1955 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Alloy Berlinetta

In late 1955, Pinin Farina began work on a new design for the 250 GT and nine chassis were sent to the coachbuilder to receive the new body. There was not enough space for all of the cars and so Carrozzeria Boano completed six of them, one of which is this example. One of fourteen alloys, 0447 GT was delivered new to Maestro Guido Cartelli, director of La Scala in Milan. A few months later he was tragically killed in a plane crash and the essentially unused 250 GT was sent to Luigi Chinetti for sale in America. It has since been a part of some of the world's greatest Ferari collections. This car features a matching numbers engine and has been treated to a full restoration.

Racing is a valuable asset as the technology used in the race car has a trickle-down effect to the road-going production cars. Amongst the major manufacturers the technology transfer becomes watered-down. Exotic car manufacturers offer a more pure blend of technology with affordability.

The first models of the 250 wouldn't appear on the streets but on the road courses of Europe. The first model would be the 250 S. It was an experimental berlinetta, or 'little saloon', and it would be entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia. The small car was powered by a small 3.0-liter engine with three Weber carburetors. Although the engine was small, it was light and it would more than make up for the power short-comings. Combined with its tubular trellis frame, the engine helped to make the 250 a mean contender in twisty sections, but it would struggle in straight-line performance. Nonetheless, it would be victorious in its first attempt.

Capitalizing on its success in the Mille Miglia, the 250 MM would be debuted at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. The design would be considered much more conventional and would signal something of a change in thinking that would come to fruition the following year.

Ever since the first model 250 was introduced, first in racing and then in production automobiles, there had been many evolutions and editions of the 250. Many were similar with the exception of one or two things. The success of the 250 in sports car racing left Ferrari with something it could tap into. It had become obvious that the success on the track could lead to sales in the showroom, but there needed to be more of a standardization from which Ferrari could promote.

And in 1954, at the Paris Motor Show, Ferrari would introduce its 250 Europa GT. This was just one of a number of 250 body styles. However, Pinin Farina had standardized much more of the car. It would become the foundation for all of Ferrari's other 250 models to come. Because of the standardization, production increased and Pinin Farina couldn't keep up with the demand at the time. Therefore, other coachbuilders, like Carrozzeria Boano would be contracted to build the cars. One such Boano-built model 250 would cross the auction block at the RM Auctions in Monterey, California in August of 2011.

Chassis number 0447 GT isn't a typical 250 GT Europa Berlinetta. In fact is a very special Boano 'Low-Roof' model. It perhaps is one of the few 250 designs that best represents the coming of Pinin Farina as Ferrari's favorite coachbuilder. For although the car clearly presents a design, badges and other design elements distinctive of the Pinin Farina design there are still a number of smaller differences that point to the car being completedby Carrozzeria Boano.

The actual body of the car carries Pinin Farina's work all throughout. However, the chassis would have a number of other cosmetic changes, including the 'Low-Roof' and an unbroken waistline from the tip of the front headlights all the way back to the rear.

Although Boano would revise the design, the car would still share the same kind of performance its racing brethren enjoyed on the track. It would have a 220 bhp, 3-liter Colombo V12 engine with three Weber twin-choke carburetors. The car would come with a four-speed manual synchromesh gearbox, independent coil-spring front suspension and a live rear axle. Because of this racing heritage interwoven into the car, it would be used in a couple of rally events, including the 1956 Alpine Rally and the Acropolis Rally, where it would take overall victory.

Chassis number 0447 GT, though it had been originally revised by Boano, would come back to Boano for more revisions. The Pinin Farina badges would be removed, the signal indicators, license plate bracket and other smaller aspects of the car would be changed. The car would also be refinished in original metallic grey. The car's interior, complete with Vaumal Luxan grain blue Connolly leather would remain.

The car would later be sold to an individual in Pennsylvania and would remain there until the late 1980s. It would then be sold to noted Ferrari collector Frits Kroyman in 1992. The car would be bought in 2010. Complete with matching numbers, this interesting piece of Ferrari's car production history is back again and was expected to draw $750,000 and $850,000.

Sources:
'Feature Lots: Lot No. 246: 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Europa Low-Roof Alloy Berlinetta', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO11&CarID=r211&fc=0). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO11&CarID=r211&fc=0. Retrieved 16 August 2011.

Wikipedia contributors, 'Ferrari 250', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 13 August 2011, 00:23 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferrari_250&oldid=444534954 accessed 16 August 2011

By Jeremy McMullen

This Ferrari 250GT wears an elegant low-roof design and is one of the first 100 examples built. This particular car shares its type 508/112 chassis with the Europa GT. The engine is a Colombo series (Tipo 112) first employed in the Europa. It is a lightly detuned variation of the 250 MM and features two front-mounted distributors, Tipo 128 tensioners and a Spinterogeni ignition. There are three twin-choke Weber carburetors and a double Abarth exhaust.

The gearbox is a type-513 that utilized Porsche-type synchromesh, making this particular car one of the first Ferrari road cars to benefit from this improvement.

The completed chassis was to be sent to Pinin Farina in the fall of 1955, but instead it went to Carrozzeria Felice Mario Boano. Boano fitted thee car with an all-aluminum body. It was originally given a subtle upswept kink in the beltline located just behind the door. It was also given the more traditional headlamp and front fender treatment.

A short time after its completion, the slight break behind the door was replaced with an unbroken waistline and the front wings were tapered to finish with the headlamp rims. The Pinin Farina badges found behind the front wheels and the front bumper bracket were removed, and the turn indicators on the B-Pillar were also removed.

The original owner of the car was Guido Cantelli who took ownership in August of 1956. The second owner was Anthony Cohen, a resident of Pennsylvania, followed by Philip Boyd of Marion, Ohio, who acquired it in August of 1968. In 1986, it was in the ownership of John Hayes of Moravian Falls, North Carolina. Less than a year later, it was acquired by Lyle Tanner of Carson, California. While in his care, it was given a complete refurbishment. In 1992, Fritz Kroymans purchased the car.

Currently, the car is painted in red livery and upholstered in gray leather with piping to match the exterior color. There are Marchal headlamps and driving lights, and Pirelli Cinturato tires.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The car was estimated to sell for $850,000 - $950,000. Bidding reached $750,000, but was not enough to satisfy the reserve. it would leave the auction unsold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2011