Historic Car Brands
Ferrari
Probably the best known brand in the automobile world, Ferrari owes its existence to Enzo Ferrari, who headed up Alfa Romero’s racing division before Word War II. When peace returned he began marketing vehicles under the ‘Ferrari’ brand.
The distinctive Ferrari ‘prancing horse’ logo has decorated most of the company’s products since the first production models emerged in 1947. It originated from a recommendation by the Baracca family, whose WW I air-ace relative had painted the family prancing horse crest on his Spad fighter plane, for good luck.
1947 Ferrari 166 Inter Touring Berlinetta – Rex Gray
It’s been suggested that Enzo Ferrari manufactured cars as a necessary source of funds for his racing pursuits, rather than from any desire to build the world’s best sporting cars. There’s no doubt that continued racing success in formula cars, as well as sports cars, has contributed to the Ferrari mystique.
1950 Ferrari 166 MM – SA Starbucks
Today, Ferrari models consistently head the list of the most expensive ‘used cars’ in the world. In June, 2018, a 1963 250 GTO set a new record, being auctioned for an eye-watering US$70 million.
1961 Ferrari 250 TR61 Spyder Fantuzzi engine – S Foskett
It all started with the pre-War, straight-eight-powered 815 sports car, but that was never branded ‘Ferrari’. The first Ferrari-badged car was the V-12-powered 125S. Its model number came from the cylinder displacement and that nomenclature persisted for many years. (You can work out the displacement of V12 Ferrari engines by multiplying the model designation – eg ‘250’ – by the number of cylinders to come up with, for example, 3000cc, or three litres.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina – Rex Gray
There have been more V-12-powered Ferraris than any other engine configuration and it all started with the Colombo-designed, 1.5-litre, 12-cylinder engine that powered the 125. Gioacchino Colombo had designed engines for Alfa Romeo and Enzo asked him to come up with a V-12. Because the bore centres were an ample 90mm apart, the displacement could be progressively enlarged over the next 16 years.
The original 125 engine had a single camshaft on each cylinder head and triple downdraught Weber 30DCF carburettors. It produced 118hp and that was enough for six sports car race victories from 14 starts in 1947.
Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta – Simon Davison
The 166 Inter model followed, with two-litre displacement in 1949. The V-12 was pushed out to 2.3 litres and 130hp in 1950 in the 195 Inter and that went up to 2.6 litres and 150hp in 1951.
The first ‘America’ 340 models were launched in 1950, with enlarged, 220hp, 4.1-litre V-12 engines that expanded to 375, 4.5-litre, Lampredi V-12 models in 1953.
1971 Ferrari GTB4 Daytona – Mr Choppers
The famous ‘250’ series began in 1954, powered by Colombo’s three-litre V-12 that put out 220hp. Later race-car engines had outputs up to 300hp. The 250 engine was lightweight, tilting the scales at around half the weight of a Jaguar in-line six.
Parallel with the Ferrai lineup was the ‘Dino’ brand – named after Enzo’s son – that featured mid-mounted V-6 engines that ranged in capacity from the 206 model’s 1.5-litre displacement, up to the 195hp, 246’s 2.4-litre capacity. The V-6 Dino series was available from 1957 until 1976.
Dino 246 GT – Marco
The V-6 Dino range was replaced by the mid-engined V-8 powered 308 from 1973. In 1976 the ‘Dino’ badge gave way to ‘Ferrari’ branding. Smaller-capacity 208s were sold mainly in Italy.
The 1964 ‘Superamerica’ 410 models had five-litre, 340hp engines and the ‘Superfast’ had a 400hp, six-carb, five-litre, Colombo V-12.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB – Mr Choppers
The 250 series was replaced by the 3.3-litre 275 series from 1964. With twin camshafts and three-twin-choke carbies it was dyno-tested at 250hp, with an option for six carbies and 280hp.
The 275 pioneered a transaxle five-speed box for Ferrari.
The 330 series, with four-litre V-12 arrived in 1963, with a claimed 320hp on tap.
1984 Ferrari 308 GTB
The 400 series was launched in 1976, offering 340hp from a stroked engine, with a displacement of 4.8 litres and fuelled by six carbies. An automatic transmission was available. It was detuned in 1979, when fitted with electronic fuel injection, but it complied with tightening emissions laws.
The 412, with a slightly larger bore, displaced 4.9 litres when released in 1985.
Ferrari F430 – Rudolf Stricker
From 1973 until 1996, Ferrari produced a series of mid-engined, flat-12 Berlinetta and Testarossa models. The first was the Berlinetta 365 and subsequent models were 512 variants – five litre displacement and flat 12 configuration. Outputs ranged from 335hp up to 360hp.
Ferrari California – Ed Pensock
In the 1990s the Ferrari lineup consisted of the front engined 550 and 575 V-12 models with 5.5-litre and 5.75-litre engines respectively; the same 5.5-litre engine in the 456 2+2 models; flat-12 512 models and Mondial V8 mid-engined 2+2s.
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – Alexandre Prevot
Racing cars
Ferrari Dino 246 – John Nuttall
Ferrari is the highest-profile brand in motor racing history and the only maker to have competed in Formula One since its inception in 1950. The list of drivers who have driven for Ferrari is a who’s who of motor sport.
Ferrari 312T 1975 Watkins Glen Niki Lauda – Goodwood
The Formula One hot shots include: Tazio Nuvolari, José Froilán González, Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari, Luigi Chinetti, Eugenio Castellotti, Maurice Trintignant, Wolfgang von Trips, Phil
Wolfgang Von Trips and Phil Hill 1961 Dutch Grand Prix – Harry Pot
Hill, Olivier Gendebien, Mike Hawthorn, Peter Collins, Giancarlo Baghetti, Ricardo Rodríguez, Chris Amon, John Surtees, Lorenzo Bandini, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti, Clay Regazzoni, Niki Lauda, Carlos Reutemann, Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve, Didier Pironi, Patrick Tambay, René Arnoux, Michele Alboreto, Gerhard Berger, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Jean Alesi, Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Le Mans 1959 Lucien Bianchi -Goodwood
In addition to Formula One, Ferrari also entered cars in sports car racing and the two programs ran in parallel for many years. In 1949, Luigi Chinetti drove a 166 M to Ferrari’s first win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and subsequent entries won there in 1954, 1958 and then every year from 1960 until 1965.
Ferrari dominated the early years of the World Sportscar Championship that began in 1953, winning the title in seven out of the first nine years. When the championship format changed in 1962, Ferrari earned titles in at least one class each year through to 1965 and then again in 1967.
Ferrari won the 1972 World Championship of Makes before Enzo decided to leave sports car racing and allow Scuderia Ferrari to concentrate solely on Formula One.
Private teams all around the world have clocked up hundreds of victories in Ferrari sports cars and open wheelers since the 1960s.
Ferrari 458 Le Mans 2014 – Goodwood
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