Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder.
Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina
Curb weight
1,050 kg (2,315 lb)
Chronology
SuccessorFerrari 275 GTS

The Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina, occasionally referred to as the 250 GTC, is a prestige sports car developed by the Italian carmaker Ferrari. A "cabriolet" version of the 250 GT sedan, it was designed by Pinin Farina of Turin; it was also bodied by him - an exception for Ferrari, since another coachbuilder, Scaglietti, usually did the work.

Produced from July 1957 to the end of 1962, the 250 GT Cabriolet was Ferrari's first mass-produced cabriolet. Initially, only a small volume of around thirty models was assembled. Identified by the designation "first series" (in Italian, prima serie), these Ferraris gave way in July 1959 to a second version with a corrected design ("second series", in Italian seconda serie), which sold around 200 units, despite being the most expensive Ferrari 250 GT[1] at the time.

Context

In the second half of the 1950s, Ferrari moved away from the radically sporty models for which it is still famous, and began to produce more "standardized" prestige automobiles. Enzo Ferrari realized the importance of this type of car to his company's financial health. Indeed, the production of the 250 GT Boano/Ellena was already a major step in this direction.[2] By producing the 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina, the first cabriolet in its history to be built in series, Ferrari took another step in this direction. Although a few cabriolet models had been assembled in the past, none had ever been produced in large numbers.[3] The production of a cabriolet was in fact a logical follow-up to the expansion of the Ferrari range, which in 1956 consisted of the Boano Grand Touring coupé and the more sporty "Tour de France" berlinetta, with the aim of improving the distribution of its cars.[3][4]

Origins and evolution

In the beginning, it would be several years before the idea of a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet became a reality. In the meantime, several exhibition models were produced. The first was produced in 1953 by the Turin coachbuilder

Europa GT-based cabriolet, designed by Mario Boano.[3][4] Presented to the public at the Geneva International Motor Show, it wasn't until the following year and a final prototype, assembled by Pinin Farina on the chassis of a 250 GT, also presented at Geneva, that this series of exhibition models came to an end,[3][4]
giving birth to the first-series Pinin Farina 250 GT Cabriolet.

Photograph of a first-series 250 GT Cabriolet
A first-series 250 GT Cabriolet, recognizable by its vertical bumpers.

Produced from July 1957, the 250 GT Cabriolet PF was first developed on the basis of a 250 GT Boano/Ellena and then, like the 250 GT California Spyder the following year, on that of the 250 GT Berlinetta "TdF". As the first series was a form of "pre-production", only around thirty examples were produced until July 1959.[5] In October of the same year, the second-series 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina was unveiled to the public at the Paris Motor Show, as Ferrari had long been accustomed to presenting its new models there.[6] Some 200 examples of this more accomplished second series were produced until 1962.

This ramp-up in production was made possible by the relocation of Pinin Farina's production facilities to a new, larger and more modern plant in Grugliasco (a province of Turin),[4] and the installation of a new elevated assembly line in the Ferrari factory.[7]

Exterior and interior appearance

Stern of a second-series 250 GT Cabriolet PF

As has been his custom since 1952, Enzo Ferrari commissioned Pinin Farina from Turin to design the future Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet. More surprisingly, however, he also entrusted Farina with the bodywork, a task usually assigned to Carrozzeria Scaglietti at the time: Ferrari wanted to increase the production rate of its cars, and consequently its sales.[8]

Photograph of the interior of a second-series250 GT Cabriolet PF
Interior cabin of a second-series 250 GT Cabriolet PF

In contrast to the

rev counter, informing the driver of engine operation.[2]

Finding the lines of this first series of 250 GT Cabriolet a little heavy, Pinin Farina decided in 1959 to correct the design. He took his inspiration from the latest Ferrari coupé, the 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina,[10] which he had been building for just over a year. The windshield is now higher and less sloping, and the side windows are larger. More space is also given to rear passengers, and the boot volume, already generous for two passengers' luggage, is increased.[1] Pinin Farina also refined the lines of the canvas soft top, which from 1961 could be replaced by a removable hard top.[10] Among the 200 or so second-series models produced, aesthetic differences were not uncommon; for example, some cars had large chrome-plated air vents behind the front wheel arches, while others did not.[3]

Engine and transmission

The powertrains of the "250 GT dynasty" are almost standardized. The 250 GT Cabriolet PF is powered by the traditional "Colombo" V12 engine, open at 60°, with a displacement of 2,953 cm3 (bore/stroke 73 mm × 58.8 mm). Three Weber double-barrel 36 DCL 3 (first series) and 40 DCL (second series) carburetors feed the engine, while timing is provided by two overhead camshafts, one for each bank of cylinders. In 1960, a number of new features were introduced: spark plugs were placed on the outside of the cylinder head for easier maintenance and longer life,[10] and the cylinders were supplied with air via twelve independent intake ducts.

With a compression ratio varying between 8.5:1 and 9.5:1,[2] the engine develops 240 hp, reached at 7,000 rpm, and 245 N m[13] of torque. Equipped with a four-speed gearbox featuring overdrive, the 250 Cabriolet reaches a top speed of 240 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in around 7.1 s.[2]

Chassis, brakes and suspension

As with the engine, the technologies used for the chassis and suspension are now well known to Ferrari. The chassis is a tubular steel frame. The front suspension is independent, with superimposed double wishbones and coil springs; the rear is a rigid axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and parallel trailing arms.[13] Hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers are also used front and rear.[13]

Photograph of Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina on the occasion of the drivers' parade at Hockenheim in 2004.
Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina at the drivers' parade at Hockenheim in 2004.

The braking system, on the other hand, abandons the classic drum brakes in favor of disc brakes. In fact, shortly after its presentation at the 1956 Geneva International Motor Show, Pinin Farina's latest show car was made available to the official Ferrari driver, Peter Collins, who used it in competition in England and had four Dunlop disc brakes fitted. This initiative was taken up a few years later by Enzo Ferrari for the 250 Testa Rossa, and soon, judging their effectiveness to be convincing, for all his cars.[3]

Posterity

While the 250 GT Cabriolet marked a real turning point in Ferrari's history, becoming the first of the manufacturer's models whose manufacturing process most closely resembled that of mass production, it was ultimately eclipsed in memory[14] by another Ferrari, produced in parallel and yet aesthetically quite similar, but with a very different intended "personality":[12] the 250 GT California Spyder.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c B. Laban 2009, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 56
  2. ^ a b c d "Ferrari 250 GT PF Cabriolet Series I". QV500.com. Retrieved 1 September 2009.[permanent dead link].
  3. ^ a b c d e f g B. Laban 2009, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 52.
  4. ^ a b c d e Daniel Vaughan. "1962 Ferrari 250 GT news, pictures, and information". conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 23 December 2011..
  5. ISBN 978-0-7603-2550-6
    ..
  6. ^ "Ferrari - 250 GT Cabriolet Pinin Farina Série 2 - 1960". Auction.fr. Retrieved 1 September 2009..
  7. ^ "Ferrari 250 GT Coupe". HowStuffWorks.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-28. Retrieved 2023-07-31..
  8. ^ "Ferrari 250 GT coupé Pininfarina (1958 - 1961)". Automobile-sportive.com. Retrieved 25 December 2011..
  9. ^ Steve Ahlgrim. "1961 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet Series II". Sports Car Market. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2009..
  10. ^ a b c d H. Lehbrink et al. 2004, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 92.
  11. ^ "Focus on 250 GT (1957)". Ferrari.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  12. ^ a b B. Laban 2009, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 54.
  13. ^ a b c B. Laban 2009, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 57.
  14. ^ H. Lehbrink et al. 2004, 250 GT Cabriolet, p. 91.

Bibliography

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