Ferrari 250 GT Berlinettta SWB (1960)

First presented to the public at the 1959 Paris Auto Salon, the Pininfarina designed 250 GT Berlinetta Passo Corto (SWB) would prove to be a faster, lighter and even more competitive successor to the highly revered 250 Tour de France. Built at the Scaglietti works in Modena, it would go on to be one of the best known and most competitive road going Ferraris. The 250 SWB was the first production road car to be fitted with disc brakes as standard equipment. Unlike the preceding LWB series, the new car was offered in both left and right hand drive configurations.

The overall design changed very slightly during the three year production run from 1960 to 1962. Designed with motorsport in mind, the 250 GT “SWB” Berlinetta continued on the successes of the preceding “LWB” models, dominating the 1960 and 1961 seasons with consecutive wins in the Tour de France, Goodwood Tourist Trophy, the GT category at Le Mans and the Nurburgring 1000km. These were just a few of the numerous class and overall wins achieved during its reign as the queen of the GT category.

Chassis #2221GT was imported into the UK by Col. Ronnie Hoare of Maranello Concessionaires Ltd and was first seen in October 1960 in London, taking centre stage for Ferrari at the Earls Court Motorshow. One of just 11 Steel bodied SWBs built in RHD, it was one of just three from this set to feature full competition options but with a steel body skin. As such, it featured a long range fuel tank, bucket seats, aluminium closing panels, an aluminium ribbed case gearbox, high lift cams and an open air tray. 2221GT was sold by the Colonel after a year and 10,000 Miles, to revered racer Ron Fry. Early correspondence in the file details the Colonel highlighting the competition prowess of the SWB, through a series of letters, over and above that of the DB4 GT in every race entered – a car Fry was racing at the time.

Fiercely competitive and successful, Fry would campaign the car tirelessly throughout ’62 & ’63, taking no fewer than 33 podiums during this time. So impressed by the SWB and marque, Fry would replace his SWB with a GTO and then a 250 LM that he saw at the Earls Court Motorshow in 1964, purchasing that exact LM and campaigning it until 1966.

During the 1970s the car was owned by the Parasiliti family in Italy. Once more the car would see regular competition use including the Oldtimer GP at the Nurburgring and the Targa Florio revival. In 2011, DK Engineering found the car in Sicily, purchased it and returned the car to the UK. The original body had been removed in the 1980s in favour of an aluminium item for racing, the original being put into storage which would subsequently be reunited with the car during a two-year restoration. Most recently the car has returned to European competition, completing Tour Auto twice as well as numerous other events.

This fantastic 250SWB is a true competition car for the road with extensive period race history, thorough maintenance records and Classiche Certification detailing it as having its original body, chassis, engine and gearbox.