Pirelli Makes A Tire For The Most Expensive Car In The World

March 23, 2018 by Pirelli

PIRELLI DISPLAYS THE NEW STELVIO CORSA TIRE AT THE COPPA MILANO–SANREMO HISTORIC RALLY: MADE TO MEASURE FOR THE LEGENDARY 1962 FERRARI 250 GTO

Milan, March 23, 2018. Like the rest of the Pirelli Collezione tire range for prestige historic cars, the new Stelvio Corsa tire, created specifically for the Ferrari 250 GTO, incorporates cutting-edge technology with the original tire design.

Pirelli is displaying this latest tire with Ferrari on the Ferrari 250 GTO at the classic Coppa Milano-Sanremo Historic Rally, where Pirelli is a partner. The new tire is being shown to the public for the first time on this record-breaking car, which sold at an auction in 2014 for over 38 million dollars.

Pirelli will display a number of tires from the Collezione range at the Paddock Club in Monza, where the Coppa Milano-Sanremo Historic Rally starts. In addition to the new Stelvio for the 250 GTO, the Cinturato CN72 for Maserati, and the P7 and CN36 for Porsche will also be exhibited.

Stelvio is the latest tire from the renowned Pirelli Collezione family, which caters for some of the world's most desirable cars made between 1950 and 1980, helping them to maintain perfect originality. The tread pattern design and sidewall are similar to period tires, yet is complemented with state of the art technology. Thanks to new, advanced compounds, the Pirelli Collezione tire range offers better grip on wet surfaces, guaranteeing high safety and reliability. During the tires' development process, Pirelli's engineers used the same parameters that the car designers at the time worked with, to perfectly complement the original suspension and mechanical characteristics. The end result combines performance, style and originality. Pirelli Fondazione's archive images were also used in the design process, while the production of these specialist tires used bespoke techniques similar to those employed in motorsport.

Stelvio Corsa

Take a journey back into history with Alberto Ascari the driver: his car was a Ferrari 500 with Pirelli Stelvio tires. In 1952 and 1953, the Milanese driver claimed two consecutive world titles in the newly-created Formula 1 world championship, putting the Ferrari-Pirelli partnership on top of the world. The following year, Maurice Trintignant and Froilan Gonzalez won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Ferrari 375 Plus: another triumph for the Stelvio Corsa.

Pirelli named some of its tires after famous Alpine passes. The Rolle and Sempione tires were born after World War II, but it was the Stelvio in Corsa guise that represented the most performance-oriented product right up until the mid-1960s. Pirelli decided to re-evoke this legend to create a dedicated tire for the Ferrari 250 GTO: the most expensive classic car in the world.

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Pirelli's engineers worked with the original designs, supplied by the Pirelli Fondazione, to make a tire that ensured the period look of the iconic car it was destined for. Environmental respect was also guaranteed – thanks to a compound free of aromatic oils – as well as performance, with an internal structure derived from Pirelli's motorsport experience. The tire size for the 250 GTO is 215/70 R15 98W on the front and 225/70 R15 100W at the back. No other size is available and no other car can use the Pirelli Stelvio Corsa: only the Ferrari 250 GTO.

Cinturato CF67/CA67

In the mid-1950s a radial tire structure was introduced with a crossed belt pattern that prevented tire deformation. Patented in 1951 and launched onto the market in the mid-1950s, the Pirelli Cinturato tire had the classic '367' design that made it famous globally for a decade. In 1966, this tread pattern design was christened with the CF67/CA67 acronym – derived from 67 licenses granted by Pirelli to the most important tire producers in 25 countries. CA67 was the first textile radial tire to be rated with an SR code, meaning it could go up to 112mph. The tread was designed with separate channels coming off four main longitudinal grooves, with a distinct pattern and plenty of drainage, while the compound was equally resistant to high temperatures and abrasion. By the middle of the 1960s, the Pirelli Cinturato tire was the benchmark for the global automotive industry.

Cinturato CN72-CN73

The automotive world's increasing diversification from the mid-1960s led to new Cinturato tire versions, labeled H and HS, featuring a new CN72 tread pattern for drive comfort. Introduced in 1966, the CN72 equipped Ferrari's entire range (250 GT, 400 Superamerica, and 275 GTB), the Maserati 4000 and 5000, and Lamborghini for the 350 GT, 400 GT, and Miura. In 1969 the first low profile tire size was created, called GR70 VR 15 (225/70 VR 15); chosen by Ferrari for the 365 GT and GTB, Lamborghini for the Miura and Jarama, and Maserati for the Ghibli, Quattroporte, Mistral and Mexico. The next evolution of the CN72 was the CN73.

Cinturato CN36

In 1968, the Cinturato CN36 tire was made especially for the Fiat Dino in 185 HR 14 specification. As the first steel radial tire on sale, the CN36 tire was designed to marry both high performance and grand touring demands. This tire also marked Pirelli's return to rallying, racking up numerous victories. The tire was described as being 'soft at low speeds and precise at high speeds' with a specific design to absorb obstacles and keep aquaplaning under control. This HR tire with important technical characteristics increased its fitments for the 70 Series for BMW models, as well as the 13-inch sizes for the Fiat 124 Sport in 1971. This winning combination – the Fiat 124 Sport and CN36 tire – kicked off Pirelli's long history at the top of international rallying.

Cinturato CN12

The Cinturato CN72 tire range in the early '70s included the 175 HR 13 to 235 VR 15, 60 Series (245/60 VR 14, 255/60 VR 15) and 70 Series (205/70 VR 14, 215/70 VR 15). This tire equipped the Lamborghini Miura P400, Jarama, Urraco, and Maserati Bora.

Cinturato P7

Pirelli's development of low profile tires continued with the P7 in the early 70s. The Pirelli P7 tire was available to buy from January 1976 as a road tire, but it had already made its mark on the World Rally Championship from 1974 with the Lancia Stratos. Known as the Supersport, this new radial tire was innovative, paving the way for ultra-low profile road car tires, right up to the Series 30. The road tire was first used by the Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo, then the Lamborghini Urraco and Countach, De Tomaso Pantera and championship-winning Fiat 131 Rally in 195/50 VR 15.

Cinturato P5

Jaguar played an important role for Pirelli's development of the new P5 tire in 1976. This tire exclusively highlighted Jaguar's luxury cars' technical excellence, comfort and quality. In 1979, the Pirelli P5 was officially homologated in 205/70 VR 15 size on all Jaguar models from the XJ6 to the XJ12 to the XJS. This was followed by the Lancia Gamma (saloon and coupé), Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0 and the GTV. Together with the 'racing' P7 and 'sporting' P6 tires, the P5 completed Pirelli's wide ultra-low profile tire family from the 1970s onwards.