Here are a few more of the 275 from my previous meetings with the car... Paul Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=LF12&CarID=r173 If you´re still interested in the 250 TDF over the SWB, maybe you wan´t to see this one and what price it will reach... PS: I still think the SWB it´s a much prettyer car
+1, although it really depends on the variant of TdeF in question. The SWBs are more uniform in shape IMO, thru the series..
Look how beautiful the first SWB built is. The first 2 cars had no vents. The other ventless car is s/n 1613GT. The last picture in B&W was taken at the 1959 Paris Motor Show. Barchetta.cc info: http://www.barchetta.cc/english/all.ferraris/detail/1539gt.250gt.htm Conceptcarz.com info: http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/chassisNum.aspx?carid=13223&idNumID=9609 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Lovely car, this is the one that GTO Engineering did. I think the popularity in part may be due to the lovely colour. Any idea what it is? Looks like Grigio Mahmoud perhaps? From GTO website. Ferrari 275 GTB4 1968 exhibited at Villa DEste 2011 This Ferrari 275 GTB/4 recently underwent a complete concourse classic Ferrari restoration at GTO Engineerings workshops. This particular car has been shown at the prestigious Villa DEste Concours. It also won Best Car in Show at the 2011 National Ferrari Owners Club concourse show. The Process of restoring the Ferrari 275: The car was completely dismantled and the body shell and chassis taken to be soda blasted back to its original state. After this the last bits of corrosion and dirt were manually removed, the car was taken to our body shop for sympathetic panel restoration to bring everything back to its correct condition. Whilst this was being carried out all the mechanical parts were stripped, all the suspension components were fastidiously restored, replacement classic Ferrari parts obtained as necessary and all parts refinished with their original coating or electroplating. The engine was dismantled and all parts examined and taken to our machine shop for machining and re-commissioning; all parts scrupulously were cleaned and prepared for re-assembly. Meanwhile the panel skins were taken off and new perimeter metal put on and re-fitted to the frames at the body shop. The outriggers were restored and all surplus inner panel holes filled and cleaned back. The panel gaps were all set precisely and the body shell re-assembled to be ready to move across into the paint shop where the body was minimally filled where necessary and painstakingly hand flatted to produce a flat and perfect platform before painting, re-flatting and polishing. By now all the chrome and brightwork had been trial fitted to the car and carefully restored and re-chromed, new bumpers were made and chromed, instruments restored in preparation for the paint being finished. At last the car was ready for re-assembly and the mechanical units were ready for re-fitting. With immense care and appropriate pride the re-assembly began, glass was fitted, chrome was carefully assembled, the suspension built, transaxle re-fitted and the engine gently placed in its home. After most of the mechanicals were fitted work in the trim began, the seats were carefully re-upholstered, carpets and leather trim meticulously re-made and the car gradually came together, the engine was started and tuned and all the details were finished. Even the original etching on the windscreen and door glasses was re-produced, the car was road tested and delivered to its patient and anxious owner.
Incidentally, the 4th color shot above clearly shows the difference in the side window design between the early and later cars. But you knew that.
From the conceptcarz.com info on 1539GT: "It is one of only two 250 GT SWB Berlinettas built without the later traditional air vents in the front fenders, the second car (chassis number 1613 GT) was the other." http://www.barchetta.cc/all.ferraris/by-serial-number/ferrari-by-serial-number/model-index-55-59/model-summary/250-gt-swb-berlinetta-60-part-i-index/index.html Did they have the vents added later or are they rebodies? Look at the 250GT SWB Register above.
Lesson one when studying Ferrari history: trust no one. The same mistakes have been and will be repeated over and over again. Most early cars were retro-fitted with vent windows and fender vents very early on. Most of the rest have been restored through the years. The few that were unique in a way or another have usually been "corrected" which is pretty stupid and clearly erasing history. Best wishes, Kare
I see. Thanks very much. I wonder if anyone has any pics of 1741GT at the 1960 New York Auto Show or of Connell and George? Reed racing the car? It was the 4th car built. Details in the link: http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/1741GT.250GT.htm
Kare, could the 9 cars you're talking about without vents be including the 7 250GT LWB Interim cars which have the very similar to SWB shape and no vents which with the 2 ventless SWBs would make 9? Just a thought. Image Unavailable, Please Login
No! 9 first SWB Berlinettas, you can easily Google up lots of pictures on Charlie Kreisler's 1785GT, for example, which was destroyed early on and never had either fender vents or vent windows!
You're absolutely correct, Kare. Car number 10 driven by Ed Hugus at Sebring. See the link. http://www.racingsportscars.com/photo/1960/Sebring-1960-03-26-010.jpg Another link to ventless 1785GT: http://barchetta.mediacenter.studioline.net/?i=1428997&rd=1964532 Barchetta info on VENTLESS 1785GT: http://www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/1785GT.250GT.htm Notice on the bottom of the barchetta link that a reproduction??? has been made of 1785GT with vents. Thanks again, Kare. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The SWB production line showed these developmental changes in detail (copyright?): Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
A very nice 1959 TDF (Chassis 1335GT) is coming up for sale in London at the RM Action later this year with a great competition history http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=LF12&CarID=r173&fc=0
Following on about the early 250GT SWB cars without side vents there's a great story on this very site by Ferrarichat member pgb67 about SWB 1741GT that belonged to his father in the sixties and how it got its side vents and vent windows. Below is post 57 in the thread by pgb67 and what he posted which relates to the vents: "This is my Dads next project. 1741GT. These were taken in front of our old building. 555 Port Washington Blvd. He purchased the car as it sits from a guy named T Bor Zabo. Thats how its pronounced, I'm sure I didn"t guess correctly on the spelling. I believe the car was flipped at Limerock. The doors, glass and I'm sure some more parts were missing. On my parents honeymoon they went to Italy and came back with door frames, "Now with the vent windows". They also brought back a windsheild, the side ducts which the car did not originally have, and all new connely hides. My mother has a great story of sitting in the waiting room for hours on end freezing her butt off while her new love toured the place." Link to the thread here with some very interesting stories on other great Ferraris his father owned: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128053 The superb pictures are by pgb67 so I hope he doesn't mind me posting them here and thanks to him for sharing the story and the pictures. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
There is one visual differences between early and later cars that the diagram doesn't point out--the "clipped" corner of the side windows. There is another difference that no one ever brings up which is also what makes the earlier cars more attractive, and that is the nose, specifically, the headlight heights. The earlier cars' front fenders dive lower as they approach the headlights and that gives the car a more "leaping" and aggressive look. john
On most SWBs, is it my eyes or is the grille and chin at an angle rather than being at 90 degrees to the ground with the end of the nose projecting further out to give the frontal side nose view of a shark like a Lusso? Or effectively the grille and chin angled inwards? Apologies for my confusing question. Have a look at the red SWB in the vid below in the still before play and from 0.36. The front looks less SWB or shark like to me and more like a 250 GT PF Coupe or 250 GTE 2+2. Probably just my eyes. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Fqq0h6b3Q[/ame]
Here are a couple of photos of 1539 when I owned it in the mid 1980's......You can clearly see the lower front wings and the clipped corner of the side windows......I have many photos of this car which I must scan and will post. It was absolutely bereft of all the later features.......No vents ....no number plate indent etc.......Please note that in one photo you will see its RHD and in the other LHD......Obviously it should be LHD but when I first got it a previous owner, Vic Norman had converted it to RHD. I bought a LHD steering box from Bob Houghton and David Cottingham at DK transferred it back to the correct LHD. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hi Steve, I'd guess a good number of these cars have had work done at the front end. But if you compared, for instance, a period picture of 1539 with, say, the Rob Walker car, you'll see the difference in the nose profile. john
Hi John. Thanks for your reply. Are you referring to the difference in the nose profile of an early car to a '61 car?
