Ferrari 330 America

Ferrari
Ferrari 330 America
330 America
Production period:	1963
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Otto engine : 4.0 liters (221 kW)
Length:	4695 mm
Width:	1710 mm
Height:	1341 mm
Wheelbase :	2600 mm
Empty weight :	1490 kg
Previous model	Ferrari 250 GTE 2 + 2
successor	Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2

The Ferrari 330 America is a street sports car from the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari . It is often counted as part of the Ferrari 330 model family , although it differs considerably from the other vehicles with similar designations in terms of appearance and technical details, with the exception of the common twelve-cylinder engine. The car, which was only produced 50 times, is now almost forgotten as a transition model between the Ferrari 250 GTE 2 + 2 , which was discontinued at the same time, and the 330 GT 2 + 2, which went into series production a few months later . The 330 America combined the body of the older model with the engine of the newer. It was only available as a coupé with a standardized Pininfarina body.

History of origin

After more than three years of production, production of the Ferrari 250 GTE 2 + 2 ended in September 1963. The hatchback coupé, which was built in almost 1,000 copies, was Ferrari's most successful single model to date. With the phasing out of the 250 GT / E 2 + 2, the end of the 3.0-liter version of the so-called Colombo engine, a twelve-cylinder engine developed by Gioacchino Colombo in 1947, was approaching . A version of this engine with a displacement of 3.0 liters and an output of around 240 hp (176 kW) was used in the 250 GTE 2 + 2. At the beginning of the 1960s, Ferrari developed a new twelve-cylinder that took over some of the basic features of the Colombo engine - including the cylinder bank angle and valve control - but was redesigned in the area of ​​the engine block. The cylinder spacing (so-called pitch), which had previously been 90 mm for all Ferrari twelve-cylinders with a Colombo engine, has now been increased to 94 mm to improve the cooling circuit and for later capacity expansion. However, this remained well below the 108 mm of the so-called Ferrari Lampredi V12 engines built in parallel for a long time. This lengthened the original Colombo engine block by about 50 mm and added 25 kg in weight. This engine, called Tipo 209 in-house, had a displacement of 3967 cm³. The volume of a single cylinder was 330 cm³, rounded down. The model designation of all vehicles with the Tipo 209 engine was derived from this value.

The Tipo 209 went into series production in autumn 1963. The engine was originally intended to be sold in a new vehicle with a separate body. This new model was already being tested in the fall of 1963, but production had not yet started. In order to be able to sell the Tipo 209 engine early, Ferrari installed the first 50 engines in the existing bodies of the previous model 250 GTE 2 + 2. The initiative to create this interim model went back to the North American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti . The vast majority of the 330 America should be sold there.

As early as the winter of 1961/62, Ferrari had built three test cars in which the chassis and bodywork of the 250 GTE 2 + 2 were combined with 4.0-liter V12 engines, but at that time they were still the Tipo 163 from the Ferrari 400 Superamerica .

With the market launch of the successor 330 GT 2 + 2 in January 1964, production of the 330 America ended.

Model description

The body of the 330 America was stylistically identical to that of the 250 GTE 2 + 2. Both models are outwardly indistinguishable - apart from the "America" ​​logo on the trunk lid. The design came from Pininfarina. As usual with the previous models, Ferrari also used a tubular steel frame here . The body was made of steel; Doors and hoods, however, were made of aluminum.

The chassis design of the 330 America also corresponded to that of the 250 GTE 2 + 2. The wheels were individually suspended on double wishbones at the front, a rigid axle with longitudinal leaf springs was installed at the rear . The deceleration took place with four hydraulically operated disc brakes . The Tipo-209 engine had 330 in America three downdraft - double carburetor of Weber (type 40 DCZ / 6). It developed around 220 kW (299 hp) at 7500 rpm. The cars were equipped with a manual five-speed gearbox. Their top speed was around 250 km / h.

The Ferrari 330 America were manufactured at Pininfarina in Grugliasco ; a total of 50 copies were made.

The Ferrari 330 America with chassis number 5055GT

The vehicle with the chassis number 5055GT, the 34th of the series, gained a certain degree of popularity. According to her will, the sports car served as a coffin in 1977 at the funeral of the eccentric millionaire Sandra Ilene West, who died at the age of 38. In 1965 she had married the Texas oil entrepreneur and cattle farmer Ike West Jr. from the wealthy, long-established West dynasty, who was found dead in a hotel room in Las Vegas in 1968 after he had recently undergone radical weight loss in a Los Angeles hospital . He was buried in the San Antonio Masonic Cemetery, Texas.

With an estimated fortune of 50 million US dollars , the young widow moved back to Beverly Hills , led a dissolute life in California's high society , but was also considered a serious Philatelistin and avid student of ancient Egyptian history . In March 1977 she was involved in a serious traffic accident with one of her other Ferraris. A week later, she died in her home from an accidental overdose of pain medication.

As early as 1972 she had stipulated in her will, among other things, that she wanted to be buried “at the side of her husband, in her women's lace nightgown ... in her Ferrari with a comfortably inclined seat”. She had appointed her brother-in-law to be her executor . Only if he fully implemented their last will, should he also receive the million dollar fortune , otherwise only a small legacy of money .

The result was a two-month series of lawsuits in California and Texas, which attracted much public attention, aimed at determining the effectiveness of the testamentary terms and the admissibility of the desired funeral. This was accompanied by a dispute between the families via the media. The Los Angeles Superior Court finally decided in favor of the deceased and against their brother-in-law as executor, declared the request to be "unusual, but not illegal" and made provisions to protect against possible grave robbers .

On May 19, 1977, West was finally buried next to her husband in San Antonio with great public and media participation. According to the legal requirements, the Ferrari with the corpse was in a wooden box about 5.2 × 2.4 × 1.8 meters. Using a crane, the box was lowered from a low-loader into the correspondingly large grave. The grave was then filled with concrete from two trucks standing by. Today only an inconspicuous plaque reminds of the unusual coffin.

Other vehicles with a special history

Celebrities rarely bought a Ferrari 330 America out of hobby, as a status symbol or later as an investment. At times, singer Nancy Sinatra owned the 27th copy of the series, and actor Christopher Lambert owned the 28th. Casino owner and automobile collector William F. ("Bill") Harrah was temporarily the owner of the 31st vehicle, American entrepreneur and automobile collector Peter S Kalikow owns the 45th vehicle and John Bond, the editor of Road & Track , the 47th vehicle.

In Europe, the model primarily intended for the USA remained an absolute rarity. The 41st vehicle in the series alone was delivered to a first owner in Germany.

Sometimes Ferrari 330 America served as the basis for sports car replicas. The third vehicle in the series was converted into a Ferrari 250 TR replica, and parts of the twelfth vehicle were used for a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB creation. The 15th vehicle burned out and was rebuilt as a Ferrari 250 TR 59/60, the 25th had an accident, was cannibalized and used in the restoration of the 33rd vehicle. The 35th vehicle was converted into a Ferrari GTO replica and right-hand drive in England .

literature

• Ulrich Bethschneider-Kieser: Faces in the crowd. Comparison: Iso Rivolta IR 300 from 1964 versus Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2 from 1965. In: Motor Klassik. Issue 6/1991, p. 8 ff.
• Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02651-1 .
• Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 .
• Godfrey Eaton: The Complete Ferrari . Cadogan Books, London 1985, ISBN 0-947754-10-5 , pp. 92f., 131-135, 140-150, 163/164, 353f.
• Brian Laban: Ferrari. 1st edition. Parragon Books, London 2006, ISBN 1-4054-1409-X .
• David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader: Classic Automobiles . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3 .

Web links

Commons : Ferrari 330 America  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Brian Laban: Ferrari. 1st edition. Parragon Books, London 2006, ISBN 1-4054-7015-1 , p. 65.
2. ^ ^{A b} Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02651-1 , p. 209.
3. ^ Frank Oleski, Hartmut Lehbrink: Series sports car . Könemann, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3-89508-000-4 , p. 300.
4. ^ Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The large Ferrari manual . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , p. 64.
5. ↑ Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz (ed.): The great Ferrari manual . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , pp. 59 and 61.
6. ^ ^{A b} Brian Laban: Ferrari. 1st edition. Parragon Books, London 2006, ISBN 1-4054-7015-1 , p. 85.
7. ↑ Description of the Ferrari 330 America on the website www.bonhams.com  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed June 27, 2016)  
8. ↑ Ulrich Bethschneider-Kieser: Faces in the crowd. Comparison: Iso Rivolta IR 300 from 1964 versus Ferrari 330 GT 2 + 2 from 1965. In: Motor Klassik. Issue 6/1991, p. 17.
9. ^ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02651-1 , p. 135.
10. ^ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946. 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02651-1 , pp. 209, 211.
11. ↑ Linda Clark: Buried in a Ferrari. In: Keith Martin, Linda Clark: Strange but True Tales of Car Collecting: Drowned Bugattis, Buried Belvederes, Felonious Ferraris, and other Wild Stories of Automotive Misadventure . MBI Publishing Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 2013, ISBN 978-0-7603-4400-2 , pp. 202-205 (English).
12. ↑ NN: VVVroom Tomb. In: Time Magazine. May 30, 1977 (English).
13. ↑ Matthias Urban: Manual of the Ferrari serial numbers . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-711-1 , p. 97 on 5055GT (English).
14. ↑ ^{a b c} Matthias Urban: Manual of the Ferrari serial numbers . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-711-1 , p. 96 f. (English).