Ferrari 250MM

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Ferrari 250MM Pinifarina Berlinetta
Ferrari 250MM
Ferrari 250MM Vignale Spyder

The Ferrari 250MM was a racing car that was developed by Scuderia Ferrari in 1953 .

Development history and technology

In October 1952, Enzo Ferrari caused some astonishment among the audience when he exhibited a chassis with an engine but without a body at the Paris Motor Show . The chassis was built in the same way as the Ferrari 250S , which remained a one-off. The engine in the exhibit also was a replacement unit from the 250S. In the spring of 1953 Ferrari then presented the end product at the Geneva Motor Show , the 250MM as the successor to the 250S. The technology of the chassis remained virtually unchanged. The suspensions had double wishbones and transverse leaf springs at the front and a rigid axle with longitudinal leaf springs at the rear.

Aurelio Lampredi ensured a further increase in performance of the 3-liter V12 engine still developed by Gioacchino Colombo . It was achieved through a change to the mixture preparation. The previous three Weber double carburettors were replaced by quadruple carburettors that produced 10 hp more power (increase from 230 to 240 hp).

The Barchetta body of the exhibition car in Geneva was made by Pininfarina . This first 250MM established the collaboration between Ferrari and Battista Pininfarina . In contrast to the 250S, the 250MM was manufactured in large numbers for a racing car of the 1950s. At Pininfarina 18 barchettas were built; in addition there were 13 Spyder from the Carrozzeria von Vignale and another coupé from the workshop of the company Moreli, which works for Osca .

Racing history

Due to the large number of vehicles, the 250MM was used by private teams and drivers alongside the factory team from the start. The Frenchman Pierre Boncompagni had his first racing appearance with a 250MM (chassis 0236MM) in April 1953 at the Coupes de Vitesse at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry , where he finished second behind Franco Bordoni-Bisleri in a Gordini T15S .

The first factory outing took place on the same day in another race. Giulio Cabianca drove chassis 0282MM at the Giro di Sicilia , but retired. Seven days later, Phil Hill won a sports car race in Pebble Beach with the 250MM, celebrating the 250MM's first race win. In the 1953 Mille Miglia eight 250MM competed, including Roberto Rossellini and the works cars of Giovanni Bracco and Mike Hawthorn . Cabianca was the only one to cross the finish line in ninth place.

In the summer, Luigi Villoresi won the Monza Grand Prix and Paolo Marzotto the Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti . In 1954, Scuderia stopped using the 250MM and sold the remaining factory cars. The 250MM were successful racing cars in the 1950s and were driven until 1962. It was last used in 1962 by Bad Faust at a national sports car race in North America.

In total, the 250MM model was driven 219 times in races; There were 26 overall and 29 class wins and a total of 64 podium places.

Technical specifications

Parameters Ferrari 250 mm Vignale Spider (1953)
engine Twelve-cylinder V-engine (60 °)
Displacement 2953 cc
Bore × stroke 73 x 58.8 mm
power 240 hp (176 kW) at 7200 rpm
Valve control overhead camshaft
compression 9: 1
Mixture preparation 3 Weber double carburettors 36 IF 4 / C
coupling Three-disc dry clutch
transmission Five-speed gearbox, synchronized
rear-wheel drive
frame two side members with traverses
Front suspension two triangular wishbones, transverse leaf springs,
shock absorbers horizontally between the two upper wishbones
Rear suspension Rigid axle with thrust struts, semi-elliptical leaf springs, shock absorbers
wheelbase 2400 mm
Gauge front 1300 mm, rear 1320 mm
Rim size front 4.00 × 16, rear 5.00 × 16 (Borrani spoked wheels)
wheel size front 5.50 × 16, rear 6.00 × 16
Empty weight (without driver) 850 kg

Literature and Sources

  • Pino Casamassima: Storia della Scuderia Ferrari. Nada Editore, Vimodrome 1998, ISBN 88-7911-179-5 .
  • Peter Braun / Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual. Heel, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 .

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 250 MM  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Coupes de Vitesse 1953
  2. ^ Sports car race Pebble Beach 1953
  3. ↑ The last race of the Ferrari 250MM