GT cars
The 250 design was extremely successful on the race course as well as the street. A number of GT models were built in varying states of road or racing trim.250 Europa GT
The first street car to use Colombo's 250 V12 was the 250 Europa GT, introduced at the 1954 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina's sober Paris coupe was just one of many shapes for the 250 GT line, with coachbuilt production extending through 1956 before the 250 line became more of a standardized product. The original 250 Europa GT used a 2,600 mm (102.4 in) wheelbase on a conventional chassis. The dry sump V12 was tuned to 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp), with three Weber 36DCZ3 carburettors. Aping the Vignale's 250 Europa, Pinin Farina added now-familiar vents to the front fenders, a standard styling feature for many of the 250 GTs that followed.250 GT Boano and Ellena
Unable to meet demand due to much needed expansion, Pinin Farina asked Mario Boano, formerly of Ghia, to handle the construction. When Fiat recruited Boano, he handed production duties to his son-in-law Ezio Ellena. With partner Luciano Pollo, Carrozzeria Ellena would produce the 250 GT for another few years. Ellena revised the car, raising the roof and removing the vent windows from the doors. Those cars became known as 250 GT Ellena
Carrozzeria Boano built 74 250 GTs on the long wheelbase chassis. Carrozeria Ellena built another 50 Coupes.
All but one were coupes. The single convertible, 0461 GT, was sold to New York collector, Bob Lee, off the stand at the 1956 New York Auto Show. At the direction of Enzo Ferrari, Lee bought the car for $9,500-far below cost. He still owns it, making it one of the oldest Ferraris still in the hands of the original purchaser.
250 GT Berlinetta "Tour de France
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A one-off short wheelbase Tour de France was built for the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. This car, called the 250 GT Interim, would foreshadow the 2,400 mm (94.5 in) SWB cars of 1959. The 250 GT Interim is currently owned by Lulu Wang.[4]
Scaglietti appeared at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show with their own 250 GT prototype, which became known as the limited production, Series I, “14-louvre” 250 GT Berlinetta. The first production car was built in November 1956, and production was now the responsibility of Scaglietti in Modena.
There were five series of 250 GT Berlinettas in all. From mid-1957, the Series II cars were introduced, with three louvers and covered headlights. Just 15 were produced. Series III numbered 36 cars; these retained the covered headlights but had just a single vent louver. In 1959, eight single-louver cars were built with open headlights, a new Italian requirement. Zagato also made five superlight cars.[5]
250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina Series I
About 36 examples were produced before a second series was shown at Paris in 1959. These later cars had much more in common with the production Berlinetta.
About 200 of the series two cars were built.
Motor Trend Classic placed the 250 GT Series I Cabriolet and Coupe ninth on their list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
250 GT California Spyder LWB
Only 50 were ever made before it was replaced by the SWB version in 1960. It remains highly valuable for automotive collection, one example auctioned on August 18, 2007 at Monterey, California for $4.9 million. In May 2008, English broadcaster Chris Evans, set a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction when he paid $10,894,400 for a Spyder. The car, which was the 13th to be made, was once owned by Hollywood star James Coburn.[6][7]
250 GT Coupe Pininfarina
250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina Series II
In line with the high-volume coupe, Pinin Farina also designed a plainer 250 GT Cabriolet for series production. Introduced at the 1959 Paris Motor Show, the GT Spider sported a look similar to the GT Coupe of the previous year, including the removal of the side vents. About 212 were produced.250 GT Berlinetta SWB
Development of the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta was handled by Giotto Bizzarrini, Carlo Chiti, and young Mauro Forghieri, the same team that later produced the 250 GTO. Disc brakes were a first in a Ferrari GT, and the combination of low weight, high power, and well-sorted suspension made it a competitive offering. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October and quickly began selling and racing. The SWB Berlinetta claimed GT class of the Constructor's Championship for Ferrari in 1961.
In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GT SWB seventh on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. Motor Trend Classic placed the 250 SWB fifth on a list of the ten "Greatest Ferraris of all time".
250 GT Spider California SWB
A fiberglass-bodied replica of a 1961 250 GT Spider California, based on an MG, was featured in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.[8]
A record price for a 250 GT at auction was set on May 18, 2008 when a black 1961 SWB example that had been owned by James Coburn was sold for £5.5 million. The buyer was the radio DJ, Chris Evans.[9][10][11][12]
250 GT/E
Engine output was listed at 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp).
Almost 1,000 GT/Es were constructed by Pininfarina with prototypes starting in 1959 and continuing through three series until 1963. The model was followed by the visually similar 330 Americas.
The large production run of the GT/E was a major contributor to the financial well being of Ferrari in the early 1960s. MSRP of the GT/E was $11,500.
A 250 GT/E can be seen in The Wrong Arm of the Law, a film starring Peter Sellers.
250 GT Lusso
Main article: Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Scaglietti handled construction of the Lusso which lasted through 1964 with few modifications.
Rock star Eric Clapton owned one, and an example that had been owned by Steve McQueen was sold at auction for $2.3 million on 16 August 2007.[13]
A replica of the 250 GT Lusso "...owned by Steve McQueen..."[citation needed] was featured in the 2011 film Tower Heist.
In 2004, Sports Car International placed the 250 GT Lusso tenth on a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. Steve Boone, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the group the Lovin' Spoonful owned one that was stolen from a repair shop in Queens, New York and never found, #4237.
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