Despite Ferrari's immense competition success during the 1950s and '60s, the Scuderia by no means had a limitless budget at that time. Legendary designer Mauro Forghieri later commented that the company's commitment to evolution rather than revolution was as much a result of financial considerations as engineering principles. Phil Hill, meanwhile, once said that he couldn't remember how much he was paid during his Formula One World Championship-winning season of 1961 - and that, even if he could, he would probably have been too embarrassed to say. In those days, you drove for Ferrari for the glory rather than the money.
Before the arrival of commercial sponsorship in top-level international motorsport, teams had to find other ways to fund their activities. BRM, for example, was backed by the industrial might of Rubery Owen. For Ferrari, it was primarily the sale of road cars that enabled it to go racing, and during the early 1960s, the 250GTE contributed most to that effort. Between 1960 and 1963, 949 GTEs were built, plus five prototypes - a total representing almost 70% of Ferrari road cars at the time.
It wasn't the company's first attempt at a 2+2 - the Touring-bodied 166 coupé that Ferrari displayed at the 1948 Turin motor show had tiny rear seats - but previous efforts had been built in extremely limited numbers. The GTE was the first such Ferrari to go into proper series production, at a time when the concept was still relatively new to the marque. It also spawned a line of front-engined V12 2+2s that would last until the recent GTC4Lusso; the latest Roma continues the theme, but with a twin-turbo V8.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring