1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2

As Europe continued to recover from the physical and financial devastation of the Second World War, manufacturers offered new sports and performance cars for the rapidly growing highways. Special road cars, based on the successes of the post-war race-bred machinery, had been built by many of the great marques but generally in very limited numbers for a small cadre of wealthy clients. By the end of the 1950s, both Aston Martin and Maserati had added their DB4 GT and 3500 GT coupes respectively to their lineup, providing the young family man with money to spend on a car that accommodated performance, comfort, and style. Ferrari's prospective model followed in 1960 with the Pininfarina-designed 250 GTE 2+2. Pininfarina used the old type 250 chassis, which had been in race and road car use for a decade, and with minor modifications, created the space, comfort, and performance needed for this breed of sports car. Between 1960 to 1963, Ferrari sold over 900 examples of the GTE to their discerning clients, helping to finally stabilize the company, which had always been tenuous due to the costs of racing.

The 250 Series evolved into the 330 GT 2+2 in 1964, gaining a wider tubular chassis that was 50mm longer in the wheelbase than before, and a modified version of the 4-liter Superamerica engine. The suspension was independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs, while at the back there was a live axle/semi-elliptic set-up. Improvements to the discs-all-round braking system saw separate hydraulic circuits adopted for front and rear.

The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 made its public debut at the January 1964 Brussels Motor Show, although production had commenced late the previous year. The Gioacchino Colombo-derived 3,967cc powerplant was an all-alloy unit with single-overhead-camshafts and offered 300 horsepower and 288 lb-ft of torque. Equipped at first with a four-speeds-plus-overdrive gearbox, the 330 GT gained a five-speed transmission in mid-1965. Zero-to-sixty mph was accomplished in 6.3 seconds and had a top speed of 152 mph. Styling was courtesy of Tom Tjaarda of Pininfarina, which included the generous greenhouse, well-resolved silhouette, and distinctive quad headlamps.

In 1965, they were supplanted by the more generic-looking Series II. A total of 503 examples of the Series I 330 GT 2+2 were built, plus 124 interim cars. 453 examples were built to left-hand drive specification.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019