A 250 version was a natural for the over-3,000-cc GT class. Those 250-powered Ferraris would eventually dominate the series. Within sight of the SWB my son admired was a 250 Europa, a 250 Tour de France and a 250 GTO. The three cars bracket the SWB production, and there was no better time to explain dual-purpose Ferrari progression. A royal lineageA year before the 250 GTO would make its seminal mark, Ferrari created the ultimate SWB and it was later nicknamed the ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’. Internally known as the Comp/61, a handful of the unbeatable 250 SWB competition cars got a mechanical makeover for the 1961 season. At the time there was little competition that could rival the SWB in the
Like these early 250 GTs, the SWB enjoyed a string of success on the track which led to continual development that culminated with the 250 GTO. Right before the GTO was released, Ferrari was preparing SWBs with very light-gauge aluminum and near 300-horsepower engines for exclusive factory use. Known as the SEFAC hotrods, these were the
Ferrari developed the GTO—or Gran Turismo Omologato—for the 1962 race season as an uprated and heavily revised evolution of the highly successful 250 GT SWB. The GT struggled to breach much beyond the 150-mph mark due to aerodynamics, while powerful Shelby Cobras and slippery Jaguar E-Types were proving quite the challenge in the 250 GT’s rEFGMw.