The Perfect Ferrari
The ‘SWB’ (short-wheelbase) designation arose from a chassis that, at 2,400mm in that respect, was 200mm shorter than that of the standard 250GT. Dressed with a bodywork that is widely considered Pininfarina’s greatest masterpiece, constructed by Scaglietti, the 250GT SWB’s engine was Ferrari’s light and compact Colombo-designed 3.0-litre V12. Breathing through three twin-choke Weber carburettors, this two-cam, all-aluminium power unit produced 280bhp in competition tune, giving the car a top speed of 150mph with acceleration to match.
Specifications could be varied to suit individual customers’ requirements for either road or track, models supplied for competition-use fitted with lightweight aluminium-alloy bodies, and it was this special aluminium-bodied version of the 250GT SWB that led directly to the immortal GTO of 1962. Through early 1962, the SWB was ultimately built in a modest quantity of 165 examples, 91 of which were finished in the steel-bodied Lusso road-car configuration, 74 examples wore alloy coachwork and were specified for racing use.
This beautiful 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti is available from Auxietre & Schmidt. Click on the link below for more information, including a detailed history of the car. Photos © Stephan Bauer for Auxietre & Schmidt.