Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina

Design

The front was long and low with a wide radiator grille, a clear departure from the "egg-crate" style of the Europa GT. Because the hood sat lower, the headlights stood out more prominently. The flanks remained smooth and understated, and the fastback of its predecessors gave way to a notchback. Ornamentation was eschewed, and the proportions were widely praised. The earliest prototypes still had a panoramic rear window and only very slightly raised fenders.

Prototypes and one-offs

Chassis 0797GT, completed in 1957, was the first prototype and featured side vents as well as a panoramic rear window. The second, 0841GT, also had a panoramic window and horizontal taillights of the type the production model would feature on its tailfins. Notable among the one-offs is 1751GT from 1960, with covered headlights like a race car, fender louvers, and small split bumpers.

The road to series manufacturing

The production of road cars began slowly at Ferrari: fewer than 100 examples each were built of the 250 Europa (1953) and the 250 Europa GT (1954). The 250 GT by Boano and Ellena generated low three-figure production numbers for the first time starting in 1955. Pinin Farina had worked with Ferrari since 1952, but until then had only handled small orders. With the 1958 coupé, Ferrari became a "true series manufacturer."

Summarized from the cited sources; every figure was automatically verified against the sources.