1960 Ferrari 250 GT

Road car production moved from being a necessity for Ferrari to an essential part of the company's ongoing stability. The earliest series-production Ferrari automobiles, the 250 Europa, were built from 1953 to 1954 totaling twenty cars. The Europa was followed by the 250 GT in 1954, which brought a more compact and lighter Colombo-designed 3-liter V12 in place of the predecessor's Lampredi unit. By this point, these were still batch-produced specialty cars with cosmetic features and mechanical attributes which often varied from one example to the next. This was true of the first series cabriolets which was been designed and built by Pinin Farina at their specialty shop rather than the Grugliasco factory, which was still under construction.

As the 1960s came into view, Ferrari was perfecting their production model line-up. Ferrari recognized that there had been many external similarities between the road-going cabriolets and the Scaglietti-built California Spider for customers to easily understand the difference. Ferrari corrected this with the introduction of Pinin Farina's second-series 250 GT Cabriolet prototype on chassis number 1213 GT in late 1959. The Series II was visually different from the California Spiders, wearing a more rounded nose and faired-in headlamps. It had improved interior space for the occupants as well as additional room in the trunk. It offered a greater level of luxury along with grand touring readability.

Mechanical improvements included all-wheel disc brakes and the latest iteration of the classic Colombo V-12 engine, coded as the Tipo 128F. The engine, first appearing in one of the aluminum-bodied California Spiders of 1959, had its spark plugs relocated to the V-12's outside surfaced, and the coil-valve springs were substituted for hairpins. These changes allowed the engine to breathe better and improved reliability and torque.

The new cabriolet made its debut in 1959 at the Paris Motor Show and approximately 200 examples of the second-series Pinin Farina Cabriolet were produced through mid-1962.

The second generation of the 250 GT Coupe was later replaced by the 250 GT Lusso.

Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina
Produced from 1958 to 1960, a total of 353 units were built. They had a 185-inch length, a 67.9-inch width, a height of 52.8 inches, and were powered by a 2,953.21cc (3.0 liter) Tipo 128 Colombo V12 engine. It had a conventional steel ladder chassis, Pinin Farina coachwork, and had a kerb weight of around 1,050 kilograms. Throughout the car's production lifespan, the Series II cars gained a four-speed overdrive gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes, revised shock absorbers, better sound insulation, and a more powerful 'outside-plug' Tipo 128F engine offering 236 horsepower. Ferrari claimed that the Series II 250 GT Coupes could reach 100 km/h in under seven seconds.

250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I
The First Series 250 GT Cabriolet was introduced in 1957 at the Geneva International Auto Salon. Intended as a semi-luxurious touring car, the 250 GT Cabriolet received better interior appointments, complete instrumentation, leather interior, and more soundproofing than the 250 California Spider.

The 250 GT Series I Cabriolet rested on the 2600mm (102.4 inch) wheelbase, wore coachwork created by Pinin Farina, and styling that was different than the Berlinetta. Approximately 36 examples were produced before the Second Series was unveiled in 1959 at the Paris Auto Show.

250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series II
The Series II Cabriolets was introduced in October 1959, and its understated styling was nearly identical to that of the contemporary Pinin Farina-bodied 250 GT coupe. Based on the latest Tipo 508F chassis, the Series II Cabriolet received the three-liter, outside-plug V-12 engine, a four-speed gearbox with electric overdrive, and the newly introduced four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes.

Pinin Farina produced 200 examples of the Series II Cabriolets through 1962. Produced in higher quantities than the Series I, the Series II is considered the first commercially successful, production-based convertible model ever offered by Ferrari.

Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Speciale
Four 250 GT Coupé Speciale examples were built by Pinin Farina in 1956 on a 102.4-inch wheelbase (Type 513) chassis and powered by the 3 liter Tipo 128 Colombo V12 engine. The styling was similar to the 410 Superamerica but on a shorter wheelbase (by 200 mm / 7.9 inches). One of the Speciales was shown at the 1965 Geneva Motor Show, the same location where the first prototype of the Boano Coupe was shown. The Speciales were chassis number 0463GT, 0465GT, 0467GT and 0469GT.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2018