250 GT SWB '1st Series'

I believe only 1539GT and 1613GT are without side opening. I saw and sat in 1613GT at Coys Auction (Historic Festival Silverstone in 1998 or 1999)

 

Are you talking about the brake cooling ducts or the front fender vents (pic please) ?
Germain

 

Or vent windows...

 

Or cooling trap-door (1813GT -2845GT) ...

 

mike allesandro of rancho santa fe owns the very first produced. lovely non-met grey...lovely machine!!!

 

Also, it has been my observation that the first cars had slightly narrower grills which made for a more downward pointing stance from the frontal view, like 1539. The later cars had a "blunter" look to their nose-- like Rob Walker/S. Moss dark blue car (with the white stripe).

john

 

This picture of a "vent-less" SWB is from the 1961 International Auto Parade annual. They only made two like this??
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Yes, photographed is likely 1613GT

 

I think they had already built something like 8-10 cars when they came up with the idea of adding vents. All but the two first car have been retrofitted with vents.

 

Have vents been added to 1771GT as well? I thought 1539GT, 1613GT and 1771GT were the only cars still without them.

 

You're right, I forgot that one even if I just looked at some pics of it!

 

Helpful for general guidance, from Cavallino #25
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I have attached a photograph of 1813GT (13th SWB). By increasing the brightness of the picture the details of the various vents and openings on the body become clearer. This photograph was taken on May 8, 1960 and according to the build sheets the car was completed by the factory on April 30, 1960.

You can see the brake ducts (without sleeves as on later cars) cut into the bodywork directly beneath each headlight. Also note there are side vents without fairings. Likely it was discovered later that without fairings these vents had limited airflow. There are opening vents in both footwells, these are present on a handful of SWB's from the factory.
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It's odd to me that nobody has mentioned what is, to me, the most obvious difference which is the kink in the door window top on the early cars vs the much cleaner, straighter line on the later cars.
Anton

 

Of course this is one of the most significant changes.
I think in the cavallino-drawings this knick is meant by the description in "series four":
"Side windows top edge smoothed out"

But I also wondered why the drawing wasn't changed, only text added.