1963 Ferrari 250 GT SWB

Ferrari introduced its replacement to the very successful 250 GT 'Tour de France' Berlinetta at the Paris Auto Show in October of 1959. Dubbed the 250 SWB Berlinetta, it had an upgraded engine specification and a new design. It was built by Scaglietti to a Pininfaria design. Refinements sourced from competition included a 9-inch shorter wheelbase offering sharper handling and better corner speed. Stopping power was improved with four-wheel disc brakes, a first for a Ferrari road car. This was more than just a road car, it was also intended for competition. The racing versions had their body made entirely of aluminum, and the side windows were plastic. During its racing career, it swept the first four places in the GT category at the 1960 LeMans 24 Hours race. The following year at LeMans, a SWB Berlinetta repeated a GT class victory and finished 3rd Overall. Many other accolades followed, making the versatile 250 GT SWB one of Ferrari's finest dual-purpose GT car.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019