60 years of the Ferrari 250 GTO
02/24/2022
Exactly 60 years ago, on Saturday, February 24, 1962, the Ferrari 250 GTO was presented to the press and interested circles. At the time, hardly anyone could have imagined that the most valuable car of all time had been created.
At the time, it was simply referred to as the new "Berlinetta". Automobil Revue was one of the first magazines to describe the new car:
"Externally, the car is recognizable by its long and aerodynamic snout, which breaks with the tradition of previous Ferrari GT models. The rear was cut off vertically, as in the sports cars. In general, the bodywork stands out with even finer lines than the previous Berlinetta. The external dimensions of the car are as follows: Overall length 4.32 m, overall width 1.6 m and overall height 1.21 m.
The wheelbase of the lighter and newly designed chassis, which was built from thinner tubes, is 240 cm.
The tried-and-tested V-60 twelve-cylinder engine with six twin-body carburetors achieves 300 hp at 7400 rpm, making the series-built Berlinetta the most powerful vehicle from the Ferrari stable. With a bore and stroke of 73 x 58.8 mm, the engine had a capacity of 2953 cm3. The total weight of the car was reduced to 880 kg. A separate oil tank is now provided for lubrication; this has also increased the cooling of the oil, while at the same time a larger quantity of oil can be used in circulation.
The car was fitted with a five-speed gearbox and, like all other Ferrari models, Dunlop disc brakes. The rear rigid axle now has coil springs with internal Koni shock absorbers as well as an additional transverse leaf spring."
Auto motor und sport provided a little more prose and two beautiful pictures a week later:
"The Ferrari 250 GT was previously the most powerful Gran Turismo car in its class and, in the hands of good people, hard to beat. It therefore goes without saying that Ferrari will continue to devote its full attention to this category in the future. For the world championship he has prepared a 3 liter V 12-cylinder with 300 hp. This car corresponds in principle to the previous Berlinetta, but has been revised, revs 400 rpm more and has a five-speed gearbox."
36 vehicles were built between 1962 and 1964, with the most expensive examples going for more than EUR 50 million.
