Page 1 of 1 In time for the 1960 season, Ferrari launched a brand new short wheelbase (SWB) version of the highly successful 250 GT model at the 1959 Paris Auto Salon. Built for events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Tour de France, the 250 GT SWB sported a coupe body built by Scaglietti following a Pininfarina design. The Turin-based design house also received one of the first SWB chassis to turn into a show car for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
At the Pininfarina workshop, the compact chassis was clothed in a Cabriolet body similar to the style offered on the top-of-the-range 400 Superamerica model. Befitting its competition underpinnings, the coach-work was crafted in lightweight aluminium alloy and also included a removable hard-top. Finished in a light metallic blue (azzuro reale), the Geneva show car featured covered headlights and an abundance of chrome trim like the vents in the front fender and taillight bezels.
Virtually identical to the competition cars that were rapidly taking over international GT racing, the 250 GT SWB Cabriolet Speciale featured a straightforward tubular steel chassis with double wishbone suspension at the front and live rear axle. The heart of the car was formed by the latest evolution of the 'short-block' V12. Equipped with three Weber carburettors, the three-litre engine produced around 280 bhp. It was mated to the familiar four-speed gearbox already used by the long wheelbase predecessors.
Following its Geneva show duties, the one-off machine was sold by Pininfarina to prominent Paris-based client Maitre Paul Villard. He owned the car for over a decade while it changed hands several times during the 1970s until it joined the impressive collection of Peter Sachs in 1979. He sold the Cabriolet Speciale to the current owner, another prominent American collector in 1988. Following a complete restoration by Frank Triarsi in the early 1990s, it has been regularly entered in events all over the country. Page 1 of 1
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250 GT SWB Pininfarina Cabriolet Speciale
In time for the 1960 season, Ferrari launched a brand new short wheelbase (SWB) version of the highly successful 250 GT model at the 1959 Paris Auto Salon. Built for events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Tour de France, the 250 GT SWB sported a coupe body built by Scaglietti following a Pininfarina design. The Turin-based design house also received one of the first SWB chassis to turn into a show car for the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.