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250 GTO
Of all the Ferraris to date, the 250
GTO has received the most acclaim.
It was unlike many other Ferraris
because it was not designed by a
specific design house or individual:
Giotto Bizzarrini was the chief
engineer and he worked alongside
Sergio Scaglietti, who developed
the body, perfecting its design
through wind tunnel and on-track
testing. By installing the 3.0L
V12 engine of the 250 GT SWB
into the chassis of the 250 Testa
Rossa, Ferrari had developed the
250 GTO: the ultimate car designed
for GT racing that boasted both
performance and styling. The shape
of the aluminum body changed
very little during production, with
the exception of a one-off example
sporting 330 LM Berlinetta styling.
The final three cars of the series
received a Pininfarina and Scaglietti
collaborated body similar to the
250 LM sports racing car.
According to FIA regulations, a
minimum of 100 examples of the
car had to be built in order for it
to be approved for Group 3 Grand
Touring Car racing, however only
39 cars were ever produced. To
bypass the regulations, Ferrari
numbered the chassis at random.
This out-of-sequence numbering
gave the illusion that more cars
had been produced. The 250
GTO made its racing debut at 12
Hours of Sebring and finished in
second place. It went on to win
the over 2000 cc class of the FIA’s
International Championship for GT
Manufacturers in 1962, 1963, and
1964, and was one of the last front-
engined cars to remain competitive
at the top level of sports car racing.
This dual-purpose car was at ease
on the track and on the road,
and only an elite selection of the
Produced
1962-1964
Engine Size
2953 cc
Cylinders
12
0-60 mph
5.4 secs
Top Speed
174 mph
Power Output
302 bhp
Transmission
Manual
Gears
5 Speed
Length
170. 3 in (4325 mm)
Width
63 in (1600 mm)
Height
47.6 in (1210 mm)
Weight
1940 lb (880 kg) dry
Wheelbase
94.5 in (2400 mm)
(Specifications refer to the 250 GTO
base model)
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