1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT Coupe

Ferrari introduced their 250 Europa GT in October of 1954 at the Grand Palais. The prior year, Ferrari had unveiled the 250 Europa. The 250 Europa GT rested on a redesigned Tipo 508 chassis, featuring a wider track and a wheelbase about 8 inches shorter than the prior model. It received an independent coil-spring suspension in the front which replaced the previous model's transverse leaf-spring arrangement.

The Ferrari 250 Europa was powered by a three-liter version of the Lampredi long block, while the new Europa GT was the first road-going 250 model to benefit from the Colombo-designed V-12. The Tipo 112 engine fitted to the Europa GT was basically a lightly detuned version of the engine found in the race-winning 250 MM competition model.

The Colombo engine was less temperamental, easier to keep in tune, better suited for road use, and took half the time to rebuild than the prior Lampredi engine. The Colombo engine was also lighter than the Lampredi V-12 which contributed to more balanced handling and ease of use at low speeds.

The majority of the Europa GT models were tailored by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. Chassis number 0427 GT was constructed at the Ferrari factory in late 1955 and was originally specified in Grigio Metallizzato (Metallic Gray) with a contrasting top section, while the interior was upholstered in a combination of gray cloth and leather trim. 0427 GT was the very last Europa GT model built. The next 250 GT built was chassis number 0429 GT, which was the first prototype for the low-roof Boano.

The Ferrari Europa GT was delivered to Jacques Swaters' famed Garage Franchorchamps in Belgium in January of 1956. Later that month, the Pinin Farina-bodied Ferrari was put on display at the Brussels Motor Show. After the show, it was issued its certificate of origin and sold to W. Nilens, a resident of Belgium, under whose ownership it was registered as 'B.0655.'

On May 12th of 1957, the car made its only competitive outing, when it took part in the Grand Prix de Spa. The race was held at the Circuit National de Francorchamps and was won by Tony Brooks in an Aston Martin DBR1. The Europa GT, wearing both race number 30 and its Belgian road registration, proved its worth as a dual-purpose GT car.

The car was re-registered in Belgium in 1966 as '5.L.482.' It was sold to Jude Holcombe and Richard F. Merritt of Bethesda, Maryland, and exported to the United States. Some years later, the Ferrari was relocated to upstate New York, where it encountered head gasket troubles and was retired from the road. During the 1980s, the car found its way to Southern California. Over the next two decades, it was owned by three noted Italian car collectors: Paul Forbes, Bruce Milner, and Tom Shaughnessy.

The current owner acquired this car in 2006. At the time, it was in excellent original condition, having been kept off the road in static storage for nearly 30 decades. The car had its original upholstery and an old Garage Francorchamps sticker on the trunk lid.

A restoration soon followed. Upon completion, it was finished in a two-tone color scheme. This color combination was discovered as the base layer when the body was stripped to bare metal. The interior was trimmed using the well-preserved original interior as a foundation for authentic color, pattern, and detail.

Since the restoration, the car was shown only once, at the Quail Motorsports Gathering in Carmel Valley, California, in 2010.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014