Ferrari 250 GT

Ferrari
Ferrari 250 GT Boano (1957)
250 GT Boano 250 GT Ellena
Production period:	1955-1958
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Otto engine : 3.0 liters (177 kW)
Length:	4458 mm
Width:	1676 mm
Height:	1346-1396 mm
Wheelbase :	2600 mm
Empty weight :	1270 kg
Previous model	Ferrari 250 GT Europe
successor	Ferrari 250 GT Coupe

The Ferrari 250 GT is a two-seat sports car from the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari , which was produced from 1955 to 1958. For better differentiation, the vehicles are usually referred to as 250 GT Boano or 250 GT Ellena after the body construction companies involved . This series belongs to the diversified Ferrari 250 model family and was the basic model of the street sports car in the second half of the 1950s. With the Boano / Ellena models, Ferrari initiated the transition from specialist to series manufacturer: They were the first road Ferraris to reach a three-digit number when taken together.

background

After the end of the Second World War , the Modenese company Ferrari, whose beginnings lie in racing, expanded its activities to include the manufacture of street sports cars. At first only single pieces were created. In 1953 the model family 250 equipped with 3.0 liter twelve-cylinder engines appeared as an alternative to the large Ferrari models 340 and 375, which were often exported overseas . As usual at Ferrari, both street and racing versions belonged to the 250 series. The first street version was the 250 Europa from 1953. It and its successor 250 Europa GT (1954) were only produced in double-digit numbers. While the 250 Europa still had a reduced-displacement version of Aurelio Lampredi's long-block engine, Ferrari installed a 3.0-liter version of the short twelve-cylinder engine from Gioacchino Colombo in the successor 250 Europa GT . From then on, this Colombo short-block engine was found - differently processed - in all members of the Ferrari 250 family. This also applies to the 250 GT Boano / Ellena introduced in 1955, which replaced the 250 Europa GT.

The production of the Ferrari 20 GT was divided between different companies. Pininfarina only made the first six or ten vehicles in-house. Due to upcoming expansion work, however, Pininfarina was unable to take over the series production of the coupé, contrary to original plans. Instead, Ferrari transferred the production to Turin- based Carrozzeria Boano . In 1957, Felice Mario Boano left his company to work in Fiat's Centro Stile . He passed it on to his son-in-law Ezio Ellena, who incorporated it into his own business, the Carrozzeria Ellena . Carrozzeria Ellena also took on the production order for the Ferrari 250 GT from Boano. Production continued without interruption in the previous Boano workshops and with the same staff. The name of the executing body shop is usually appended to the model designation in order to distinguish the individual vehicles from one another, but also from the successor 250 GT Coupé, which was later manufactured by Pininfarina . Production at Ellena ended in 1958.

The Boano / Ellena coupés were the basic model of the 250 series from 1955 to 1959. In addition, Ferrari offered several modifications with comparable technology in parallel:

• As a sporty alternative to the comfort-oriented Boano / Ellena GTs, there was the 250 GT Berlinetta LWB suitable for competitions from 1955 to 1959 , which had an independent, particularly light body and was built by Scaglietti .
• An open version was sold from 1955 as the 250 GT Cabriolet . Pininfarina built two series of her in her own work, which differed from each other outwardly.

The 250 GT Boano (1955–1957)

Engine and drive

Tipo 128 twelve-cylinder (in a GT Coupé)

The drive is a variant of the short-block twelve-cylinder, which goes back to a design by Gioacchino Colombo from 1947 and which can be found in a similar form in the other models of the Ferrari 250 series. In the first models of the 250 GT there is an older version called Tipo 112 , later vehicles have the further developed Tipo 128 engine. built-in. The twelve-cylinder engine has a displacement of 2953 cm³ (bore × stroke: 73 × 58.8 mm). The cylinder bank angle is 60 degrees. Each bank of cylinders has an overhead camshaft driven by a chain. There is an inlet and an outlet valve for each cylinder. The engine output is 240 hp (177 kW).

chassis

The chassis of the 250 GT bears the in-house designation Tipo 508 . The basis is a frame made of oval steel tubes. The wheelbase is 2600 mm. The front wheels are individually suspended on double wishbones , with coil springs, hydraulic Houdaille lever shock absorbers and a stabilizer. At the rear, the 250 GT has a rigid axle with two longitudinally arranged leaf springs, plus two trailing arms and Houdaille shock absorbers. Hydraulically operated drum brakes are installed on all four wheels .

body

Front section of the Boano and Ellena versions

Ferrari 250 GT Boano (1957)

The body of the 250 GT Boano is based on a design by Pininfarina. The structure is designed as a notchback coupé. The B-pillar is inclined backwards; this is followed by the panoramic rear window. The shape of the B-pillar takes up the line of the 410 Superamerica . A special feature of the 250 GT Boano is the exceptionally low roof line, which contrasts with the high belt line. This results in a small field of vision through the windshield and the side windows. Driver and passenger doors have vent windows. Because of the special roof structure, the 250 GT Boano is also known in the Ferrari scene as the "Low Roof Coupé". The belt line runs largely horizontally and ends at the rear in indicated tail fins, in which vertical tail lights from Fiat are embedded. At the front there is an oval radiator opening that is barred. There are additional lights in the opening. Most vehicles have front and rear bumpers that span the full width of the car. However, some cars were also delivered with two-part bumpers or without a front bumper at the customer's request.

In most cases the body is made entirely of steel, but 12 Boano Coupés have a body made of aluminum sheets. In the steel version, the car weighs 1270 kg.

production

Carrozzeria Boano began building the 250 GTs in 1955. At the same time Boano also completed the Ferrari 410 Superamerica. The vehicles bore no evidence of the authorship of the body. The details about the scope of production differ. Some speak of 63 vehicles, others speak of 79 vehicles.

The 250 GT Ellena

Ferrari 250 GT Ellena (1958)

Technically, the Ellena GTs largely match the Boano versions. However, the Ellena versions received a worm-roller steering system from ZF . It was generally believed that it could be used to steer the car more precisely than its predecessor.

The body retained its layout in the Ellena version. An important exception concerns the roof. Apart from the first ten Ellena Coupés, which still fully corresponded to the Boano versions, the Ellena GTs have a roof that is 5 cm higher. This also included new glazing. The windshield and the rear panoramic window became larger, which improved all-round visibility. The side vent windows in the doors were omitted. All Ellena superstructures are made of sheet steel.

The production volume of the 250 GT Ellena is given as 49 vehicles.

Special versions

Pininfarina

Pininfarina unique for Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands

• In 1957 Pininfarina created a special coupé for Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (chassis number 0725GT). The car had the front and rear of the 250 GT Cabriolet of the first series, but a fixed roof with a triangular, fully clad B-pillar. The belt line ran horizontally and did not have the kink in the fender area that characterized the 250 GT Cabriolet.
• Pininfarina built a similar car in 1957 for the Belgian Princess von Réthy (chassis number 0751GT), who, like Prince Bernhard, collected various unique Ferrari items. The Réthy-250-GT had a rear section that was based on that of the 250 GT Cabriolet.

Boano

Carrozzeria Boano produced two special models with the technology of the 250 GT:

• In 1955 or 1956, a convertible with strikingly shaped rear wings was built on chassis no. 0461GT. There were vertical ram struts under the headlights and at the stern. The radiator grille extended across the entire width of the vehicle.
• In 1957 Boano manufactured a coupé with three side windows and a conventional C-pillar on chassis no. 0531GT. The rear wheels were partially covered.

Technical specifications

Ferrari 250 GT data sheet 

Technical data Ferrari 250 GT Boano and Ellena
	250 GT Boano	250 GT Ellena
Engine:	12-cylinder V-engine (four-stroke), fork angle 60 °, longitudinally at the front
Engine type:	Tipo 112 Topo 128B	Tipo 128B Tipo 128C
Displacement:	2953 cc
Bore × stroke:	73 x 58.8 mm
Performance at 1 / min:	240 hp (177 kW) at 7000
Max. Torque at 1 / min:	26.7 mkp (261.8 Nm) at 5000
Compression:	8.8: 1
Mixture preparation:	3 downdraft twin carburettors Weber 36DCF
Valve control:	overhead camshafts
Cooling:	Water cooling
Transmission:	4-speed gearbox
Front suspension:	Independent suspension Double wishbones, coil springs
Rear suspension:	Rigid axle on longitudinal leaf springs
Brakes:	Hydraulically operated drum brakes all around
Steering:		Snail and roller
Body:	Sheet steel or aluminum on oval tube frame chassis	Sheet steel on oval tube frame chassis
Track width front / rear:	1354/1349 mm
Wheelbase:	2600 mm
Dimensions:	4458 × 1676 × 1346 mm	4458 × 1676 × 1396 mm
Empty weight:	1270 kg (steel body)	1270 kg
Top speed:	240–250 km / h
Number of pieces:	63-79	49

literature

• Leonardo Acerbi: Ferrari: A Complete Guide to All Models. MBI Publishing Company LLC, 2006, ISBN 978-0-7603-2550-6 .
• Georg Amtmann, Halwart Schrader: Italian sports cars. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4
• Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 .
• Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to the present day. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 .
• Godfrey Eaton: The Complete Ferrari. Edited by Geoff Willoughby. Cadogan Books, London 1985, ISBN 0-947754-10-5 .
• Brian Laban: Ferrari. Translated from the English by Frauke Watson. Parragon Books, Bath 2006, ISBN 978-1-4054-1409-8 .
• Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports cars. Könemann, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3-89508-000-4 .

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 250 GT Boano / Ellena  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and race cars since 1946. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , page 180 f.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports car. Könemann, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3-89508-000-4 , p. 124.
3. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 203.
4. ↑ Dean Bachelor, Chris Poole, Graham Robson : The Great Book of Sports Cars. Müller, Erlangen 1990 (no ISBN), p. 164.
5. ^ Brian Laban: Ferrari . Translated from the English by Frauke Watson. Parragon Books, Bath 2006, ISBN 978-1-4054-1409-8 , p. 35.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 186.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to the present day. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , p. 43.
8. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, 2017, ISBN 978-8896796412 , p. 134.
9. ^ Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The large Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to the present day. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , p. 48.
10. ↑ https://paulrussell.com/rPortfolio/ferrari/57_0725/ History and images of the 250 GT Speciale on the website www.paulrussell.com (accessed on August 31, 2018).
11. ↑ History and images of the 250 GT Speciale on the website www.coachbuild.com (accessed on August 31, 2018).
12. ↑ The 250 GT Réthy on the website www.barchetta.cc (accessed on August 31, 2018).
13. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 187.
14. ↑ Images of the Ferrari 250 GT Boano Cabriolet on the website www.ultimatecarpage.com (accessed on August 31, 2018).