<< Prev Page 2 of 2 The design of the 1957 car was first showcased on a 250 GT competition show car, bodied by Pinin Farina and shown at the 1955 Paris Salon. The nose was still similar to the 250 MM design, but the round rear-end was discarded and instead the fenders sported small fins. Over the next three years the basic design remained the same, but there are three distinguishable versions, identifiable by the number of louvres fitted in the sail panel. The first version featured no fewer than fourteen, followed by three and one in the final form. Other more subtle changes to the design of the body included a variety of headlight locations and the use of a warm or cold air intake through a bonnet blister. If equipped with a cold air intake, a large dish was fitted around the Carburetors that sealed perfectly to the bonnet with a rubber strip to increase the 'ram-effect'. Late in 1959 the last five long wheelbase cars were equipped with a body with a similar design to the upcoming short wheelbase 'Berlinettas'.
Apart from the changes to the front suspension early on in the 250 GT competition's life, the chassis was barely modified in the following years. The same can be said of the four speed gearbox that was originally derived from the very powerful 342 America. The only alteration was the replacement of the Works designed synchromesh rings by a synchromesh constructed under a Porsche patent. The V12 engine was more heavily modified throughout its duty in the long wheelbase chassis. The first version was dubbed Tipo 112 and was very similar to the 250 MM unit with separate intake ports for every cylinder. This was quickly replaced by the Tipo 128 with one siamesed port for every two cylinders. The 128 engine was frequently updated and B, C and D versions were used in the LWB cars. Colombo's three litre V12 was without a doubt the 250 GT's biggest asset and only very rarely broke down even during very hard driving.
Unlike Ferrari's full blown racing cars the 'production' 250 GT competition cars received odd chassis numbers and were rarely raced by the factory. At the end of the long wheelbase production run in 1959 around 94 examples were produced, but not all of them saw contemporary track action. Those that did were often highly successful and apart from the complete domination in the Tour de France, numerous class and scratch victories were scored on both sides of the Atlantic. With wins in the Mille Miglia, Targa Floria and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 250 GT was by far the most successful three litre car of its era, only let down on rare occasions by its outdated drum brakes. Amazingly, it would only get better with the introduction of the disc-brake equipped 250 GT SWB late in 1959 and the 250 GTO in 1962. The results of the 'TdF' were matched and bettered with three World Manufacturer Championships. << Prev Page 2 of 2
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Italy
> Ferrari
Racing cars
> GT Cars
The design of the 1957 car was first showcased on a 250 GT competition show car, bodied by Pinin Farina and shown at the 1955 Paris Salon. The nose was still similar to the 250 MM design, but the round rear-end was discarded and instead the fenders sported small fins. Over the next three years the basic design remained the same, but there are three distinguishable versions, identifiable by the number of louvres fitted in the sail panel. The first version featured no fewer than fourteen, followed by three and one in the final form. Other more subtle changes to the design of the body included a variety of headlight locations and the use of a warm or cold air intake through a bonnet blister. If equipped with a cold air intake, a large dish was fitted around the Carburetors that sealed perfectly to the bonnet with a rubber strip to increase the 'ram-effect'. Late in 1959 the last five long wheelbase cars were equipped with a body with a similar design to the upcoming short wheelbase 'Berlinettas'.