The 250 design was successful both on the road and on the track. A number of GT models were built in varying states of road or racing trim.
250 Europa
The 250 Europa, introduced at the 1953 Paris Motor Show, was the only one of the family to use a different engine, sporting the 2963 cc Lampredi V12 based on a design for Formula One 3.3 L engine. It was a square engine, with 68 mm of bore and stroke, developing 200 PS at 6,300 rpm, with three Weber 36DCF (or DCZ) carburettors, and mated to a 4-speed transmission. With the long 2800 mm wheelbase and Ferrari 375 America-style bodies, it was designed as a grand tourer. Three different rear axle ratios were offered to customers, providing an estimated top speed between 180-217 kph depending on the ratio. Both 250 Europa and 375 America shared the same chassis, wheelbase and mechanicals apart for the engine.[7] The majority of bodywork were designed by Pinin Farina. Some had bodies designed by Giovanni Michelotti and constructed by Vignale. Styling resembled the 375 America and 340 Mexico coupes.[8] 22 were made, including 17 Pinin Farina-built coupes, 4 Vignale coupes, 1 Pinin Farina cabriolet and 1 Vignale cabriolet.[9] Two were later converted by the Ferrari factory to 375 America specification (chassis 0315AL and 0353EU).[10][11]
250 Europa GT
The first road car to use Colombo's 250 V12 was the 250 Europa GT, introduced at the 1954 Paris Motor Show. It was also the first Ferrari to use the Gran Turismo moniker. Pinin Farina's Paris coupé was just one of many shapes for the 250 GT model line, with coachbuilt production extending through 1956 before the 250 line became more standardized. The original 250 Europa GT used a 2600 mm wheelbase on a conventional chassis, with 600-16 Stella Bianca tyres. The wet sump V12 was tuned to 220 PS, with three Weber 36DCZ3 carburettors. Echoing Vignale's 250 Europa, Pinin Farina added now-familiar vents to the front fenders, a standard styling cue for many of the 250 GTs that followed.[12] Chassis Nr. 0373 finished third at the Liège-Rome-Liège rally in 1956
250 GT Coupé Boano and Ellena
Pinin Farina introduced a 250-based prototype coupé at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show which came to be called the 250 GT Boano. Intended as a styling exercise and inspiration to 250 GT Europa customers, the car generated demand that soon called for a production series.
Unable to meet the demand without expansion, Pinin Farina asked Mario Boano, formerly of Ghia, to handle the construction. When Fiat later recruited Boano, he handed production duties to his son-in-law Ezio Ellena. With partner Luciano Pollo, Carrozzeria Ellena would produce the 250 GT for another few years. Ellena revised the car, raising the roof and removing the vent windows from the doors. These examples became known as the 250 GT Ellena.
Carrozzeria Boano built 74 250 GTs on the long-wheelbase chassis. Carrozzeria Ellena built another 50 Coupés.
All but one were coupés. The single convertible, 0461 GT, was sold to New York collector Bob Lee off the stand at the 1956 New York Auto Show. At the direction of Enzo Ferrari, Lee bought the car for $9,500, far below cost. He still owns it, making it one of the oldest Ferraris still in the hands of the original purchaser.
250 GT Pinin Farina Coupé Speciale
Four examples of the 250 GT Coupé Speciale were made, on the type 513 chassis. (Although chassis numbers were in the middle of the Boano 250 GT Coupé run they did not share the same chassis type). They had Series I 410 Superamerica-style bodies and type 128, 3.0 V12 engines.
250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France"
The original 250 GT Berlinetta, nicknamed the "Long Wheelbase Berlinetta", was also called the "Tour de France" after competing in the 10-day Tour de France automobile race. Seventy-seven Tour de France cars were built,[13] of which a number were sold for GT races from 1956 through 1959. Construction was handled by Carrozzeria Scaglietti based on a Pinin Farina design. The engine began at 240 PS but eventually rose to 260 PS.
At the 1956 Geneva Motor Show, Scaglietti displayed their own 250 GT prototype, which became known as the limited-production, Series I, "no-louvre" 250 GT Berlinetta. The first customer car was built in May 1956, with production now the responsibility of Scaglietti in Modena. Fourteen "no-louvre" and nine "14-louvre" Series I and II Berlinettas were made.
There were four series of 250 GT Berlinettas. In mid-1957 the Series III cars were introduced, with three louvres and covered headlights. Eighteen were produced. The 36 Series IV cars retained the covered headlights and had a single vent louvre. Zagato also made five "no-louvre" superlight cars to Ugo Zagato's design.[14]
A 250 GT Berlinetta won Tour de France Automobile three times in 1956, 1957 and 1958.
250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I
Released at the Geneva Motor Show in 1957, the original 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series I used the 2600 mm wheelbase and the body was styled differently from the Berlinetta.
About 36 examples were produced before a second series was shown at Paris in 1959. These later cars had more in common with the production Berlinetta.
About 200 of the Series II cars were built.
Motor Trend Classic placed the 250 GT Series I Cabriolet and Coupé ninth on their list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
250 GT California Spyder LWB
Designed for export to North America, the 1957 250 GT California Spyder was Scaglietti's interpretation of an open-top 250 GT. Aluminium was used for the hood, doors, and trunk lid, with steel elsewhere for most models. Several aluminium-bodied racing versions were also built. The engine was the same as in the 250 Tour de France racing car with up to 240 PS at 7000 rpm and a maximum torque of 265 Nm at 5000 rpm, from a 2953 cc naturally aspirated SOHC 2 valves per cylinder 60º Ferrari Colombo V12 engine, equipped with 3 Weber carburetors.[15][16] All used the long 2600 mm chassis.
A total of fifty LWBs were made before the SWB version superseded them in 1960. One example sold at auction on August 18, 2007, in Monterey, California, for $4.9 million.
250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina
Needing series production to stabilise his company's finances, Enzo Ferrari asked Pinin Farina to design a simple and classic 250 GT coupé. After the 250 GT Coupé Boano/Ellena, Pinin Farina's Grugliasco plant expanded and now had the capacity to produce the new 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina. It was introduced at Milan in 1958, and 335 near-identical examples were built by 1960. Buyers included Prince Bertil of Sweden. The GT Coupé eschewed the fender vents for simple, clean lines and a notchback look with panoramic rear window. The oval grille was replaced by a more traditional long narrow look with protruding headlights. Telescopic shock absorbers were also fitted instead of the Houdailles on previous 250s, and disc brakes were added in 1960. The final 250 GT Coupé had a Superfast tail and was shown at the 1961 London Motor Show.
250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Series II
In line with the high-volume coupé, Pinin Farina also designed a plainer 250 GT Cabriolet for series production. Introduced at the 1959 Paris Motor Show, the GT Cabriolet sported a look similar to the GT Coupé of the previous year, including the removal of the side vents. On the Coupé the headlights were uncovered. About 212 were produced.
250 GT Berlinetta "Interim"
In 1959, seven 250 GT "Interim" LWB Berlinettas were made. They utilised the old long-wheelbase chassis and had the new Pinin Farina bodywork of the upcoming SWB Berlinettas. The bodies are all-aluminium. Interim vehicles have an additional rear quarter window, absent from the succeeding "Passo Corto" Berlinettas. The Interim vehicles are serial numbers 1377GT, 1461GT, 1465GT, 1509GT, 1519GT, 1521GT and 1523GT. 'Interim' Berlinetta won 1959 Tour de France Automobile, thus continuing Ferrari's dominance.
250 GT Berlinetta SWB
One of the most notable GT racers of its time, the 1959 250 GT Berlinetta SWB used a short (2400 mm) wheelbase for better handling. It was this car type that on 17 June 1960 received FIA homologation Nr. 22[17] for Group GT just in time for the 25 June 1960 Le Mans.
Of the 176 examples built, both steel and aluminium bodies were used in various road ("lusso") and racing trims. Engine output ranged from 240 PS to 280 PS.
Development of the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was handled by Giotto Bizzarrini, Carlo Chiti, and young Mauro Forghieri, the same team that later produced the 250 GTO. Disc brakes were a first on a Ferrari GT, and the combination of low weight, high power, and well-sorted suspension made it competitive. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October and quickly began selling and racing. The SWB Berlinetta won Ferrari the GT class of the 1961 Constructor's Championship. Also won 1960, 1961 and 1962 Tour de France Automobile before giving ground to the GTO's.
In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GT SWB seventh on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s, and Motor Trend Classic placed it fifth on a list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
250 GT California Spyder SWB
In 1959, Ferrari gave the 250 GT Berlinetta sharper handling, reducing its wheelbase (Short Wheelbase, or SWB) from 2,600 mm to 2,400 mm. In 1960, Scaglietti unveiled the 250 GT California Spyder SWB at the Geneva Motor Show, its body pulled more tautly over this updated chassis. Like the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB on which it was based, the revised Spyder also received disc brakes and a 280 PS version of the three-litre V12. About 55 were built.
The switch to the 2400 mm chassis of the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB lowered the body by 30 mm, but an easier way to tell the "passo lungo" (LWB) version from the "passo corto" (SWB) version of the California Spyder is to look at the hood scoop and the vents on sides of the front bumpers. The hood scoop is much lower on the SWB version.[18]
A custom-built fibreglass-bodied replica of a 1961–1963 250 GT California Spyder, was featured in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Three 1985 Modena Spyders (two running and one shell for destruction) were built on custom frames for the film by Modena Design & Development.[19] One of the running models was sold back to Modena for restoration and in April 2018 became the 22nd vehicle added to the National Historic Vehicle Register.[20]
250 GT/E
The LWB 250 GT theme was expanded with the 2+2 model 250 GT/E, the first large-production four-seat Ferrari (earlier four-seaters were made in very small numbers). Interior space was increased by moving the engine forward in the chassis. The rear seats were suitable for children but small for adults. The standard wheels used on series 1 were the Borrani RW3591, the series 2 and 3 were fitted with the Borrani RW3690 as a standard.[26]
Engine output was listed at 240 PS. A GTE was famously donated to the Rome Police department, to celebrate their work against the Mafia. It was crashed almost immediately and replaced and served until 1968, with drivers receiving training at Maranello.[27] The Series 2 arrived in 1961 and received additional gauges and some other interior changes including a revised ventilation system. The Series 3 model appeared at Geneva in 1963 (production having started towards the end of 1962) and received external changes: the headlight bezels were thicker, the auxiliary lights were moved outboard of the grille, and the multi-lens tail lights were changed for single-piece units. The rear bumpers were also lightly reshaped.[27]
955 GT/Es were constructed by Pinin Farina with the initial prototypes built in 1959. The car was formally introduced at the October 1960 Paris Motor Show, with production continuing until 1963 over three series.
250 GT Berlinetta Lusso
Pininfarina updated the 250 GT with the GT Lusso or GTL. Introduced at the 1962 Paris Motor Show, the car had flowing lines and a fastback shape typical of the GT cars of the mid-1960s. The engine was the 250 GTO's Tipo 168 with 240 PS and three Weber 36DCS carburettors.
Built by Scaglietti, the Lusso continued through 1964 with few modifications.
Rock star Eric Clapton owned one, and an example that had been owned by Steve McQueen sold at auction for $2.3 million on 16 August 2007.[28]
In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GT Lusso tenth on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. Steve Boone, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group Lovin' Spoonful owned chassis number #4237, which was stolen from a repair shop in Queens, New York and never found.
