Imagine a car engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini with a body handcrafted by Sergio Scaglietti, topped off with the best badge in the business. With such a combination, the success of the Ferrari 250 GTO was never in contention. Built to race in the FIA’s Group 3 GT category, Ferrari only produced 39 250 GTOs, much less than the 100 required for homologation. Ferrari were able to deceive the FIA by skipping chassis numbers, creating the allusion that the full 100 cars were produced. Powered by Bizzarrini’s howling 3-litre V12 linked to a
5-speed manual gearbox, such a pairing resulted in possibly the greatest front engined driving experience ever, spectacular enough to propel the 250 GTO to win the World Sportscar Championship 3 times, the Tour De France Automobile in 1964, win first in class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1962 and to become the most expensive car sold ever sold, one currently on the market for £45 million.
Whilst each GTO famously slightly differs (for example, some were upholstered in cloth whilst the others in quilted leather) the overall shape of the GTO stayed uniform until the 1964 update. The Series II body draws a clear lineage between it and its successor, the mid engined 250 LM, especially when comparing the Kamm tail and rear window. A design accentuated by Borrani wire wheels and the GTO’s signature triple vents, the fact only 3 Series II GTO’s were built hasn’t stopped many praising it as one of the prettiest cars ever made.
Ferrari 250 GTO
Main image credit:
wallpaperup.com/
#Ferrari #Group3 #Scaglietti #Bizzarrini #Italian #Homologation
