Often mistakenly related to the iconic Ferrari 250 GTO, the "Breadvan" is, in fact, a heavily modified 250 GT SWB. But that didn't stop it from becoming one of the most legendary and expensive Ferraris out there. And it's one of the very few classic Ferrari race cars that hit the track regularly.
Despite its market value of more than $30 million, the "Breadvan" has been consistently raced over the last few years. And I'm not talking about parade laps. The custom 250 GT SWB was manhandled like it's the 1960s at nearly every event it was part of. And perhaps not surprisingly, it was involved in quite a few crashes.
The "Breadvan" suffered one of its worst collisions at the 2022 Le Mans Classic. The Ferrari crashed into a tire wall and left the event with extensive damage to its right side and rear fascia. The outcome left people wondering whether the car will ever return to the race track.
Well, the owner didn't waste any time and fully repaired the "Breadvan," bringing it back into action at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed. A few weeks later, the Ferrari made its second appearance for the year at the Dix Mille Tours at Circuit Paul Ricard. And as you can see in the footage below, the "Breadvan" looks spotless, and the owner is yet again racing it like there's no tomorrow.
What a gorgeous sight and what a fantastic exhaust symphony!
The "Breadvan" was born in 1962 from a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB reshaped by Giotto Bizzarrini. The project was commissioned by Count Giovanni Volpi after Enzo Ferrari refused to sell him a 250 GTO. That's because Volpi sponsored Automobili Turismo e Sport, a racing team founded by former Ferrari employees who left the company during the "great walkout" of October 1961.
Unable to buy and race a GTO, Volpi asked Bizzarrini to turn a 250 GT into a race car that would be competitive against Ferrari's then-new rig. Bizzarrini, who had worked on the 250 GTO, teamed with body specialist Piero Drogo and created an aerodynamically advanced shell with a longer roof and a Kammback-style rear end.
The car ended up looking like a shooting brake and was nicknamed "La Camionnette" by French journalists and the "Breadvan" by the English media. Bizzarrini also moved the engine further back and upgraded the carburetors of the already modified V12 engine. The "Breadvan" left the shop 65 kg (143 pounds) lighter than the 250 GTO.
The rebodied Ferrari made its track debut at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans. The "Breadvan" passed all the GTOs and went as high as seventh overall before a driveshaft failure sent it into retirement. The car scored class wins at Brands Hatch and Ollon-Villars by the end of the year, proving the effectiveness of the design.
The "Breadvan" inspired Alfa Romeo to build the Giulia TZ for the 1963 racing season and prompted two more privateers to commission similar Ferrari modifications from Bizzarrini.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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