1966 Ferrari 330 GT

The Ferrari 330 line was built as a successor to the legendary 250, arriving in 1963 with the 330 America. It had the chassis from the outgoing 250 GTE and was powered by an evolution of the company's Colombo Tipo 209 V-12 motor with wider bore spacing and a true alternator rather than a dynamo. The V-12 engine had a slightly longer block and a trio of Weber 40 DCZ/6 carburetors offering 300 horsepower and a 3,967-cubic centimeter displacement, or 330 cubic centimeters per cylinder, which was the figure that gave the car its nomenclature. The engine was mated to a four-speed gearbox with overdrive.

The 330 GT 2+2 made its appearance at the 1964 Brussels Motor Show. It had controversial quad headlamps and styling by Pininfarina's noted American designer Tom Tjaarda, who cited an unused Renault headlamp design as his inspiration. A year later, the 330 GT 2+2 Series II arrived with a more conventional single headlamp per side arrangement.

The 330 GT 2+2 had a two-inch-longer wheelbase than the 250 giving the 330 GT 2+2 a more refined, continental driving experience. High-tech features included Koni adjustable shock absorbers and an all-disc Dunlop dual-circuit braking system with servo assist. In 1966, the 330 GT 2+2 received a five-speed gearbox. Its base price was $14,200.

During its production lifespan, a total of 1,099 examples of the 330 GT 2+2 were built before it was discontinued in favor of the more aggressively styled 365 GT in 1967. A total of 455 examples were Series II 330 GT models.

The 1966 Ferrari 330 GT
The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 rested on a 104.2-inch wheelbase platform with an overall length of 190.5 inches, was 53.5 inches tall, and 69 inches wide. The 60-degree, single-overhead camshaft twelve-cylinder engine had an aluminum alloy block and head, a 242 cubic-inch displacement, three Weber 40 DCZ/6 carburetors, an 8.8:1 compression ratio, and delivered 300 horsepower at 7000 RPM and 288 lb-ft of torque at 5,000 RPM. It had a five-speed manual transmission, a worm and roller steering system, disc brakes, upper/lower A-arms with coil springs at the front, and a rigid rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and parallel trailing arms. The price of the 2+2 Coupe was approximately $14,200 (USD).

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019