Guide: Ferrari 250 GTE
Background
Aside from the odd coachbuilt machine created with rear seats at special request, prior to 1960, Ferrari had never offered an off-the-shelf four-seat model.
The wait for a practical Ferrari with proper rear seats ended when the 250 GTE was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1960. It became Ferrari's biggest seller to date: in total, 955 rolled off the production line in little over three years.
Constructed at an average of more than six per week, the GTE swelled Ferrari's order books and helped fund a wide-ranging competition programme.
The GTE was initially sold alongside the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and 250 GT SWB Spyder California. Ferrari also offered the low volume Series 1 400 Superamerica and the 250 GT Cabriolet (which was the only model other than the GTE to use a long 2600mm wheelbase chassis).
GTEs were manufactured in three series before an interim model known as the 330 America was introduced at the end of production.
The stop-gap 330 America was an infectious mix of Ferrari’s new 300bhp four-litre ‘330’ engine and the handsome Series 3 GTE bodywork. It was replaced by the proper 330 GT in January 1964.
Chassis
Under the skin, the 250 GTE came with a Tipo 508 E chassis which was a special version of the long-running Tipo 508 line. As usual, it was a tubular steel ladder type affair like all Ferraris of the era.
The Tipo 508 E chassis had a wheelbase of 2600mm. To free up room in the cockpit, the engine was moved forward by 200mm compared to other 508 chassis. This allowed the designers to position the rear seats ahead of the rear axle.
Track was widened front and back for the dual benefit of improved roadholding and to further maximise cabin space.
Independent front suspension was via unequal length wishbones, coil springs and telescopic dampers. The back-end used a live rear axle with radius arms, semi-elliptical springs and telescopic dampers.
Dunlop disc brakes were fitted all round.
The 6 x 15-inch Borrani wire wheels were originally shod with Pirelli tyres.
A 90-litre fuel tank was located underneath the boot floor.
Engine & Gearbox
Colombo’s short-block three-litre 60° V12 had already proven dominant in top level competition when suitably de-tuned versions of the engine arrived in Ferrari’s road cars from 1954.
The 250 GTE motor was designated Tipo 128 E. It was an all alloy outside plug V12 with individual intake ports and coil valve springs. Ignition was courtesy of a single plug per cylinder and two coils. A single overhead camshaft per bank was employed along with two valves per cylinder.
Displacement was the familiar 2953cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 73mm and 58.8mm respectively.
The compression ratio was 8.8:1. Three twin choke Weber 40 DCL 6 downdraught carburettors were fitted along with a wet-sump lubrication system.
Peak output was 235bhp at 7000rpm and 245lb-ft at 5000rpm.
Transmission was via a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox with electronic overdrive and single-plate clutch.
Bodywork
As Ferrari’s official coachbuilder, Pininfarina were commissioned to design and fabricate GTE bodies.
Steel was used throughout except for the doors, bonnet and boot lid which were aluminium.
Pininfarina’s design was deliberately conservative as the new model sought to attract a different kind of buyer to Ferrari’s normal customer.
Envisioned as a Ferrari for everyday use, practicality was key which meant special attention was paid to visibility, refinement, cabin space and ground clearance.
At their leading edge, the front fenders stood proud of the hood. They housed conventional uncovered headlights which were supplemented by auxiliary driving lights either side of the nose intake.
Full width overrider bumpers were fitted front and back. The bumpers were chrome plated like much of the body trim to include the window frames, antenna, door handles and wheels.
Tail lights were shrouded in chromed Superamerica-style bezels.
Interior
With its thin pillars and considerable glass area, the cockpit offered excellent visibility. It was also equipped to a very high standard in terms of specification and finish.
Fine leather and carpet were used to help insulate the cabin from noise. All four seats were large and heavily padded offering great comfort.
Veglia instrumentation comprised a large rev counter and speedometer located behind the steering wheel. A smaller oil pressure gauge was positioned in between. Four additional read outs (oil temperature, water temperature, fuel and a clock) were housed in the centre of the dash.
The dash fascia was normally painted body colour while the top and knee roll were upholstered in padded black vinyl.
Back seat passengers were given an impressive degree of leg and headroom plus armrests each side and an ashtray on the transmission tunnel.
Weight / Performance
Ferrari quoted a weight of 1280kg and top speed of 143mph.
Launch
After a prototype starred as the Le Mans 24 Hour course car in June 1960 (chassis 1287 GT), the 250 GTE was officially launched at the Paris Motor Show in October.
The GTE’s unmatched versatility caused considerable interest and encouraged a large number of new customers to consider a Ferrari.
250 GTE Series 1
In little more than a year, 299 Series 1 GTEs were sold (16 of which were right-hand drive).
Series 1 chassis numbers ranged from 1895 GT to 3083 GT.
250 GTE Series 2
At the beginning of 1962, a Series 2 GTE brought some minor changes to the dash and central control panel.
An ammeter was added to the four centrally located gauges and these five instruments were now organised in two rows instead of one.
Two fresh air vents were added, one alongside the five supplementary gauges and the other beyond the glovebox.
The ventilation controls were moved from the middle of the dash to the top of the centre control.
Production continued in this form until the end of 1962, by which time a further 356 GTEs had been completed (28 of which were right-hand drive).
Series 2 chassis numbers ranged from 3103 GT to 4089 GT.
250 GTE Police Cars
During Series 2 production, a pair of brand new GTEs were donated to the Rome police force.
The deal came about after the Italian President, Giovanni Gronchi, attended an awards ceremony for Rome's Squadra Mobile.
When asked what the force wanted as a gift in recognition of their fight against organised crime, the answer came back "a Ferrari".
Gronchi went on to contact Enzo Ferrari and, possibly in the hope of securing further police contracts, Ferrari agreed to supply the Squadra Mobile with a brand new 250 GTE.
The black GTE was equipped with a roof-mounted blue light, two-way radio and siren.
The first car (chassis 3363 GT) was delivered in late 1962. The car had been in service for less than a week before it was involved in a fatal accident and returned to the factory.
Afterwards, Squadra Mobile sent select groups of drivers up to Maranello for a ten-day course that included street driving and track time at Monza. One officer, Armando Spatafora, was so accomplished that Enzo Ferrari offered him a racing contract on the spot.
The replacement police spec. 250 GTE (chassis 3999 GT) was equipped identically to the first and remained in service until 1968.
250 GTE Series 3
The most significant changes made to the GTE arrived with the Series 3.
Series 3 production began in late 1962 prior to the car’s public launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963.
Visually, the auxiliary driving lights were re-positioned to outside the grille, the headlights were given a thicker chrome rim and the rear wings were subtly re-profiled.
The Superamerica-style tail light clusters were replaced by a single-piece lens.
A number of mechanical updates were also introduced, most notably an improved cylinder head that allowed the compression ratio to be raised to 9.1:1.
Coil-sprung shocks were installed at the back and the original Borrani RW3591 wheels were replaced with the RW3690 type. Wheel size remained 6 x 15-inches all round.
Production was discontinued in late 1963 by which time 300 Series 3 GTEs had been constructed (17 of which were right-hand drive).
Series 3 chassis numbers ranged from 4093 GT to 4961 GT.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com
