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The Ferrari 250 GTO is considered by many to be the greatest Prancing Horse ever made – and that’s quite a claim.
In the 60’s, the GTO beat everything in the world for about three years straight, which is an astonishing accomplishment considering the other legendary marques that were racing at the time.
In its racing debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962, American Phil Hill and Belgian Olivier Gendebien placed second overall in the 250 GTO, with only a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sports racing car ahead of them. This was the beginning of the 250 GTO’s racing success, which included winning the FIA International Championship for GT Manufacturers for 3 consecutive years, from 1962 to 1964. Other 250 GTO wins included the Tour de France in 1963 and 1964; the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood in 1962 and 1963; the Nürburgring 1000 kilometers in 1963 and 1964; class wins in the Targa Florio in 1962, 1963 and 1964; and category wins at Le Mans in 1962 and 1963. Talk about a record!
The GTO was based on the 250 GT SWB chassis, and started out as an experimental test car in 1961. Enzo Ferrari had put engineer Giotto Bizzarrini in charge of developing the GTO, who then lightened and reinforced the chassis of the SWB and moved the engine behind the front axle for improved weight distribution. However Giotto left the company the same year, and Mauro Forghieri, as well as coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, were assigned to complete the 250 GTO. They enhanced the 2,953cc V12 engine, fitting Testa Rossa heads, larger valves and six double-barrel Weber carburetors, increasing the horsepower to 300bhp and replacing the SWB’s four-speed transmission with a five-speed all syncromesh gearbox. The interior was extremely basic, to keep the weight of the car as low as possible, with no soundproofing and no speedometer even in the instrument panel.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of this renowned model, more than 20 Ferrari 250 GTO’s will be on display in August at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Only 36 of these magnificent cars were originally produced, and today some of them carry a price tag of over $30 million (135 crores). But, really, they’re priceless! |
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