1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Coupe

The 250 GT Short Wheelbase was shown at the Paris Auto Salon in October 1959 equipped with an improved 3-liter Colombo-designed V-12 engine and bodywork designed by Pinin Farina and built by Scaglietti. The new GT was built as a Lusso version in steel and a competizione model in lightweight alloy and was the first Ferrari equipped with Dunlop disc brakes. Ferrari built 42 alloy-bodied cars and this car is the 13th which features unusual side vents with no fairings. The car ran in the 1960 and 1961 Targa Florio races driven by its owner Pietro Ferraro and Armando Zampiero and in the 1962 Targa Florio, it was driven by its second owner Giuseppe Crespi and Alberto Federici. The SWB Berlinetta is one of the most successful Ferraris of all time winning at Le Mans as well as almost every other major race in the early 1960s including Tourist Trophy wins in 1960 and 1961 when Stirling Moss drove the famous Rob Walker - owned SWB. The 250GT SWB is the sort of car that could be driven to the circuit in the morning and after removing any luggage and applying race numbers the owner could go on and win the race in the afternoon and then go on to dinner.

Ferrari 250 GT SWB with chassis number 1813GT is an alloy Berlinetta Competizione racer and the 13th one constructed. It was finished in May of 1960 and is a left-hand drive vehicle. It was outfitted with a 214F Tipo engine with three 40 DCL/6 Weber carburetors. Its first owner was Pietro Ferraro who actively raced the vehicle during the 1960 and 1961 seasons. Its first race was at the 1960 Targa Florio where the car wore number 206 and was driven by Ferraro and Armando Zampiero. It managed to finish the long and grueling race in a respectable 18th position overall. The next outing was a hillclimb event where the car was driven to a Third in Class victory.

The car was driven in the 1961 and 1962 Targa Florio race. The 1962 running of the race, the car was driven by its next owner, F. Crispi. The car remained in Crispi's possession for a number of years before it was sold to Trivellato in 1969. John Risch of New Jersey became the vehicle's next owner who kept the car for fifteen years before selling it to Robert Baker. The purchase by Baker was an excellent investment; when he sold the car two years later he netted over $600. The price of the vehicle would continue to escalate; its history in the Targa Florio race plus its excellent pedigree has made this car worth millions.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2015