FERRARI 250 GT 1954-1963 Photos, engines & full specs

The Ferrari 250 GT Coupe was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1954. It was the first attempt of the Italian manufacturer to build a car for the normal motorist.

The bodywork was built in the Pininfarina workshop, but soon the shop was unable to keep up with the demand. The Boano coachbuilder came along and helped with manufacturing the bodies. They produced around 80 units in one year. The overall shape was very similar to the Ferrari Europa GT and only a trained eye would notice the differences. The main difference was the shorter distance between the front wheel arch and the A-pillar. Some racing versions were built with aluminum bodywork, but usually, the road-going versions (named Lusso) had only the doors, trunk lid and the hood made out of aluminum.

Inside, there was room for two passengers. Some were fitted with a rear bench with upholstery, but that was just for the insurance companies and tax reductions since the four-passenger vehicles had a deduction in some countries. But it was just an upholstered, inside, luggage platform.

The chassis was made from two main longitudinal tubes with cross bracing and supports for the bodywork. It had front independent suspension and a rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and hydraulic shocks.

The most important evolution over the Europa was under the hood, where the older, long-block, Lamperdi engine was replaced by the short-block Colombo unit. That modification allowed a shorter wheelbase compared to the Europa. And that is why the distance between the front wheel arch and the A-pillar was shorter.