Supercar Sunday: Ferrari 250 GTO sealed Maranello’s legacy
Ferrari brought the 250 GTO to compete with the likes of the Jaguar E-Type Lightweight and Aston Martin's racing cars. However, it ultimately stamped Ferrari's authority as a supercar maker.
New Delhi: In this Supercar Sunday, we will talk about the Ferrari 250 GTO, one of the world’s most expensive cars ever sold. It is the one that stands in a league of its own, coming with the design that remains classic through the ages, and it is a sense an engineering masterpiece.
The 250 GTO has been called one of the best specimens of Ferrari’s racing philosophy. It came with everything the brand stood for: performance and styling. This was the brand that claimed it made motoring aspirational, and the 250 GTO was the ultimate stamp of this claim.
The 250 GTO came in the early 1960s, when GT racing was at its peak. The FIA had brought new rules for the GT class, which made it needed for carmakers to produce road-legal versions of their race cars and Ferrari responded with the 250 GTO. Designed under the leadership of Giotto Bizzarrini, one of Ferrari’s most accomplished engineers, his target was to make a GT car that could beat the dominating Jaguar E-Type Lightweight and Aston Martin’s racing cars.
Bizzarrini reworked the accomplished 250 GT SWB, sharpening the chassis, improving aerodynamics, and fitting the powerful 3.0-litre Colombo V12. The GTO debuted in 1962, and it quickly established itself as the car of the decade, winning the FIA GT World Championship thrice in a row, between 1962-64.
Ferrari 250 GTO powertrain
Under the hood, you had a 3.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 from the legendary Colombo family. It made 296 bhp and 294 Nm of torque, and that is quite the beast for back in 1962. The engine breathed with six Weber carburettors and made the GTO a serious contender on the track.
The V12 was mated with a five-speed manual gearbox, sending power to the back wheels that required more skill from the driver as well. With a top speed of 280 kph, the 250 GTO could do 0-100 kph in under six seconds, both numbers that were impressive. It played well against its rival and managed to take wins in the Tour de France, the Targa Florio, and many class wins at Le Mans.
Ferrari 250 GTO interior and exterior
Ferrari’s design was all down to functionality, but it was still one of the prettiest-looking cars. Bizzarrini refined the bodywork along with specialists at Scaglietti. Made for aerodynamics, it was gorgeous to look at. It came with a long bonnet, with muscular haunches and well-curved tail, defined proportions that would be imprinted in Ferrari GTs for many decades.
It came with triple front vents, side air ducts, and a low-slung stance, all of which made it stand out and made it look both aggressive and elegant. The body was made out of hand-formed aluminium, sitting on a lightweight tubular steel frame, and all of it gave it stability and cooling at high speed.
On the inside, it was mostly minimalistic, giving it the typical grand tourer feel. It came with a wooden-rimmed steering wheel, simple analogue dials and lightweight bucket seats. Despite all of this, the cabin was well-balanced and made for serious drivers.
Only 36 units were ever produced, and as a supercar, it is a rare one to own, until you are a rock drummer like Nick Mason. It has constantly set auction records, with some going for as high as $ 50 million. However, these are just a few of the reasons that make 250 GTO special. The biggest reason for its fame is that it was the genesis for cars like the 250 Testa Rossa and made way for cars like the 288 GTO and even the F40.