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1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial

Ferrari's reputation was established by its large, powerful, and durable engines, but during the 1950s, a fair number of their sports racers were equipped with engines on the other end of the spectrum, with a third of the number of cylinders. Smaller, lighter, and developing peak torque at a much lower RPM band than the 12-cylinder cars, the four-cylinder Ferraris were potent competitors on short-distance tracks. By contrast, the high-revving twelve-cylinder cars would reach a fraction of their power before entering the next series of turns, and braking ensued. With the four-cylinder option, Ferrari had a multi-faceted arsenal aptly suited for a plethora of courses.

1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial photo
Series 1 Spyder by Pininfarina
Chassis #: 047MD
View info and history
The Tipo 500 F2
The origins of Ferrari's four-cylinder engine are embedded with Alfa Romeo's withdrawal from Formula 1. With their departure, the FIA decided that Grand Prix races counting towards the World Championship of Drivers would be run to Formula 2 specification. Armed with this knowledge, foresight, and financial backing, Ferrari tasked Aurelio Lampredi to build the Tipo 500. Introduced near the end of the 1951 season, making its race debut at the Bari Grand Prix as a 2.5-liter unit, the nimble car was ideally poised to dominate. Scuderia driver Alberto Ascari had little trouble securing consecutive championships in the four-cylinder F2 monoposto, bringing Ferrari the title in 1952 and 1953. Ascari would win all but one race in 1952 (the race he did not was because he was competing at the Indianapolis 500 in a 4.5-liter Ferrari). He repeated this feat the following season, winning all but the final race. Ascari won seven consecutive World Championship races in the 500, and if the 1953 Indianapolis 500 race is not taken into consideration (due to being run under a different formula, and in which Ascari was not entered), the record is increased to nine.

The Tipo 500 employed a simple, uncomplicated design with twin overhead camshafts and four Weber carburetors, offering 175 horsepower and capable of revving to over 7,500 RPM. The 2.0-liter unit was positioned within the chassis behind the front axle, improving weight distribution and handling. In short, it was powerful and reliable and installed in a lightweight and aerodynamically efficient grand prix car that had a low center of gravity and excellent weight distribution.

Ferrari's success made them a target as the competition worked to dislodge the Prancing Horse from its comfortable perch. Having invested considerable resources in developing a dominant engine, Ferrari pondered its involvement in the World Championship as it considered investing more to create a new car for the new Formula One regulations coming at the start of the 1954 season. Eventually, they decided to make do with the existing designs, tweaking them for the new regulations. In 1953, at the Italian Grand Prix, the 553 made its racing debut.

The Tipo 553 F2
Along with a wider tubular steel chassis and slightly redesigned bodywork, the Tipo 553 differed from the 500 F2 by its larger 2.5-liter (2,497.56 cc) engine. The Lampredi-designed inline-four produced approximately 256 horsepower at 7,200 RPM. The distinctive rounded bodywork and air-intake earned the Ferrari 553 the nickname, the Squalo, meaning Shark in Italian. Over two seasons, the 553 contested six World Championship Grand Prixs; the highlight being its sole victory at the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix.

1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial photo
Series 1 Spyder by Pininfarina
Chassis #: 047MD
View info and history
The Tipo 553 raced in 1953 under Formula Two regulations and in 1954 as a Formula One car.

The Tipo 625 F1
The 625 was a 2.5-liter (2,498.32cc) four-cylinder Formula 1 car that would win two races - one in 1954 and the other in 1955.

World Sportscar Championship series
Ferrari's investment in a new four-cylinder engine was rewarded with dominant performances in 1952 and 1953 in the World Championship. With the arrival of the new World Sportscar Championship series in 1953, their investment paid dividends, as the company augmented their twelve-cylinder 250 MM with the new 340 MM and 375 MM and introduced the new four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S models. The four- and twelve-cylinder options gave versatility to the team, with options for both short and long tracks.

1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial photo
Series II Spyder by Scaglietti
Chassis #: 0556/0446 M
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The 625 TF was Ferrari's first four-cylinder closed-wheel sports racer, making its racing debut on June 29, 153 at Monza where it was piloted by Mike Hawthorn. That same day, it was joined by the 735 S fieled by Alberto Ascari. The 625 TF used a 2.5-liter (2498 cc/152 in³) straight-4 sourced from the 625 F1 car, while the 735 S used an enlarged 2.9 L (2941.66 cc/179 cubic inch) engine. Of these two, the larger and more powerful engine performed better, leading the race until colliding with a 250 MM.

The Ferrari 500 Mondial (Tipo 110)
The preparation and planning, a little foresight, and a risky gamble was rewarded with nimble sports cars that competed in Grand Prix and Sports Car competition. The early experiments and fine-tuning led to the creation of the 500 Mondial, so named in recognition of Ascari's back-to-back World Championships. This was the first four-cylinder sports racer offered to customers as a two-liter model, with each cylinder displacing almost 500 cubic centimeters.

Ascari and Luigi Villoresi drove the 500 Mondial on its racing debut on December 20, 1953, at the 12 Hours of Casablanca, placing second behind a 375 MM. Although they raced in the under-two-liter class, the 500 Mondial competed for overall victories at hill climbs, circuit races, and even achieved a 2nd Overall finish in the 1954 Mille Miglia at the hands of Vittorio Marzotto. Class victories were achieved at Barcelona, Casablanca, Imola, the Mille Miglia, and the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring.

1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial photo
Series II Spyder by Scaglietti
Chassis #: 0556/0446 M
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The 2.0-liter 500 Mondial and 3.0-liter 750 Monza four-cylinder sports racers helped secure the World Sportscar Championship for Ferrari in 1954 and provided an admirable effort during the 1955 season against the Mercedes-Benz team.

Twenty-nine examples (as few as 27 and as many as 31) were built in total, with the majority of the first series (comprised of 22 examples) receiving coachwork by Pinin Farina in a style reminiscent of the larger 375 MM. Most of the second series 500 Mondials were penned by Dino Ferrari and built by a Modena coachbuilder named Sergio Scaglietti. Built in two series, the 500 Mondial was supplanted by the 500 TR and the three-liter 750 Monza as Ferrari's four-cylinder offering.

The Engine
The Lampredi-designed 1,984 cc (2.0 liter / 121 cubic inch) engine, a detuned version of the 500 F2 engine, had dry sump lubrication, hemispherical combustion chambers, gear-driven camshafts, a pair of Weber DCO carburetors, and twin-spark ignition. It developed approximately 170 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and was paired with a rear-mounted, four-speed manual transaxle.

Mechanical Specification
Following traditional Ferrari construction methods, the Mondial used a tubular steel chassis with a wheelbase size of 88.6 inches and an independent-transverse leaf-spring suspension, Houdaille shock absorbers, and a rear De Dion axle. The front suspension was revised for the 1955 season, with coil springs replacing the previous single transverse leaf spring setup. Drum brakes resided at all four corners.

Success
The 500 Mondial and Ferrari's four-cylinder engine program was successful in economics and competition. It was fuel efficient, durable, lightweight, and provided a competitive advantage in Grand Prix racing, as Ferrari proved it could keep pace with changing regulations and outperform the competition on race day. With the Mondial Sports car program, Ferrari recouped some of its investment, as a significant number were sold to privateers, which in turn brought recognition and glory to the Ferrari. Replaced by the more powerful 500 TR featuring a revised chassis for the 1956 season, the 500 Mondial would nonetheless be competitive at major events throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s.


by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2023

Related Reading : Ferrari Mondial 500 History

The Ferrari 500 Mondial Spyder was produced from 1954 through 1956 with 14 being bodied by Pinin Farina and 16 by Scaglietti. There were two series for the 500 Mondial, the Series 1 and Series 2. The Series 1 lasted from 1953 through 1954 with 20 examples being created. During this time Pinin Farina was tasked with providing the coachwork on 14 Berlinettas and Spyders. The designs produced were....
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1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Vehicle Profiles

1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial vehicle information
Series II Spyder

Coachwork: Scaglietti
Chassis #: 0424MD
1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial vehicle information
Series II Spyder

Coachwork: Scaglietti
Chassis #: 0580MD
Engine #: 0580MD
1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial vehicle information
Series 1 Spyder

Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis #: 047MD
1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial vehicle information
Series II Spyder

Coachwork: Scaglietti
Chassis #: 0556/0446 M

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