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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena - the first production sports car from Maranello

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Created on January 14, 2024

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Frank Wilke

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Bonhams

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Frank Wilke

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - a GT coupé that was also fun in city traffic

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - wheelbase 2.6 meters

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - two-tone paintwork was popular at the time

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - bears the chassis number as its registration number

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the chassis was practically constantly improved

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - an elegant appearance

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the high roofline and the missing triangular window characterize the Ellena coupé

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - designed by Pinin Farina, built by Carrozzeria Ellena

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the large wheels made it possible to fit large drum brakes

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the radiator grille is flatter compared to its predecessor, the 250 Europa

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - unlike the Boano version, the rear license plate is mounted below the trunk lid

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - comfortable and wider seats than its predecessor, three people could sit in the front if necessary

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - no wood in the interior

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - View of the interior (with protection against scratching by the ignition key?)

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - complete instrument collection, unlabeled buttons

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - Speedometer up to 180 miles per hour, the car wasn't quite that fast

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - Veglia instruments

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - short V12 with 73 mm bore and 58.8 mm stroke

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the Colombo V12, derived from the engine of the 250 S from 1952

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - Ferrari sign on the nose

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the indicated tail fins distinguish the Boano and Ellena models from their predecessor, the 250 Europa

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - View into the trunk, the spare wheel was located underneath

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - it seems that even Ferrari was not quite sure about the name and its spelling

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - view of the underbody, you rarely get to see a Ferrari from this perspective

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - huge drum brakes, the total braking surface was around three times as large as on American cars of the time

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - the rear rigid axle with leaf springs and Bizzarrini tweaks

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Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo Ellena (1958) - Rear axle construction

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Ferrari 250 MM Pininfarina (1953) - at the Geneva Motor Show 1953

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Ferrari 250 GT (1953) - elegant coupé - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Ferrari 250 GT Europa Coupé (1954) - Pininfarina lines on this 250 Coupé

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Ferrari 250 Europa GT Coupé (1954) - Pininfarina bodyworked many 250 chassis

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Ferrari 250 GT Europa (1955) - A look inside

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Ferrari 250 GT (1956) - bodywork by Pinin Farina, at a Concours

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Ferrari 250 GT (1956) - one of the Pinin-Farina pre-series prototypes photographed early in 1956, then built in series by Boano

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Ferrari 250 GT Coupé (1956) - one of Pininfarina's prototypes

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Ferrari 250 GT (1956) - with seat belts, at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 250 GT (1956) - the front suspension, seen at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 250 GT (1956) - the three-liter twelve-cylinder, seen at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 250 GT (1957) - Boano coupé in silhouette

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Ferrari 250 GT (1957) - Boano Coupé

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Ferrari 250 GT (1957) - Chassis without engine

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Ferrari 250 GT (1957) - bodywork by Pinin Farina, on AR test drive with the latest technology (?) in 1957

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Ferrari 250 GT (1958) - Ellena Coupé at the 1958 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 250 GT (1958) - Ellena Coupé at the 1958 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 250 GT (1958) - coupé designed by Pininfarina

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Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Ellena (1958) - at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2022

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Summary

Nowadays, Ferrari builds more cars in half a week than it did per year in the late 1950s. The sports cars from Maranello were very exclusive back then and at the same time closer to racing cars than they are today. The 250 Gran Turismo was built between 1956 and 1958, coachbuilt by Boano and Ellena, among others. This vehicle report is dedicated to the latter coupé, of which only around 15 are said to still exist in their original condition.

This article contains the following chapters

Continuous evolution
Transition to series production
Production at Boano
Confidence inspiring
Further improvements
Successor 250 GT Pinin Farina
One of around 15 survivors

Estimated reading time: 9min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Anyone who has seen the movie "Ferrari" by Michael Mann may remember that Enzo Ferrari was not exactly financially secure in 1957. Racing cost a lot of money and the sale of road cars was hardly enough to compensate for this. In fact, Ferrari was producing just 80 or 90 road cars a year at the time. A model that could be sold in somewhat larger quantities was just what was needed, and the Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo, built from 1956 onwards, was indeed the first production Ferrari. Ferrari GT sports cars with a displacement of three liters (the number 250 indicates the size of each of the twelve pistons) first appeared in 1953. The 250 Europa bore many similarities to the 375 America, had a wheelbase of 2.8 meters and was first shown in Paris in 1953 with a Vignale coupé body. However, around 15 of the 22 250 Europa built were coachbuilt by Pinin Farina in the style of the 375 America as a coupé.

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