FERRARI 250 GT Granturismo Pinin Farina  

1959

(please click on the picture to enlarge)

This model was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1958, and was built around the famous V12 "Colombo" 250 engine. There are two series of the Pinin Farina 2-seater - 1958/59, then 59/60 -, the second one benefitting from important improvements directly inherited from competition cars (Testa Rossa, Tour de France), in particular the helicoidal valves springs allowing higher rev levels, double distributor, and brakes discs.

We see it on the picture below, both in version Spider and Coupé, surrounding the Berlinette SWB. Same engine, short chassis for the SWB, and 20 cm longer for the PF Coupé, - actually the same as the "Tour de France" that won so many race victories (actually more than the GTO and the SWB...). This generation of Ferrari 250 two-seaters represents an absolute pinacle in Ferrari's history.

Among the innumerable victories of 250 Ferraris, let's just quote the two first positions won by the 250 TR in Le Mans in 1960 (the 250 SWB taking the 4, 5, 6 and 7th positions)... Then in 1961, Ferraris equipped with the same engine won the first three positions in Le Mans, and in 64... the first four positions ! We could also quote the 5 victories in Sebring, 6  in Monza, the 3 consecutive "1-2-3s" (!) in the "Tour de France", the titles of World Champion for Sport and GT... the list of the 250 engine triumphs is superior to any other engine in Automobile history...

This helps to understand why Ferrari 250 was then, by far, the absolute best in sports cars with no competitors anywhere. No other engine in the world could ever equal nor get close to  the world domination of the 250 "Colombo" Ferraris.

The line of the 250 PininFarina Coupé is due to the talent of Battista Pinin Farina. It is contemporary to the legendary Spyder California and to the Berlinette 250 GT Competition (of which this Coupé is the road version, with a slightly "detuned" engine ). The most beautiful specimens of this model are exposed in reference in prestigious Car museums (below in the Chrysler Museum, collection Wade Fuller).

Lower and much more elegant than the 250 GT Boano, the PininFarina Coupe's esthetics is close to the perfection, with its thin windshield pillars and its short and light cockpit, its general shape of elegant "cigar" which signs the cars of which one dreams. It is still on eof the most beautiful car ever made, even by today standrads. But the most important feature is that this two-seater Coupé is powered by the legendary all-alloy V12 Colombo 3-liter engine.

The car offered for sale

This car is presented to the attention of expert customers and collectors. We have acquired this specimen, selected among many others which were not retained, either because their history was not satisfactory, or because their condition was not as excellent.

Finished in rosso corsa and black upholstery, the car has been registered for the first time in September 1959. As A series 2, it has the technical improvements of this version: standard engine 128F (ultimate technical evolution of the 250 breed with in particular the new cylinder heads resulting from the experiment competition of the 250 Tested Rossa) with the sparkplugs placed outside V, the two distributors, helicoid springs of valves. The four brakes are with discs on this version, to replace the drums on the first series.

Regarding its overall condition, let's start by saying that it has been admired in several Classic Car shows and meetings, and driven though a two thousand-plus  kilometers regularity competition, without the least mechanical trouble.  

We will not use the term "concours condition" because it is a car that is frequently used, and is not a museum car that you could be afraid to drive. On the contrary, the owner can freely run the engine high in the revs, and take the car to its full potential - a very extreme pleasure for amateurs. At the wheel of this car, the driver can feel the same sensations as the most famous racing drivers with the race-tuned Berlinetta Competitizone ("Tour de France").

In effect, the car was restored a dozen years ago, and more recently, work was regularly carried out (distribution, brakes, cooling, carburettors, synchros and transmission) by one of the very best specialists in the world for classic Ferraris, Piet Roelofs, and it was maintained since then with jealous care by its owner. The tires are new, of course in conformity with period dimensions and shape.  

Its owner also constantly improved the car state during the last ten years (clutch, electric fan, etc), it is perfectly tuned and it delivers all the power of V12 at its best. It should be noted that the engine benefits from the big Weber carburettors (40 DCL6, which means 40mm instead of 38 mm) that is those of the race versions such as the Short Wheel Base or the Testa Rossa.  

From the technical point of view and performance, the use of the of the all-alloy V12 is a pure treat: we estimate that it delivers substantially more than the original-spec 240 HP. This engine is the one which won Le Mans three times (1958, 60, 61 with Gendebien, and 63 with Scarfiotti)...

Powerful and incisive, well-served by the 4-gear box with rather short ratios (plus overdrive replacing the fifth gear), the engine is simply perfect. We drove the car beyond 230 km/h in a raucous, thrilling sonority: the are frank, the locking of the overdrive is done without any jolt, and you can draw the quintessence from this V12 up to 7000 t/mn without hesitation. Moreover, the oil pressure and temperature, as well as the water temperature are imperturbable; as an example, we drove through a huge traffic-jam of more than one hour without any sign of excessive heating.  

Comfortable seats, with a nice patina but firm and in a very good original state. Almost new carpets, color coded dashboard, wood and polished aluminium steering wheel complete the environment on board. Journey in this 250 GT is an indescribable pleasure.  Possessing such a car is not given to everyone, and you cannot help but feeling proud, because to know and appreciate this kind of automobile is a proof of an in-depth knowledge on the history of the best classic cars, a sign of taste and search for perfection. The thumbs-up are many when you drive it on the road, everyone appreciating the splendid lines and the class of the car.

Opening the bonnet always generates the admiration of the most blasés experts, and camshaft covers as much as all the accessories of the engine bay immediately reveal the best Italian master-work, the art of Enzo Ferrari and its Team of engineers lead by Gioacchino Colombo. In the virtual museum of the most beautiful cars, the 250 GT holds a special place, with its unique combination of race-derived engine and delicious Grand Turismo finish and shapes.

The asking price corresponds to the scarcity, to the historical importance and to the quality of this car, in an excellent condition, ready to drive, different from certain museum cars, weakened by a dubious maintenance. 250 engines have a justified reputation of robustness, a quality which founded the innumerable successes of Ferrari in endurance races.

When you consider the fifty thousand (!) modern Ferraris built, of which a good proportion is worth 100 to 150.000 Euros on the second hand market, you immediately realise the degree of desirability reached by the few hundreds of "250" Ferrari (all models) - highly sought-after collector's items and jealously preserved by their owners. 351 specimens only of the 250 GT PininFarina were manufactured. We estimate that less than half still remain in a usable condition, of which a little proportion is in perfect condition.

Its market value rises regularly: it becomes difficult to find one in very beautiful state, even well beyond 100.000 Euros, whilst approximately two years ago, this figure was close to 60.000. The purchaser who acquired our last Coupé 250 PF already made an excellent deal, paying approximately 130.000 Euros. More recently (December 2004, Bonhams sale in Gstaad) the same model sold for 150.000 € with taxes.

This just confirmed what we have been saying for a while: that the 250 GT PF will soon reach the 150.000 Euros level as an average reference price, to compare with the 200 to 250.000 Euros that it is necessary to spend to acquire, for example, a "Lusso".  

This financial and historical logic applies to all the models of the 250 GT generation and gives them a stable market price for the most expensive (over a million Euros for a SWB, more than 5 million for a GTO), and regularly rising for the others, whether you consider the Boano, Europa, or the 250 GT PininFarina.

Price : : TOO LATE, SOLD

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