The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are characterized by their use of a Colombo V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo. They were replaced by the 275 and 330 series cars.
Similarities
Most 250 road cars share the same two wheelbases, for short wheelbase (SWB) and for long wheelbase (LWB). Most convertibles used the SWB type.
Nearly all 250s share the same Colombo Tipo 125 V12 engine. At , it was notable for its light weight and impressive output of up to in the Testa Rossa and GTO. The V12 weighed hundreds of pounds less than its chief competitors — for example, it was nearly half the weight of the Jaguar XK straight-6. Ferrari uses the displacement of a single cylinder as the model designation.
The V12 propelled the Ferrari 250 racing cars to numerous victories.
Racing models
Typical of Ferrari, the Colombo V12 made its debut on the race track, with the racing 250s preceding the street cars by three years.
250 S
The first 250 was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia for Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo. The Mercedes-Benz W194 racers of Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, and Karl Kling were faster on the long straights but the Ferrari made up sufficient ground in the hills and curves to win the race. The car was later entered at Le Mans and in the Carrera Panamericana.
The 250 S used a wheelbase with a "Tuboscocca" tubular trellis frame. Suspension was by double wishbones at the front, with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs locating the live axle at the rear. The car had the drum brakes and worm-and-sector steering typical of the period. The dry-sump 3.0 L () engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission.
250 MM
Following the success of the 250 S in the Mille Miglia, Ferrari showed a more conventional chassis for the new 250 engine at the 1952 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina then created coupé bodywork which had a small grille, compact tail and panoramic rear window, and the new car was launched as the 250 MM (for Mille Miglia) at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show. Carrozzeria Vignale's open barchetta version was also an innovative design whose recessed headlights and side vents became a Ferrari staple for the 1950s. 0334MM was the sole chassis with Vignale Berlinetta body, distinctive for its triple portholes on the bottom of front fenders, not on top.
The 250 MM's wheelbase was longer than the 250 S at , with the coupé heavier than the barchetta. The V12 engine's dry sump was omitted from the production car, and the transmission was reduced by one gear. Power was increased to . The four-cylinder 625 TF and 735 S replaced the V12-powered 250 MM later in 1953.
The 250 MM's race debut was at the 1953 Giro di Sicilia with privateer Paolo Marzotto. A Carrozzeria Morelli-bodied 250 MM barchetta driven by Clemente Biondetti came fourth in the 1954 Mille Miglia.
250 Monza
The 1954 250 Monza was an unusual hybrid of the light four-cylinder 500 Mondial and the 250 line. The model used the 250 MM engine in the short-wheelbase chassis from the 500 Mondial. The first three used the Pinin Farina barchetta shape of the 750 Monza and 500 Mondial. One more 250 Monza was built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an early use of the now-familiar coachbuilder. The 250 Monzas failed to gain much success and the union of the Monza chassis and 250 engine was not pursued for some time.
250 Testa Rossa
The racing 250 Testa Rossa was one of the most successful Ferrari racing cars in its history, with three wins at Le Mans, four wins at Sebring, and two wins at Buenos Aires. One example sold at auction for a (then) record-breaking $16.39 million.
250 GTO
The 250 GTO was produced from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIA's Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. GTO stands for "Gran Turismo Omologato", Italian for "Homologated Grand Tourer". When new, the GTO sold for $18,500 in the United States, and buyers had to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari and his dealer for North America, Luigi Chinetti.
In May 2012, the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number 3505GT sold by an auction for US$38,115,000.
In October 2013, the 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number 5111GT sold by Connecticut-based collector Paul Pappalardo to an unnamed buyer in a private transaction for US$52 million.
In August 2018, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number 3413GT sold at auction for US$48,405,000.