

The engine powering the 250 GT was a compact Colombo-designed 3.0-liter V12 in place of its predecessor's bulkier Lampredi unit. The single-overhead-camshaft all-aluminum engine produced 220 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and was installed in a wheelbase that was 200mm shorter than that of the Europa. The multi-tubular frame followed Ferrari's established practice and was tied together by oval main tubes, though the independent front suspension now employed coil springs instead of the previous transverse leaf type. In the back was a live rear axle that handled the power being sent by the four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. Braking was handled by hydraulic drums all round.

During 250 GT production, several important developmental improvements were implemented, including the original 128C 3.0-liter engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favor of six separate ports. By 1959, four-wheel disc brakes had become standardized, and a four-speed-plus-overdrive gearbox arrived the following year.

The first true 'series' production was Pininfarina's 'notch back' Coupe on the 250 GT. Between 1958 and 1960 (within the sequence '0841' to '2081') a total of 353 examples were built. Additionally, the company built a handful of show cars and 'specials', and customers were still able to order subtle variations and unique touches to their vehicles. Several prominent European coachbuilders created a variety of body styles on the 250 GT chassis, including those by Scaglietti and Pininfarina, with some leading to series production.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2021