1958 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena Coupe

Ferrari showed two prototypes of its 250GT at the 1956 Geneva Auto Show - the coupe was presented by Pinin Farina and the cabriolet by Mario Boano. Both featured a wheelbase of 102 inches and each was powered by a Columbo-designed 3-litre V-12 mated to a 4-speed manual all-synchromesh transmission. The production coupes were built by Boano, although to Pinin Farina's design spec. When Boano left his company in 1957 to work for Fiat, a revised version was introduced by his son-in-law Ezio Ellena. The 1958 version eliminated the front vent windows and the roof was raised approximately two inches to provide more headroom.

Construction of the bodies took place at the factory in Grugliasco. In 1957, the name was changed to Ellena. This resulted from Mario Boano's move to Fiat where he became head of the styling department. Ferrari supplied the engine and chassis, but the bodies did not change. Production of the Ellena Coupes spanned 11 months until mid-1958 when production switched to the notchback Pinin Farina.

In January of 1958, Sports Cars Illustrated called the 250 Ellena Coupe, 'a Grand Touring masterpiece without comparables' and went on to say that it had, 'racing car performance with the manners and appointments of a true luxury automobile.' Designed by Pinin Farina, these simple but elegant cars are generally considered to be Ferrari's first series production cars although only 49 were built. This particular car (s/n 0857 GT) was the 39th in the series, and its coachwork was made at Carrozzeria Ellena due to the fact that Pinin Farina's new factory was not yet completed.