The 250 line is one of the greatest sets of Ferraris of all time. Named after the 3.0-liter V12 engine (each cylinder displaces 250cc) designed by Gioachino Colombo, 250s first started hitting the road and racetracks in 1952. Since then, cars from this line have ranged from racing supremacy with the 250 GTO to the pop-culture infamy of the 250 GT California in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Now for the 250′s 60th anniversary, the Ferrari Museum is putting two of the most intriguing cars from this lineage on display.
The first is a 1961 short-wheelbase (SWB) 250 GT. While these are a beautiful example of these cars, this one is special because it was race prepared for Stirling Moss. It is also the car that won him the Royal Automobile Club’s International Tourist Trophy in 1961.
The other car on display is a unique design that has become affectionately known as the “Breadvan.” This was a Bizzarrini design commissioned by Count Volpi di Misurata to compete against the 250 GTO (the Count unsuccessfuly tried to purchase a GTO.) This private venture used a 250 SWB chassis, and an experimental body that utilized aerodynamic styling to compete against its larger brother. The car was not much of a winner, but the unique shooting brake design made this Ferrari a legend by looking like it had to stop for deliveries before it showed up to the track.
Ferrari’s Museum is located just a block away from the factory’s famous main gates in Maranello, Italy. Ferrari did not mention how long these two cars would be on display, but that should not matter too much. Whenever your plans take you anywhere near the museum, it is always worth a day’s visit…even if the Breadvan has already hauled buns out of there.
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