The Ferrari 250 GTO
By Richardd Adams

 The Ferrari 250 GTO is a very special car. With only 39 made and now carrying a price tag of up to $35 million, you have a better chance of running into Whitney Houston in the parking lot, than this car. You will not have a picture of yours on Facebook, no, the ownership of this automobile is a private affair.

It was manufactured by Ferrari during the years 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the Group 3 Grand Touring Car category, enabling it to compete in Le Mans and other Grand-Touring car races. The 250 part of its name is the cubic centimeters of each of the 12 cylinders of the 3 liter V12 engine and the  GTO is for "Gran Turismo Omologata" which for you non Italians, means Grand Touring Homologated.

The new price, at $18,000 in the US, along with buyers having to be pre-approved by both Enzo Ferrari and his North American dealer, Luigi Chinett, guaranteed exclusivity in1962. There were 36 of the cars built during the years 1962/63 and in 1964 a Series II was introduced with a slightly different look. Three S11 cars were made, and even 4 older Series I's were given a Series II body. It brought the total of GTOs produced to 39.

This Ferrari, was not designed by a single designer or design company. Based on the 250 GT SWB with the 3 litre V12 engine producing 220 kW or 300 hp, came from the 250 Testa Rossa and had a reworked body. The body was developed in a wind tunnel and through actual track testing.
The car consisted of a welded tubular frame, with an A arm front suspension, a live axle differential, 4 wheel disc brakes and wire wheels. The five-speed gearbox was new to Ferrari GT racing cars, it was Porsche designed with a metal gate controlled shift pattern. The interior is basic, without a speedometer. It is claimed that Fiat 500 switches were fitted. The car weighed  in at only 1,100 kilograms (2,420 lb).

Although the FIA regs required 100 examples of a homologated (for Group 3 Grand Touring) cars to be built, Ferrari only built 39 of the 250 GTOs. Thirty three in 3 litre and three with the 4 litre 330 engine. The 330 had a large hump on the bonnet- and three others also had the revised bodywork. They got by the FIA 100 units requirement by numbering their chassis out of sequence, using gaps between the chassis numbers hinting at cars that didn't exist. 

The car was first raced at the 1962 Twelve Hours of Sebring, with the then current Formula One World Champion Phil Hill and Belgian Olivier Gendebien driving, the pair impressed everyone by finishing 2nd overall behind the mighty Ferrari Testa Rossa.
Ferrari won the FIA’s 1962, 1963 and 1964 over 2000cc class, of the  International Championship for GT Manufacturers. The 250 GTO was raced in each of those years.


The 250 GTO, like other racing cars of the period, passed into obsolescence when the mid engine sports cars arrived on the racing scene. Many returned to duty as road cars.

The current selling price you ask?
Well if you manage to get the owner to put his GTO up for sale?
Around $35 million (US)