1953 Ferrari 735 S Monza

The first car to wear the Ferrari badge was the 125S of 1947 and was powered by a 1.5-liter V12 engine. The engine was the work of Gioacchino Colombo and it had 2 valves per cylinder, a single overhead camshaft design, three double-choke Weber carburetors, and delivered nearly 120 horsepower. The engine would continue to be used for over four decades powering road cars and endurance racing cars, with displacement sizes finally reaching nearly five liters.

The 166 enjoyed early competition success with the Colombo engine, but when it was supercharged for use in Formula One, it did not achieve the desired results. Ferrari brought on competing designer Aurelio Lampredi to create a naturally aspired V12. Vittorio Jano later joined the team and displaced the work of both Colombo and Lampredi.

By the introduction of the new World Sportscar Championship in 1953, Ferrari had a wide range of vehicles, including the V12-powered 250 MM and the new 340 MM and 375 MM. They also had the new four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S models. With this large array of vehicles, Ferrari would dominate the early years of the World Sportscar Championship, winning the title seven out of its first nine years.

Most of the four-cylinder Ferraris distinguished themselves from the V12 engined siblings by the lack of a hood scoop. The four-cylinder engines used side-draft carburetors which meant they did not need the hood scoops. The V12 cars had downdraft carburetors located centrally in the engine.

Ferrari's first closed-wheel four-cylinder sports racer was the 625 TF of 1953. The straight-4 displaced 2.5-liters and was installed in an 89-inch wheelbase chassis. It produced around 220 horsepower and gave the car a top speed of over 150 mph. Although it lacked the overall power to keep pace on the long straights of certain tracks, its low weight and nimble characteristics helped it earn a fourth-place finish on its debut race at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in June of 1953. Also at Monza was a Ferrari 735 S with an enlarged 2.9-liter four-cylinder engine offering 225 horsepower. Alberto Ascari led the race in the 735 S until it was involved in an unfortunate accident with a 250 MM.

Although the 735 S did not finish the race, its performance at Monza, along with other smaller races, prompted Ferrari to continue development on these 'Monza' four-cylinder race cars. Over the following three years, Ferrari would continue the four-cylinder experiment with 8 additional cars, including the 500 Mondial. They were named 'Mondial' in honor of the world 'Mondial' championships won by Alberto Ascari. Power was sourced from a 2-liter version of Lampredi's four-cylinder engine. The 750 Monza had a 3-liter four, and the 250 Monza had a 3-liter V12.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019