1959-1964 Ferrari 250 GT

Short-Wheelbase

Having reaped great rewards with the roadgoing 250 GT, Ferrari decided to expand on it by contracting it. Thus, the Paris Salon in October 1959 brought a new short-chassis cousin to the so-called "interim" 250 GT berlinetta introduced earlier that year. Designed by Pinin Farina and built by Scaglietti, both were "race-and-ride" two-seaters with the same new rounded contours and tautly drawn body lines. But h 5.7 fewer inches between wheel renters, the shorhe looked more integrated and more aggressive.

Now generally known as the 250 GT SWB (short wheelbase), this tighter, lighter was even better suited for racing. This explains why even the standard steel bodies played aluminum for doors, hood, and trunklid. Some all-aluminum bodies were built for the serious competitor. Still, all SWBs bore odd serial numbers, ignating a "touring" Ferrari. Like LWB 250 GTs, the new SWB used the Colombo-designed V-12, albeit newly dified with spark plugs relocated to the outside of the heads, plus coil instead of rpin-type valve springs. Though minor, these and other changes added 20 sepower for a total of 280 bhp at 7000 rpm. Adding to the competitive character his more compact berlinetta was a choice of six axle ratios: from a relatively long .iing 3.44:1 to the proverbial 4.57:1 stump-puller. By this time, Ferrari seemed to "own" the Tour de France. It won the gruelling around the perimeter of France in 1951 and finished runner-up in 1952-53, then pi home 1-2-3 in each year from 1956 to 1960 and took the first four places in I-an unprecedented showing achieved entirely with both long- and short wheelbase 250 GT berlinettas.

Perhaps inevitably, the new SWB coupe prompted a companion Spyder California. It appeared in 1960 to replace the previous long-chassis Spyder, which it closely resembled. (By contrast, the SWB Berlinetta bore little resemblance to its long-wheelbase predecessors.) Though production ran from May of that year through February 1963, only 57 were built, again by Scaglieth.

Visual differences between the long- and short-wheelbase Spyders are minimal but Worth noting. Front-fender air outlets had three vertical bars on the former, two on the later, though a few of each model had no outlets at all. SWB Spyders had a horizontal ridge or "shelf" connecting the taillights just below the trunklid; LWBs didn't. Both models sported vertically sited headlamps nestled in scooped-out front fenders, with clear plastic covers conforming to fender shape.

The Spyder California was advertised as a car that could be "driven in normal Daily use, or raced." Not surprisingly for Ferraris, a few long- and short-chassis examples enjoyed moderate success on the track. But most Spyders were bought by image-conscious types who liked the aura of a semi-compedtion machine. For them, racing the car was less important than the fact that they could race it if they wanted to. The final member of the roadgoing 250 GT clan appeared in late 1962, again at The Paris Show, to succeed the SWB berlinetta. Pininfarina (both the man and his company had changed their name to one word the previous year) and Ferrari presented it as the 250 GT/L, but it's now generally known as the Berlinetta Lusso (for "luxury")-and widely regarded as one of the loveliest cars ever created. Its frontal styling recalled that of the SWB, and the smartly chopped Kamm-style tail echoed that of the fabulous 250 GTO competition coupe, but the flowing fastback shap and thin-pillar roofline were new-and timeless. More than 25 years later, the Lusso still draws envious, enthusiastic glances.

Body construction was again entrusted to Scaglieth, virtually a Ferrari subsidiary by now. As with the roadgoing SWB coupe, the Lusso's hood, doors, and trunklid Were aluminium, the rest of the structure, steel. Interior design also departed from Past Ferrari practice, with a large speedometer and tachometer mounted in the center of the dash and five auxiliary gauges placed directly ahead of the steering wheel. The Lusso provided a beautiful and memorable conclusion to the 250 GT series, Whos total production over 10 years came to some 2500 units, including prototypes And competition models. And that's remarkable, considering that all were high-priced, High performance thoroughbreds. They still are, of course, which is why most 250s command six-figure prices. If No always easy to recognise, excellence is invariably coveted and thus never cheap.