The 1959-60 Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta
Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 250 Grand Touring Sport Coupe
Before the Berlinetta or Sport Coupe, is the Ferrari 250 GTO. What made the GTOs strong were the record braking V12 GT racing engines. GTO, or Gran Turismo Omologato, translated from Italian, meaning Grand Touring Homologated, and homologated is Official Agreement. 250 is the measurement of cubic centimeters inside each cylinder.
Mark A Cella’s Official Agreement is the Car is for Pure Racing
The SWB was built from 1953 to 1964 and really put Ferrari in the limelight. It became Ferrari’s most successful car line of that time. It was their first all wheel disc brake vehicle. One model was their first four seater. Its V12 engine weighed about half as much as the competition’s. The higher tuned ones hammered up to 280bhp at 7,000 rpm. They had a four speed manual tranny, all of which exploded the car to more victories then I can list, here’s just a few:
1960 Le Mans 24 hr race, it took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, while Chevy and Aston Martin were far behind. It won three repeat 5500 km Tour de Frances, while taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 1960 event. That season driver Sterling Moss lapped the entire field at Goodwood to take the second consecutive win. SWB won all over in England, Monza Italy, Spa, Nurbrgring, and Monthlery.
Weighing only 2,314 pounds gives the Ferraris 250 SWB Competizione a great power to weight ratio. Maximum speed was a little over 150 mph, and 0-60 was 6.2. Excellent numbers for 1960’s.
Mark A Cella Votes it One of the Greatest Ferraris Ever
Enthusiasts envied the fact that owners of this car could show up, unpack and race in the same unmodified car, occasionally changing tires. The only thing necessary was to paste on numbers. The competition models were lighter and had 30-40 more horsepower, regardless of which one you were in other manufacturers didn’t stand a chance.
Motor Trend gave the 250 SWB the ranking of 5th out of ten of the Greatest Ferraris of all time. Sports Car International rated it 7th Top Sports Car of the 1960’s. Mark Cella rates it his first place 1960’s era Muscle Car, followed by the 1967 Corvette Sting Ray and 1968 Chevy Camaro.
Learn more about Mark A Cella. Stop by Mark Cella’s site where you can find out all about Mark A Cella and his work.
categories: ferrari 250 swb berlinetta,ferrari,exotic cars,sports cars,automobiles
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