Guide: Ferrari 250 Sport
Background
For the 1952 season, Scuderia Ferrari campaigned a small Vignale Berlinetta with an experimental version of the short-block Colombo V12. The engine, bored from 2.7 to three-litres, was the first of Ferrari’s legendary ‘250’ series.
Scuderia Ferrari raced the unique 250 Sport alongside the recently introduced 225 Sport and 340 America, both of which were made available to customers.
Whereas the 225 Sport and 250 Sport used Gioacchino Colombo’s short-block V12, the big banger 340 America came equipped with Aurelio Lampredi’s Grand Prix-derived 4.1-litre long-block motor. Later on in the 1952 season, Ferrari introduced the 340 Mexico specifically for the Carrera Panamericana.
Ferrari went into 1952 as the manufacturer to beat. Aside from Le Mans (won by a Jaguar C-type) and the Targa Florio (which fell to a Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica), the cars from Maranello had been victorious in practically every major sports car race.
However, the 1952 season would provide a host of new challengers. Mercedes-Benz were returning to racing (with the W194 300 SL) and Aston Martin had a brand new sports car (the DB3) to complement their DB2 grand tourer. Gordini (T26 GS) and Jaguar (C-type) would also represent stiff opposition.
Chassis
The 250 Sport’s tubular steel chassis (0156 ET) was a standard 225 Sport affair manufactured by Gilco Autotelaio in Milan.
It retained the same 2400mm wheelbase as the 225 Sport and both cars shared identical track dimensions (1278mm front and 1250mm rear).
A long-range 150-litre fuel tank was mounted over the rear axle.
Front suspension was via double wishbones with transverse leaf springs. A live axle was fitted at the rear together with an anti-roll bar.
Houdaille hydraulic shock absorbers were installed at each corner along with drum brakes.
Wheels were the same Pirelli-shod 16-inch Borrani wires as used by the 225 Sport. They measured 5.5-inches wide at the front and 6-inches wide at the rear.
Engine & Gearbox
Displacement of the all-alloy 60° Colombo V12 was taken from 2715cc to 2953cc. This was achieved by increasing each cylinder bore from 70mm to 73mm. Stroke was unchanged at 58.8mm.
As usual, valve actuation was by a single overhead camshaft per bank and two valves per cylinder.
Ignition was via a single spark plug per cylinder and two coils.
Wet-sump lubrication was employed.
A bank of three Weber 36 DCF downdraught carburettors were imported from the 225 Sport, but Ferrari increased the compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 9.0:1.
Peak output rose from 210bhp at 7200rpm to 230bhp at 7500rpm.
Transmission was via a five-speed gearbox and single-plate clutch.
Bodywork
In 1952, the majority of Ferrari competition cars were built with Vignale bodies.
Thanks to good aerodynamics, handsome looks and light weight designs, Vignale had replaced Carrozzeria Touring as the competizione coachbuilder of choice.
Vignale’s road car division was also seeing an increase in trade as a result of its often unconventional approach to styling.
Like most early 225 Sports, the 250 Sport was equipped with Vignale’s then-current Berlinetta design.
It was among the first of this series to come with slim vertical intakes either side of the primary nose aperture.
These little Colombo-engined Berlinettas also had exposed headlights as opposed to the inboard arrangement sometimes adopted by Vignale.
One continuous line swept from the front wing back to the tightly wrapped tail. No bumpers were fitted at either end.
The slim-pillared five window cockpit gave good all round visibility. Sliding side windows were made of Plexiglas.
Interior
The cockpit featured a body coloured dash without an upholstered top or knee roll.
An 8000rpm tach (with smaller dials for water temperature and oil pressure) and 240kmh speedo (with fuel gauge and clock) were neatly cowled into the dash.
Two bucket seats were fitted and a glovebox was provided for the navigator. Aside from the seats, there was very little upholstery to speak of.
Weight / Performance
Ferrari quoted an identical 850kg dry weight to the 225 Sport.
The new model had a 155mph top speed which was 13mph faster than the 2.7-litre car.
Completion & Testing
The solitary 250 Sport was completed in March 1952 and registered BO 11888.
It underwent several weeks of testing, during which six vents and a power bulge were added to the bonnet.
Additionally, twin portholes were cut from behind each front wheelarch and a quick fuel filler neck was mounted through the rear windscreen.
0156 ET was now ready for duty as a Scuderia Ferrari ‘Speciale’.
1952 Mille Miglia
The 250 Sport made its debut as part of a three car works entry on the Mille Miglia (May 4th). It was entered for Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo.
Bracco was a late replacement for the injured Luigi Villoresi.
Also in attendance for Scuderia Ferrari were Piero Taruffi / Mario Vandelli (340 America Vignale Spyder) and Piero Scotti / Giulio Cantini (225 Sport Vignale Spyder).
Practically the entire race was run in heavy rain, often accompanied by strong winds.
Bracco departed Brescia at 6:11am.
Taruffi started off at a tremendous pace in the big 4.1-litre Ferrari 340 and was easily the fastest car over the first 100km. However, he stopped to change plugs near Poggebonsi and dropped several places.
After 300km, Bracco had established a five minute lead over the Mercedes of Karl Kling.
Kling then took the lead shortly after Ravenne. Taruffi passed Bracco for second.
By the southernmost checkpoint at Rome, Kling led Taruffi by five minutes after the big Ferrari was delayed while refuelling. When the 340 America’s engine packed up, Bracco took the mantle as Ferrari’s strongest challenger.
Bracco made full use of his local knowledge to sweep passed Kling on the tricky mountain roads; the Italian forged ahead on the Futa pass and went on to win by four-and-a-half minutes at an average speed of 128.6kph.
Kling / Klenk were second for Mercedes and Luigi Faglioli / Vincenzo Borghi took third in a works Lancia Aurelia.
1952 Le Mans 24 Hours
After its victorious debut on the Mille Miglia, the 250 Sport formed part of the Scuderia Ferrari entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours (June 14th and 15th). Entered for Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, by this time, 0156 ET had been further uprated with a bigger hood scoop and brake cooling ducts atop each rear fender.
Pierre Boncompagni’s privateer 225 Sport (a Vignale Berlinetta that he shared with Tom Cole) was the only other official Scuderia Ferrari entry. However, two brand new works-supported 340 America Vignale Spyders (for Andre Simon / Lucien Vincent and Luigi Chinetti / Charles Lucas) ran as Chinetti entries.
In practice, Ascari lapped at an average speed of 111mph. He was just one tenth of a second slower than Herrmann Lang’s Mercedes which went fastest.
A record crowd in excess of 180,000 turned up to watch the race which started at 4pm on Saturday.
The opening lap saw Phil Walters’ Cunningham C4-RK lead into Maison Blanche. The Cunningham was followed by Stirling Moss (Jaguar C-type), Andre Simon (Ferrari 340 America) and Ascari in the 250 Sport.
Both Simon and Ascari soon passed Moss to occupy second and third (some 4.5 seconds behind Walters).
On lap three, Ascari set a new lap record and took the lead.
Simon then moved into second and the Ferraris began to draw away from the Cunningham.
A couple of laps later, Ascari came into the pits complaining that his clutch was not freeing properly.
He re-joined and tore along at a tremendous speed, trying to make up for lost time.
Ascari set another new lap record before the clutch failed on lap 20 (less than two hours in).
The race was not a good one for Ferrari as Mercedes claimed first and second positions.
The best car from Maranello was the 340 America of Simon / Vincent which finished fifth.
1952 Reims GP Sports Car Support Race
After Andre Simon’s strong performance at Le Mans, he was entered to drive the 250 Sport at the Reims GP on June 29th. Ferrari’s main interest that weekend was the Formula 2 event in which team cars for Alberto Ascari, Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi would race.
Simon was Scuderia Ferrari’s sole representative in the 50 lap Sports car contest. Opposition came from Gordini and a horde of privateer Jaguars, Talbots and Ferraris.
Robert Manzon’s Gordini T15S 2.3 was quickest in practice, but Simon set an identical time to the Stirling Moss C-type to go joint second fastest.
Unfortunately, mechanical problems ruled 0156 ET out from taking the start.
In the race, Moss claimed a convincing two lap victory from the Talbot T26 GS of Guy Mairesse.
1952 Circuito di Senigallia
The 250 Sport next appeared for the Circuito di Senigallia on August 10th.
Three 15 lap races took place around the 9.3km Adriatic road course: one for cars of up to 1.1-litres, another for under two-litre machinery and the headline event for vehicles of over two-litres.
Eugenio Castellotti won the under two-litre race in a Franco Cornacchia / Scuderia Guastalla Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia.
To contest the main event, Scuderia Ferrari entered a 340 America for Piero Scotti and the 250 Sport for Luigi Villoresi.
Other highly fancied runners came from Scuderia Marzotto in the shape of a 340 America for Piero Carini and a 225 Sport for Paolo Marzotto. Franco Cornacchia (212 Mille Miglia) and Luigi Piotti (225 Sport) could not to be discounted either.
Villoresi was quickest in practice driving the 250 Sport. The big 4.1-litre 340 America of Piero Carini started second with team patron, Paolo Marzotto, completing the front row in his 225 Sport.
As a result of several delays, Villoresi lost much time during the race.
He eventually placed third overall but did post the fastest race lap at an average speed of 152.6kmh.
Paolo Marzotto claimed the victory with a time of 56 minutes and 37 seconds. Piero Scotti was 13 seconds back in his works 340 America.
1952 Pescara 12 Hours
The next weekend, Paolo Marzotto was invited to drive the 250 Sport at the inaugural Pescara 12 Hours alongside Mille Miglia winner, Giovanni Bracco.
Held on a challenging 25.5km street circuit, the race would begin at noon and finish at midnight.
42 competitors lined up for the start headed by Franco Cornacchia and Clemente Biondetti in a Ferrari 225 Sport. Piero Scotti / Siro Sbraci qualified second and Piero Carini / Guido Mancini were third (both in 340 Americas).
The 250 Sport posted fourth quickest practice time, but neither Bracco nor Marzotto had done a banzai lap, preferring instead to keep their powder dry for the race.
Privateer Frenchman, Jean Blanc, made a storming start to launch his 4.5-litre Talbot T26 GS from eighth on the grid up to first. However, his glory was short-lived and he retired on the opening lap with mechanical trouble.
This left the pole-starting Clemente Biondetti to inherit the lead closely followed by Bracco in the 250 Sport.
Biondetti led for five laps before Bracco swept by to take a lead the 250 Sport would retain for the rest of the race.
Ferraris finished first, second and third with the 225 Sports of Biondetti / Cornacchia and Piotti / Mallucci rounding out the podium.
Bracco and Marzotto averaged 128.3kmh for the twelve hour race and covered 1540km.
1952 Carrera Panamericana
The 250 Sport’s final competition appearance of 1952 came at the end-of-season Carrera Panamericana.
For the first time since its 1950 inception, the Carrera was open to sports racing cars and not just stock production models. Ferrari had emerged victorious in 1951 with a pair of 212 Inters which just about met the organisers definition of a stock car.
To take the fight to Mercedes, the men from Maranello returned for 1952 with a four-car entry.
A batch of special 340 Mexicos had been assembled for the event. Three of these were works cars (all Vignale Berlinettas) and one was a Vignale Spyder built for Bill Spear. Unfortunately, the Spyder was not finished in time and failed to make the start.
The trio of works 340 Mexicos were backed up by the 250 Sport which had proven itself a capable race winner even though its engine was much smaller than the Lampredi-powered entries.
Giovanni Bracco was accompanied in chassis 0156 ET by navigator, Gino Bronzoni.
The works 340 Mexicos were allocated to Alberto Ascari / Giusppe Scotuzzi, Luigi Villoresi / Piero Cassani and Luigi Chinetti / Jean Lucas.
All four team cars wore the livery of Santiago Ontanon’s Industrias 1-2-3 corporation and Sinclair Oil.
The 1934-mile course covered almost the entire length of Mexico; it started from Tuxtla Gutierrez in the south on 19th November and finished five days later in Ciudad Juarez close to the US border.
The enormous prize fund, reputed to be the biggest in motor sport, attracted factory entries from Ferrari, Mercedes, Gordini, Lincoln and Porsche.
On stage one (330 miles from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Oaxaca), Kling (Mercedes) and Bracco (250 Sport) initially forged ahead while Ascari crashed his 340 Mexico and Villoresi lost time in the sister car with gearbox trouble.
The fast Robert Manzon Gordini was also out early on. However, his Gordini team-mate, Jean Behra, set a blistering pace to emerge at the head of the field.
At the end of stage one, Behra’s Gordini had a five-and-a-half minute lead over Bracco in the 250 Sport. Kling’s Mercedes was another two minutes down the road in third.
Late in stage two (256 miles from Oaxaco to Puebla), Behra crashed his Gordini into a ditch and retired.
Despite being eclipsed on the stage by Villoresi and the two Mercedes of Fitch and Kling, Bracco was now race leader.
During stage two, a Jaguar XK120 driven by Santos Letona crashed into the parapet of a bridge near Puebla. Letona was killed instantly and his co-driver was seriously hurt.
Later the same day, a short 83 mile stage took the cars from Puebla into Mexico City. Villoresi was quickest again followed by Bracco who extended his race lead. Mercedes drivers Kling and Fitch were third and fourth.
Day three started with a 267 mile stage from Mexico City to Leon. The Ferraris of Villoresi, Bracco and Chinetti went fastest.
With three consecutive fastest stage times, Villoresi had dragged himself up to eighth in the standings. Bracco now had a nine minute lead over second-placed Kling’s Mercedes.
Stage five (a 333 mile dash from Leon to Durango) also took place on day three. Villoresi looked set for another blistering time until his gearbox gave up and he was forced out of the race. Instead, Kling won the stage and managed to cut just over a minute from Bracco’s lead.
After a rest day at Durango, Bracco took it relatively easy on stage six (251 miles from Durango to Parral). Sparing the 250 Sport as much as he dared, he dropped a further minute to stage winner Kling which cut the Ferrari’s lead to seven minutes. Lang was second quickest on the stage followed by Chinetti in the sole remaining 340 Mexico.
By stage seven (186 miles from Parral to Chihuahua), the mountains had been left well behind; now it was vast prairie lands with long wide straights.
Unfortunately, the high speed section proved too much for Bracco’s Ferrari and the 250 Sport lost its clutch. Bracco was out and Kling inherited a lead he retained until the end.
Kling won the 1952 Carrera Panamericana from team-mate Lang by over half an hour. Luigi Chinetti’s 340 Mexico was a further six minutes back in third.
Legacy & Subsequent History
Having demonstrated race-winning potential, Ferrari decided to offer a customer ‘250’ racing car for 1953.
The resultant 250 Mille Miglia was available as an out-and-out competition model or as a very fast road car. 31 were built.
During the 1953 season, Scuderia Ferrari mostly ran big block Lampredi-engined 340 and 375 Mille Miglias.
A new Aurelio Lampredi-designed 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine was also on track mid-season. Three of these new four cylinder 625 TFs were built, one of which was campaigned with factory support by Franco Cornacchia’s Scuderia Guastalla.
Cornacchia was a fine gentleman driver and well connected motor dealer. He also purchased the now surplus-to-requirements 250 Sport.
Cornacchia used 0156 ET for the 1953 season-opening Giro di Sicilia (DNF) and then found a new owner for it in Argentine privateer, Roberto Bonomi.
Bonomi most notably went on to take an eighth place finish with the 250 Sport at the 1953 Targa Florio.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ferrari - https://www.ferrari.com
