Ferrari 250 GT Europa by Vignale
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Car producer : |
Ferrari |
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Model: |
250 GT Europa by Vignale |
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Year: |
1954-1956 |
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Type: |
Coupe |
The first road car to use Colombo's 250 V12 was the 250 Europa GT, introduced at the 1954 Paris Motor Show. Pinin Farina's sober Paris coupé was just one of many shapes for the 250 GT model line, with coachbuilt production extending through 1956 before the 250 line became more standardized. The original 250 Europa GT used a 2,600 mm (102.4 in) wheelbase on a conventional chassis, with Pirelli Cinturato 185VR16 tyres (CA67). The dry sump V12 was tuned to 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp), with three Weber 36DCZ3 carburettors. Echoing Vignale's 250 Europa, Pinin Farina added now-familiar vents to the front fenders, a standard styling cue for many of the 250 GTs that followed.
Ferraris of the period were, as pre-war cars had been, chassis to be clothed by independent carrozzerie. Giovanni Michelotti penned some wondrous designs for Vignale in the early 1950s, none more so than those built to clothe Ferrari chassis. While Ferrari would become intimately linked with Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') in years to come, when it comes to the early road going Berlinettas it is the style of Michelotti as realized by Vignale that defined much of what people saw as the non-racing side of Ferrari. These cars at their best are dramatic and flamboyant, most often seen in two-tone color schemes and full of fascinating and beautifully realized details in the arrangement of lights, vents and chrome trim.
The Vignale bodies lent an air of sophistication to chassis which were still, even by the middle of the decade, really more suited for competition driving than journeys to the opera. Nevertheless, they did their job in drawing wealthy businessmen, playboys and entertainers, seducing them with dashing lines and the sound of that jewel of a V-12 engine, whose companions were heard in races around the world. There would be only 20 250 Europas built until the model was succeeded by the Aurelio Lampredi-engined 250 GT Europa in 1955.
