Arguably the most collectible series of vehicles produced by the Prancing Horse of Maranello, the 250 is revered by everyone and their dog nowadays. The GTO and Testa Rossa are some of the most desirable cars of the lot, although even the GTE fetches plenty of money at auction.
Just over 950 units were delivered through 1963, which makes the GTE more popular than every other 250 ever made. The first series-production Ferrari with 2+2 seating was originally listed with 237 horsepower from a 3.0-liter V12 that flaunts 250 cc per cylinder, hence the 250 nomenclature.
Current values for the 250 GTE exceed $350,000 for a good car and $450,000 for a concours-like survivor. Chassis number 2573, however, is rocking a $100,000 bid on Bring a Trailer at the moment of reporting because the Colombo 12-cylinder engine was yanked out in favor of a V8 lump.
Acquired by the current owner’s brother in 2005 in the guise of a modified project, the Fezza sports an LT1 small-block engine from 1995, a 350 with multi-port fuel injection. The LT1 in the fourth-gen Corvette was rated at 300 horsepower and anything between 330 and 340 pound-feet (447 to 461 Nm), which makes the 5.7-liter V8 more powerful than the original V12.
A five-speed manual transmission sends the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to the Ferrari rear axle through a custom-fabricated driveshaft. Back in 2014, when the restomod was finished, the axle seals were replaced for extra peace of mind. A fuel cell and the 12-volt battery are located in the trunk, whereas the interior is dominated by the wood-rimmed three-spoke steering wheel.
The six-digit odometer shows a little over 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers), which is nothing for the Chevy-designed powerplant, although true mileage remains unknown. Matching gauges were fitted in the central part of the dashboard, monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, and the voltage.
As much as the purists will hate on this car, there’s no denying that we’re dealing with a built-not-bought labor of love that would make a great daily driver, two things that cannot be said about most other Ferraris out there.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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