CMC M-250 FERRARI 250 GTO n°153 Tour de France 1962 D. Piper - D. Margulies 1.18

The 250 GTO (Gran Turismo Omologato) grew out of the

250 GT series into a competition car in the Gran Turismo

category. A road-legal racing car was born, enabling the

drivers to travel to their races on their own. The basis for

the 250 GTO was the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB

model.T he 250 standsf or displacemenitn cubic centimeters

per cylinder. Ferrari presented the vehicle for the first

time at the annualp ressc onferencein January1 962 in

Maranello.

The developmenot f the GTOw as conductedu nder Giotto

Bizzarrinai nd took shapea t the coach-builderS caglietti,

where almost all GTOs were later built. What was new in

comparison with the 250 GT Berlinetta "SWB" was the

completely redesigned front end. The rear fenders got

wider and longer, and so did the rear end. ln contrast to

the first prototype, all later examples received a riveted rear

spoiler, which was an aerodynamic innovation at the time.

Never before had so much effort been put into the aerodynamics

of a GT racing car.

The rear rigid axle of the 250 GT Berlinetta "SWB" was

retained, but mounted on parallel trailing arms and a Watt

linkage instead of leaf springs. The proven îipo 168/62 Kg 

3.0 L V12 from the 250 Testa Rossa was carried over.

The interior of the 250 GTO is extremely spartan -

an entailment resulting from its low weight, which, in

conjunction with an output of virtually 300 hp and low

air resistance, makes the GTO capable of up to 280km/h.

The accolades of the 250 GTO were impressive, there

were victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Targa-Florio,

the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchampsa nd at Le Mans,

where they also finished second OA in 1962 and 1963

and won the GT classification