FERRARI PROTOTYPES | FerrariChat

FERRARI PROTOTYPES

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by The Red Baron, Dec 31, 2017.

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  1. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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    The prototype ('prototipo') of a new model is always an important car.
    In definition "a vehicle on which, after testing, produces realization of a new model."
    It is the bench mark for the companies production for the next year or more. Thus it involves a whole range of different talents within the company to produce a vehicle that will drive nicely, sell well and make a profit. Generally some of the previous model is kept and changes can be minor or in other instances the whole car is revamped, with little or a minimal amount of the original car remaining. Otherwise a prototype can be constructed from the start.

    Regardless, Ferrari's prototypes are always a fanfare. The press are looking for that 'sneak peek' as are other automobile manufactures constantly monitoring their rivals.

    I would like to put a list together of all the Ferrari prototypes.

    Please include the Prototype for, year, model, chassis number, carrozzeria dell'auto - if applicable, as minimum.
     
  2. Aardy

    Aardy F1 Rookie
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    Regarding prototypes, I would want to know why 0357GT (PF #13941) and 0797GT (PF#22017) have such late PF numbers in the production...
     
  3. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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    Were the PF numbers issued at the same time as the chassis numbers.
     
  4. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
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    Edwin K. Niles
  5. Aardy

    Aardy F1 Rookie
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    I don't know. That's the question.o_O
     
  6. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    In case of Pininfarina coupe numero di scocca was assigned as soon as the construction of body was started at the Ferrari factory. The body number of 0797GT was assigned with delay of 8-9 months, so it is quite clear this chassis was kept as reference material when the new model was being designed and production was being started. You should remeber that this was the first new Ferrari model being built at the new plant at Grugliasco with new premises and new practises. It is a little surpricing it was not renumbered when it was finally released and went down the production line as 14th car of the production series.
     
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  7. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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  8. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Considering that the factory in 1955 built just 61 cars and in 1956 they built 81 cars it is completely understandable that there was some "overlapping". Production in those years was extremely small.

    Marcel Massini
     
  9. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    0357GT seems to have been entered into the books afterwards.
     
  10. Aardy

    Aardy F1 Rookie
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    That's remind me 0229/EL with also a strange late PF number (10958)
     
  11. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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  12. John Vardanian

    John Vardanian F1 Rookie

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    Cam followers just scrape against the lobes... no rollers. This is one motor where zinc in the oil is a must.

    john
     
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  13. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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    0229EL the Prototype for a series of 15 cars of which 11 remain.
    Certainly one of the smaller numbers of cars in a series.
     
  14. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    I would not call 0229EL a prototype. Pre-production car maybe, but not a prototype. It is a finished design, there's nothing experimental about it.
     
  15. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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    A car does not have to be experimental to be classified as a prototype.
    The 212 Inter, a road going series, designed in a more moderated environment than if it where a race car. It may purely be a new design, the purpose of which is to extend that style to produce a significant number of cars. Mind you, a significant number of cars was, in the 1950's vastly different than today.
    The Boano series, a run of 88 cars, and quite a new design overall had two prototypes, however the Ellena series, a run of 50 cars, had no prototypes. The Ellena was so closely derived from the Boano that no prototpye was made.
    Again with the 342 series of cars, a very small number of 6 in the model line up, no prototype existed.
    Therefore it is possible that the intention of Ferrari particular to a specific model dictated whether a prototype was going to be made or not.
     
  16. Aardy

    Aardy F1 Rookie
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    Two prototypes for the Boano ?? I count much more and you also forgot the five PF prototypes (0429GT, 0431GT, 0435GT, 0445GT and 0447GT...)
     
  17. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    I beg to differ. I don't particularly like wikipedia (shallow, politically biased info filled with common beliefs and naiive errors), but I quote: "A prototype is something that is representative of a category of things, or an early engineering version of something to be tested.". Ferrari rarely built prorotypes. They had the needed resources and skill to make finished designs that were simply put into production with no need for further testing. In many cases it is amazing how complete products their pre-production cars and "firsts in a series" really were. I would think most pre-production cars were built primarily to test and set up coachbuilder's production technologies (tooling, cost etc.), rather than testing the cars themselves. When Ferrari needed a prototype, they usually modified a used car.

    I fail to make an succesfull autopsy on your claim of 88 Boanos. I quickly counted 10 "prototypes" and/or pre-production cars built during transition period from PF to Boano (very complicated as several cars seem to have been partially built by PF and then transferred to Boano for completion together with half-finished sheet metal pieces, some were renumbered, some serial numbers simply deleted etc.), 3 pre-production cars by Boano ("slowly learning to make them by themselves"), 5 early production cars, 55 standard production cars, 10 more identical low roof cars usually called "Ellena", and finally 40 high roof cars. 83 low roofs and 40 high roof "Ellenas" make a total of 123 cars. Took me many years to count them all.

    Sort of funny that the only clear PROTOTYPE was built for the high roof version in summer of 1957. They simply needed to fit in a taller driver and wanted to test the car before messing up the production. It is quite obvious that this need occurred right after a few showroom pieces had been exported to USA. It must have been very frustrating when tall American buyers walked away with their dollars as they did not fit into the car they wanted!
     
  18. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    The old consensus was 6 cars, but now I have listed 15 chassis numbers originally allocated to Pinin Farina. So far I have found photos of only two of these also completed, carrying appropriate badging. 0429GT and 0435GT appear in factory photos taken in the Botanical Garden of Modena and in front of Palazzo Ducale. 0435GT was also used for PF studio photos and displayed in various motor shows.

    The completely missing 0431GT is a mystery. Im quite sure we would have photos of it, had it been completed by PF. Now I am not sure if it was ever built. It may have been renumbered into something else, or then it was destroyed early in its life, I have no idea.
     
  19. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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    Hi Kare, in what respect do you classify 0435GT, 0445GT & 0447GT as prototypes.
     
  20. kare

    kare F1 Rookie
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    0435GT was the one used for promotion photos and several motor show appearances. 0445GT seems to be a hybrid combining PF tail and boano nose, 0447GT likely is an early Boano, the history of this car is a mess after fictional RM description claiming it was a wing car later converted and other BS.
     
  21. The Red Baron

    The Red Baron Formula 3

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