Cars with History: Ferrari 250 GTO

Ferrari 250 GTO, a legend not only in Ferrari‘s own history, but already in the history of motorsport. So much so that when you ask true fans of the Italian brand, everyone has serious doubts about which car is the marque’s second great model. Some would undoubtedly point to the 250 Testarossa of 1958, others perhaps to the 330 P4 of 1967, someone would surely mention the 365 GTB/4 Daytona from 1968, and the more contemporary might speak of the Ferrari F50 of 1995. But what they all agree on is that the greatest of all, and the one that would take first place, is the 250 Gran Turismo Omologato, the 250 GTO of 1962.

Specifically, the story of this legendary supercar begins in 1961, when the FIA announced that for the 1962 season only vehicles belonging to the Gran Turismo category could enter. This was a hard blow above all for Ferrari, and one through which the International Federation wanted to end the supremacy of the Italian prototypes that had won the championship from 1953 to 1961.

In this way, the Federation devised a rule requiring participating cars to be fully road-legal vehicles of which the manufacturer had to have produced at least 100 units, something that did not sit well with Enzo Ferrari, especially the part about having to build 100 new vehicles in less than a year.

Because of this, the ingenious and, above all, skilled at “getting around” the regulations, manager and founder of Ferrari decided to base his new grand tourer on the successful Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, a vehicle he profoundly modified to create the beast that would ultimately become the most coveted car in Ferrari’s history.

At this point we must talk about Giotto Bizzarrini, the engineer in charge of developing the new Gran Turismo, who in the spring of 1961 began the first tests of a new next-generation engine mounted on a 2643 GT chassis belonging to the 250 GT SWB series, to which a body as light as possible, designed and built by Pininfarina itself and reminiscent of the 400 SuperAmerica, was fitted. This did not fully convince Bizzarrini, who had a different idea about the appearance of this new supercar.

This aluminium body was crafted entirely by hand in the Italian marque’s workshops at Scaglietti. It was the first time in Ferrari’s history that certain aerodynamic criteria had been considered, such as a very low and sharp nose, or a rear inspired by the models Zagato was presenting at the time: a “chopped” tail whose upper part ended in a kind of spoiler, with which it was demonstrated that greater aerodynamic downforce on the rear axle at high speed could be achieved. With this configuration the car reached, for the first time in history, the formidable figure of 280 km/h on the Le Mans straight.

Thanks to all these changes, the final appearance of this model had practically nothing in common with the 250 GT SWB on which it was based. This finally pleased Bizzarrini, who from then on set about trying to fit the 60-degree V12 of 2953 cc Carlo Chitti had developed as far back as he could.

Mechanically, Carlo Chitti’s work basically consisted of fitting the same engine that until then powered the 250 GT SWB, but with certain changes such as new camshafts, exhaust manifolds, valves and even six double-barrel Webber carburettors to feed this legendary beast.

Thanks to these changes, Chitti obtained an enormous V12 block capable of producing 300 horsepower at 7500 rpm, which to breathe needed the typical three half-moon intakes that proudly adorn the nose of the few 250 GTOs still around. To expel hot air, two side vents were designed into the front fenders, which in later versions became three.

With all this, Ferrari now had its new beast created and ready to outshine all its rivals. Unfortunately, one last hurdle remained: the FIA had not yet homologated the car for competition, since the model still lacked certain elements such as a speedometer or glass windows; apart from the front windscreen, all the others were plastic.

On the other hand, there was Enzo Ferrari’s refusal to build 100 units of this model, since for him it was simply a competition vehicle and nothing more. Because of this, Ferrari argued that the presented vehicle was basically an evolution of the 250 GT SWB, which was already homologated in GT. In the end, Enzo Ferrari got his way and obtained the homologation he so desired.

After homologation, Ferrari set about presenting its new vehicle, which curiously they wanted to name the 250 GT Berlinetta. Unfortunately for them, the press invitation spoke of a “Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo omologata“, which a few interpreted as Ferrari GTO. This spread like wildfire from newsroom to newsroom, to the point that Ferrari finally had to accept the new name. After this, it was time to debut in competition, specifically in 1962 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where it finished second behind a Ferrari prototype (prototypes were not permitted to score points, although they could still race).

In this way, race after race Ferrari made a splash, because the new GTO won practically every competition it entered, so that by the end of the competitive year the marque, as expected, had once again taken the title, leaving the FIA looking foolish once more.

In 1963 a second season began, in which the Jaguar and Aston Martin of the previous year were joined by legendary vehicles such as the American Shelby Cobra, which unfortunately again saw this Ferrari GTO triumph in every race it entered. Inevitably, another championship was heading to Maranello.

We come to 1964, the beginning of the end for the GTO, a year in which Ferrari decided to update its fabulous vehicle without touching elements such as the chassis or engine, updating systems such as braking, suspension and, above all, the wheels, much wider in this new version. We say the beginning of the end because, although the GTO had undergone improvements and managed to win the GT championship again in 1965, prototypes were scoring points once more, so Ferrari decided to refocus on this type of vehicle, leaving aside this piece of rolling history.

And so ends the story of a unique vehicle that won three world titles in the Gran Turismo category in three consecutive years with few modifications. Of this vehicle, Ferrari ultimately built 36 first-generation GTOs and only 3 of the second. Even so, it is known that at least 4 first-generation GTOs were rebuilt in 1964 to the new specifications.

Without further ado, here is a huge gallery of high-resolution photos, as a vehicle of this category, this Ferrari 250 GTO, deserves. As you can see in the photos, not all GTOs were red, and that is because many units belonged to private teams who logically ordered them from the factory painted in certain colours.

Photos: conceptcarz