Record sales at auction have recently earmarked the Ferrari 250 as the icon of the Italian motoring legend. Whilst serious collectors had previously recognised the intrinsic worth of the model, an exposition of its heritage reveals just why it is known as the ultimate Ferrari.
Records have recently been set by some Ferrari 250 models. Whether these were well-publicised or remained private deals is another matter, but a review of those in the limelight discloses a lot about the history of the car, and reads like a history of Ferrari itself.
Four of the top seven prices paid recently relate to essentially the same car but all with some unique character of their own. After all, the 250 is truly representative of the heady days of racing history and has since become extremely rare. The 1957 250 Testa Rossa, whilst not the first Ferrari to wear the moniker, was however the first to combine both the Testa Rossa feature and the 250 genetic material. This combination of symbolic Ferrari trademarks helped this car become one of the most valuable ever recently. Testa Rossa, or red-head refers to the colour that the valve covers of the four-cylinder engines were painted. Such was the relationship that the chassis and body of the 500TR formed the basis on which the 250 was founded. The other cars in these top spots took this racing pedigree and developed either a more manageable option for production car driving or took it to the next level of performance elitism. The 250 GT SWB Spider became the premium road-going convertible. The 330 TR/LM Spider became a one-time Le Mans winner with its increased engine capacity. The 250 Testa Rossa however was a legend in the making. It won Le mans four times.
What is more famously known and loved about the car though is its design. The elegance of the lines, complete with pontoon wings, was one of the designs that Sergio Scaglietti who conceived the shape was most proud. Heavily influenced by F1 of the day, the large wings were thought channel air to the brakes for enhanced cooling.
When redesigned in the 1960’s the car continued to win Le Mans thanks to a larger 4.0 V12 being fitted. Given that only 34 such cars were produced, and their inherent beauty, and with such race-bred heritage it is no wonder that the value of these cars has become as highly-rated as they were loved in their day.