Guide: Ferrari 250 Europa
Background
Enzo Ferrari knew that, to fund a world class racing team, he would require more than the occasional competition car sale.
The big profits needed would ultimately have to come from a road car division.
With this in mind, the first Ferrari designed not for racing use emerged at the Turin Motor Show in August 1948.
This prototype (built on a 166 Sport chassis) inspired Ferrari’s first street model: the 166 Inter.
37 of the 166 Inters were sold between late 1949 and early 1951.
Bigger engined 195 and 212 Inters followed in quick succession. Popularity of the Inter range continued to increase year after year.
However, sales were limited by the production capacity of Italy’s myriad coachbuilders. As Ferrari did not design or manufacture bodies for their cars, they were reliant on the likes of Ghia, Vignale, Pinin Farina and others to complete the supply chain.
Some of these companies were better organised than others while the quality of design and workmanship inevitably varied from firm to firm.
In an attempt to remedy the situation, Enzo Ferrari signed a contract in late 1951 that saw Pinin Farina become the firm’s official coachbuilder. Customers could still order a car with bodywork by another carrozzeria, but from this point, Pinin Farina would produce the overwhelming majority of Ferrari road car bodies in a move towards greater efficiency.
Among the earliest models produced under the Ferrari-Pinin Farina axis were the 250 Europa and 375 America. With the exception of their engines, they were identical; the 250 Europa used a 3-litre version of Aurelio Lampredi’s big block V12 which was enlarged to 4.5-litres for the 375 America.
Both models were unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1953. They were the only road cars officially available from Ferrari at the time although a small number of 375 Mille Miglias were assembled for street instead of competition use.
Chassis
The tubular steel chassis found on the 250 Europa and 375 America was an updated version of the type used by the 342 America. To free up cockpit space, the wheelbase was extended from 2650mm to 2800mm.
Track measurements were unchanged at 1325mm front and 1320mm rear (dimensions adopted for most of the 375 range).
Front suspension was via independent double wishbones, a transverse leaf spring and an anti-roll bar. A live axle with semi-elliptic springs was installed at the back.
Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers were fitted all round along with drum brakes.
The 15 x 7-inch Borrani wire wheels were originally shod with Pirelli tyres.
A long-range 140-litre fuel tank was installed behind the rear axle.
Engine & Gearbox
At just three-litres, the Europa’s engine was the smallest version of Lampredi’s Grand Prix-derived long-block motor ever used by Ferrari.
The Lampredi V12 most notably differed from the short block Colombo unit by virtue of its greater distance between the cylinder bores (increased from 90mm to 108mm). This enabled Ferrari to build engines with a much larger displacement than before.
The power unit found in the 250 Europa was another all-alloy 60° V12 with wet-sump lubrication.
Single overhead camshafts were employed for each bank along with two valves per cylinder.
Ignition was via two Marelli coils and one spark plug per cylinder.
The displacement of 2963cc was achieved thanks to a 68mm bore and stroke. This represented a 16mm bore reduction over the 4.5-litre unit in the 375.
Compression was 8.5:1 (compared to 8.0:1 for the 375). Three twin-choke Weber 36 DCF downdraught carburettors were fitted instead of the 40s used by the 375.
Peak output was 200bhp at 6000rpm and 175lb-ft at 5000rpm. This compared to 300bhp at 6500rpm and 289lb-ft at an identical 5000rpm for the 4.5-litre motor.
Transmission was via a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox and twin-plate clutch. Various axle ratios were available.
Bodywork
Bodies for the 250 Europa and 375 America saw a far greater degree of uniformity than the outgoing Inter range.
16 of the 21 Europas were Pinin Farina Coupes. Pinin Farina also built a solitary Cabriolet. The remaining four cars were executed by Vignale (three as Coupes and one as a Cabriolet).
Vignale were still a popular option for lightweight competition coachwork, but the firm bodied less than a quarter of 250 Europas compared to just under half of the outgoing 212 Inters.
Pinin Farina
Pinin Farina’s standard Coupe design of the era was more conservative than the typical Vignale or Ghia body. It featured conventionally positioned headlights, a pronounced front intake and gently rounded fenders.
The three-window cockpit had a fastback profile with a wraparound rear windscreen (photos one, two and three). A five-window version was also made but did not prove as popular.
Roofs for both types were often painted a contrasting shade to the rest of the body.
Chrome was typically used for the window frames, bumpers, handles, bezels, badges, locks and sill strips. Several Pinin Farina Coupes also came with front spot lights.
The solitary Pinin Farina Cabriolet (chassis 0311 EU) was a straightforward roofless conversion of the Coupe albeit with a few minor detail differences here and there.
These classic and well proportioned Pinin Farina bodies were in stark contrast to the more flamboyant examples manufactured by Vignale.
Vignale
Four 250 Europas were bodied by Vignale. all of which were elaborately detailed with a mix of avant-garde features.
The three Coupes came with Vignale’s trademark inboard headlights. Vents, grilles and scoops were used as styling opportunities while chrome was liberally applied to offset the painted surfaces.
Interior
Regardless of the coachbuilder, interiors always came luxuriously equipped.
Surfaces were covered in fine leather and carpet and considerable attention was paid to fit, finish and sound insulation.
Well-padded seats were installed instead of figure hugging buckets.
Dashboards were typically painted to match the body colour.
The area behind the front seats could be used to stow extra luggage.
Weight / Performance
250 Europas normally weighed in at around 1200kg.
They were good for a top speed of around 140mph and a 0-62mph time of circa 7.5 seconds.
Production
Although one Pinin Farina Coupe was equipped with an all aluminium body (chassis 0325 EU, the 1954 Paris Motor Show car) 250 Europas were never purchased for serious competition use. By late 1953, a gulf had developed between machinery capable of winning even at club level and those cars that could be used as practical daily modes of transport.
The 250 Europa remained in production for less than a year before it was replaced by the short wheelbase Colombo-powered 250 GT Europa.
Two of the original 21 cars built were subsequently returned to the factory where they were uprated with the 4.5-litre engine from the 375 America (chassis 0315 EU and 0353 EU).
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com & Bonhams - https://www.bonhams.com/
