Mark A Cella On The 1959-60 Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mark A Cella   
Monday, 26 July 2010 11:26
Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 250 Grand Touring Sport Coupe
by MarkACella


Mark A Cella and the Ferrari 250 Grand Touring Sport Coupe

Building on the successful history of the V12 GT racing engines that made the GTOs so substantial, brought the 250 Berlinetta sport coupe about. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato in Italian, and in English means Grand Touring Homologated. Homologated means Official Agreement. So, the GTO was Officially Agreed to be a Grand Touring car. Anyway, the 250 simply is the measurement in cubic centimeters of each of the cylinders.

Mark A Cella Officially Agrees This Car is all About Racing

From 1953-64 Ferrari built the SWB model which truly put Ferrari on the center stage. It was their most acknowledged line. It was the first Ferrari to have four wheel disc brakes. It had a model which was the first four seater for this sports car. It had a V12 weighing half as much of competitors, cranking out up to 280bhp at 7000 rpm. It's 4 gear race engine rocketed its victories at so many races the list is endless so here's just a few:

1960 Le Mans 24 hr race, it took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, while Chevy and Aston Martin were far behind. It won three repeat 5500 km Tour de Frances, while taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 1960 event. That season driver Sterling Moss lapped the entire field at Goodwood to take the second consecutive win. SWB won all over in England, Monza Italy, Spa, Nurbrgring, and Monthlery.

Weighing only 2,314 pounds gives the Ferraris 250 SWB Competizione a great power to weight ratio. Maximum speed was a little over 150 mph, and 0-60 was 6.2. Excellent numbers for 1960's.

Mark A Cella Agrees it's One of the Greatest Ferraris Ever Built

Enthusiasts envied the fact that owners of this car could show up, unpack and race in the same unmodified car, occasionally changing tires. The only thing necessary was to paste on numbers. The competition models were lighter and had 30-40 more horsepower, regardless of which one you were in other manufacturers didn't stand a chance.

Out of the ten Greatest Ferraris of all time, Motor Trend ranked this one 5th. Sports Car International placed it at 7 Top Sports Cars of the 60's. Mark A Cella gave it first place of his 1960's Muscle Car Picks, second is the 67 Corvette Sting Ray and third being the cherished 1968 Chevy Camaro.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

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