1958 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena

The production of the 250 GT series began in 1954 and continued into the early 1960's. Ferrari provided the chassis and the engines, the coachbuilders provided the body and the styling. Most of the production of these vehicles was done by Pinin Farina. In 1957, however, production was taken over by Scaglietti.

Battista 'Pinin' Farina had bodied only a handful of Ferrari road-car chassis through 1952, but from 1953 forward, the Turinese firm was given virtual exclusivity with the advent of the 374 America and 250 Europa, with the latter refined into the 250 Europa GT by 1955, equipped with the 'short-block' V-12 engine derived from the Gioacchino Colombo design. Ferrari used the Geneva Salon in March of 1956 to unveil the next Ferrari '250' road model - clothed with coachwork by Finin Farina - the very first 'true,' series-built Ferrari Grand Touring car.

Styling features of Pinin Farina's new 250 Granturismo (GT) included thin chrome bumpers, an oval 'egg-crate' grille with a large single fog lamp flanking each outer edge, a straight upper fender line running straight through the doors to the squared-off rear fenders mounting a single vertical tail lamp, and unadorned bodysides. The distinctive 'B' pillars intersected with the softly flowing roofline meeting with the wraparound rear window.

The 250 GT series was important to both Ferrari and Pinin Farina, but the facilities of the latter were already quite crowded, prompting expansion. The construction completion date was late 1957, so Pinin Farina entrusted the production of the new 250 GT coupes to Carrozzeria Boano, also of Turin. Pinin Farina created a total of nine prototypes of the series before Boano assumed production. Approximately 68 to 80 examples were completed by Boano. Among the visual differences was its low 53-inch roofline, most were devoid of a hood air scoop, and they had a single straight line traversing through the length of the car, but without any kick-ups behind the door. Following the departure of Mario Boano at the end of 1957 to head Fiat's styling department, son-in-law Ezio Ellena took over with longtime partner Luciano Pollo. The enterprise was renamed Carrozzeria Ellena and the 50 examples of Ferrari 250 GTs that were built under this guise were now referred to as 'Ellena' coupes. Stylistic changes included a two-inch raised roofline which greatly improved interior headroom. Among the list of mechanical improvements bestowed upon the Ellena-bodied 250 GTs included a standard-style gearbox shift pattern for the four-speed manual gearbox, a ZF steering system, a single ignition distributor, and larger brakes.

The Ferrari 250 GT used a 60-degree single-overhead-cam, 'vee' type 12-cylinder that displaced 2,953cc. The Colombo-designed engine had an aluminum alloy block and heads with cast-iron cylinder liners. Depending on the state of tune, the engine produced around 220 to 260 bhp. The wheelbase measured 175.5 inches, had a width of 66 inches, and a height of 54 inches.

Unlike Pinin Farina, the cars bodied by Boano and Ellena did not have any identifying script or emblems, because they acted as subcontractors.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2008