Ferrari 330 GTC

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Ferrari
Ferrari 330 GTC
Ferrari 330 GTC
330 GTC
330 GTS
Production period: 1966-1968
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupé , convertible
Engines: Otto engine :
4.0 liters
(220 kW)
Length: 4470 mm
Width: 1675 mm
Height: 1282 mm
Wheelbase : 2400 mm
Empty weight : 1300 kg
Previous model Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Ferrari 275 GTS
successor Ferrari 365 GTC
Ferrari 365 GTS

The Coupé Ferrari 330 GTC and its Cabiolet version 330 GTS are road sports cars from the Italian car manufacturer Ferrari . They belong to the Ferrari 330 model family , but regardless of the twelve-cylinder engine used in common, they differ from the other family members in their stylistic and technical independence. Individual vehicles received individual bodies from Pininfarina , Zagato and Felber .

History of origin

At the beginning of the 1960s, Ferrari divided its range of road sports cars into several segments. The 275 GTB took on the role of the decidedly sporty two-seater, while the 250 GTE 2 + 2 and its successors, the 330 America and 330 GT 2 + 2, were elegant four-seater Gran Turismo models. The two-seater 250 GT Lusso had been positioned between these series since 1962 . When its production ended in the course of 1964, Ferrari initially did not fill the gap again. It was not until 1966 that the factory brought out the redesigned Coupé 330 GTC, which newly occupied the market segment of the 250 GT Lusso. Ferrari combined several already existing technical modules with one another in the 330 GTC, and the body design was also a combination of several designs that had previously been implemented in other models.

The 330 GTC appeared in March 1966 at the Geneva Motor Show , the Spyder GTS derived from it, which replaced the Ferrari 275 GTS discontinued at the beginning of the year , was presented in October 1966 at the Mondial de l'Automobile in Paris. Both models remained in the range until 1968, when they were replaced by the outwardly very similar, but with larger and more powerful engines, successors, the 365 GTC and 365 GTS .

nomenclature

As was common at Ferrari in the 1950s and 1960s, the model designation for the 330 GTC and GTS is derived from the engine of the vehicle. It relates to the cubic capacity of a single cylinder, which in the engine used here was a rounded 300 cm³. GTB stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta , GTS refers to the open Gran Turismo Spyder .

Model description

Motorization and power transmission

A twelve-cylinder V-engine Tipo 209 in a 330 GT 2 + 2

In the 330 GTC and GTS, Ferrari used a twelve-cylinder V-engine with a cylinder bank angle of 60 degrees and a displacement of 3967 cm³ (bore × stroke = 77 × 71 mm; total volume of a cylinder approx. 330 cm³). The engine with the factory designation Tipo 209 was conceptually based on a design by Gioacchino Colombo from 1947, the further development of which it is considered to be. While basically maintaining the relationship between bore and stroke as well as the cylinder bank angle, Ferrari redesigned the engine block in 1960, with the distance between the cylinders being increased in particular. These and other changes led to the Tipo 209 , which was used in all of the 330 family's street sports cars .

As in the previously published models 330 and 330 America GT 2 + 2, the engine was also in the 330 GTC three downdraft - twin carburettors of Weber equipped (40 DCZ / 6 or 40 DFI optional type). It had an overhead camshaft for each bank of cylinders and two valves per cylinder. The power was about 220 kW (300 hp) at 7500 rpm.

The engine power was transmitted via a manual five-speed gearbox. The transmission corresponded to that of the 330 GT 2 + 2 of the second series, but was not installed in the front of the 330 GTC, but on the rear axle.

landing gear

The 330 GTC and 330 GTS had a tubular frame chassis made of steel, which bore the in-house designation Tipo 592 . The chassis was largely identical to that of the 275 GTB. In each case, the wheelbase was 2400 mm. The wheels were hung individually at the front and back . The 330 GTC also differed in this detail from the larger 330 GT 2 + 2, which still had a rigid rear axle . The suspension of the 330 GTC consisted of double wishbones with coil springs and hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers from Koni with stabilizers. On all four wheels there were disc brakes from Girling .

body

Light construction with thin vehicle pillars: Ferrari 330 GTC

The body of the 330 GTC was designed by Pininfarina. The designer in charge was Aldo Brovarone . He combined various design elements from well-known Ferrari sports cars. The front section was defined by an oval radiator opening between two-part bumpers. It was based on the front of the exclusive 500 Superfast . The rear end was similar to that of the 275 GTS and took up elements of the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, a design study that Tom Tjaarda had designed for Pininfarina in 1963. The peculiarities of the 330 GTC included the thin vehicle pillars and the large glass surfaces, which, in the opinion of critics, gave the structure a special lightness.

Most body parts were made of steel, some parts like hoods and doors were made of aluminum.

Ferrari 330 GTS

Ferrari 330 GTS

The open Ferrari 330 GTS was technically the same as the closed 330 GTC in every detail. The GTS, however, was slightly heavier than the GTC. It had a fabric top that, when folded back, almost completely disappeared into the vehicle body, so that the continuous belt line was not interrupted. The folded-back hood could be covered with a protective cover made of vinyl . The 330 GTS only had odd chassis numbers.

production

The 330 GTC and GTS were built in Pininfarina's factory in Turin ; Ferrari then installed the mechanical components in Maranello. In two years, 598 coupes and 100 Spyders were built. In the course of the production time, the model experienced almost no technical or stylistic changes.

Individual structures

Some chassis received their own superstructures.

330 GTC Speciale PF "Rethy"

The so-called Rethy Ferraris were created in four copies, which combined the short chassis of the 330 GTC with a body that was based on the profile of the much longer 365 GT 2 + 2 "Queen Mary" . The design again came from Pininfarina. The C-pillar slowly drained towards the end of the trunk. The rear pane, however, was vertical. This design feature was reminiscent of the lines of the Dino 246 . As with the 365 California Spyder, there were concealed auxiliary headlights on the front . The client was the Belgian King Leopold III. The car (chassis number 9439) went to his second wife, who carried the title Princess of Rethy . The unofficial name of the special model refers to this title. A second, almost identical vehicle with chassis number 9653 was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1967. It went to a friend of the royal family. Both vehicles were built in the first months of 1967. In the further course of the year, Pininfarina manufactured two further 330 GTC Specials, one of which had a differently designed rear end. The last two vehicles went to two Italian customers.

The 330 GTS Harrah Targa

On the basis of a 330 GTS (chassis number 10913), Pininfarina produced a one-off in 1968 with a body in Targa style . With the otherwise unchanged structure, the car had a wide, chrome-plated roll bar in the area of ​​the B-pillar , to which a large inclined panoramic rear window made of plastic was attached. The roof part between the windshield and the roll bar could be removed. The client was the American businessman and automobile collector William F. Harrah , who left the car to the country singer Bobbie Gentry , his wife at the time. After the divorce in 1970, Harrah sold the car.

330 Convertible Zagato

Ferrari 330 Convertible Zagato

In 1973, five years after production of the 330 GTC had ceased, the US Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti commissioned the Milan-based design studio Zagato to design a new body for a used chassis. The base vehicle was created in 1967 (chassis number 10659) and delivered to the USA. The responsible designer was Elio Zagato or Giuseppe Mittino , depending on the source . Zagato had already implemented a very similar design on a chassis of the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB in 1970 . While that car was a full convertible with a fold-down fabric top, a two-door safety convertible was created in 1974. Behind the seats the car had a wide roll bar; the plastic roof section over the seats was removable. The headlights were behind a wide plexiglass cover. This stylistic device reinterpreted the front section of the first series of the 365 GTB / 4 “Daytona” . The car was presented to the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1974. It remained a one-off.

Felber-Ferrari FF

Felber-Ferrari FF

The chassis of the 330 GTC served the Swiss automobile manufacturer Felber as the basis for a roadster with a retro look , which was based very freely on the Ferrari 166 . The doorless two-seater was presented at the 1974 Geneva Motor Show. There was a small series of six vehicles, each with used 330 GTC chassis. The body was made by Panther Westwinds in Great Britain. Enzo Ferrari allowed Felber to use the Ferrari name.

The 330 GTC and GTS on the classic market

The Ferrari 330 GTC and GTS are high-priced classics. The purchase price for a 330 GTC in the exhibition state was 800,000 euros in 2017, a mediocre one cost 600,000 euros. A 330 GTS in top condition was quoted at 1.8 million euros in 2017, worse specimens were only slightly cheaper. In the past five years, classic prices have almost quadrupled.

literature

  • Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , 1st edition Stuttgart 2006 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3
  • Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The great Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to today , 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 2006. London (Parragon Books). ISBN 1-40547-015-1 .
  • David Lillywhite, Halwart Schrader: Classic Automobiles . Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-613-02552-3 .

Web links

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

Remarks

  1. ↑ In addition, there were revised engines that were equipped with modified cylinder heads, valve controls and ignition systems, but with the same dimensions. They were called Tipo 216, 216B and 237 and were reserved for use in racing. A version of the Tipo 209, enlarged to 4.4 liters, powered the street sports cars of the 365 model family.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The large Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to today , Heel Verlag, Königswinter, 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , p. 71.
  2. ^ A b c Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , 1st edition Stuttgart 2006 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 142.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f The Ferrari 330 GTC on the auto.ferrari.com website (accessed on July 29, 2017).
  4. ^ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , 1st edition Stuttgart 2006 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 145.
  5. ↑ The Ferrari 330 GTS on the Auto.ferrari.com website (accessed on July 29, 2017).
  6. ^ Peter Braun, Gregor Schulz: The large Ferrari manual. All series and racing vehicles from 1947 to today , Heel Verlag, Königswinter, 2006, ISBN 3-89880-501-8 , p. 74.
  7. ↑ The Rethy-Ferraris on the website www.ultimatecarpage.com (accessed on July 29, 2017).
  8. ^ A b Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , 1st edition Stuttgart 2006 (Motorbuch Verlag). ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 143.
  9. ↑ a b The Ferrari 330 Convertible Zagato on the website fabwheelsdigest.blogspot.de (accessed on July 29, 2017).
  10. ↑ Description and illustration of the 330 GTC Zagato Convertible (chassis number 10659) on the website www.silodrome.com (accessed on May 3, 2019).
  11. ↑ Oldtimer Market. Prices 2017, p. 68.