Books

Ferrari 250 GTE: The Family Car That Funded The Racing

The stunningly elegant and technologically innovative Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo 2+2 Pininfarina made a surprise appearance as the Course Car at the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours, and was then officially launched at the Paris Salon the following October.

Ferrari 250 GTE: The Family Car That Funded The Racing
Publication Information
ISBN: 9781913089207
RRP: £75.00
Format: Hardback, 432 pages, 235mm x 285mm, October 2020
Photos/Illustrations: Over 650 photographs including 150 b/w
Subject: Cars
Publisher: Porter Press International
Author: David Wheeler

Ferrari 250 GTE: The Family Car That Funded The Racing by David Wheeler

The stunningly elegant and technologically innovative Ferrari 250 Gran Turismo 2+2 Pininfarina made a surprise appearance as the Course Car at the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours, and was then officially launched at the Paris Salon the following October.

The GTE, as it came to be known, proved to be an outstanding commercial success for Ferrari, underwriting the company’s racing activity. However, just 20 years later, overshadowed by their more glamorous siblings, the cars came to be regarded as little more than donors for replicas of other Ferrari models and many were lost. Of the 954 examples built, it is estimated that about half of them survive as GTEs, valued today for their style and pedigree.

Described by fellow coachbuilder Scaglietti as Pininfarina’s most beautiful design, the GTE accounted for 70 percent of Ferrari’s road-car production between 1960 and 1963, and this book describes in detail the development and design of this long-overlooked model. It explains the collaboration between Ferrari and Pinin Farina and unravels the complex story of the prototypes, then traces the subsequent developments in the engine, chassis, running gear and styling during the production life. It documents the stories of individual cars and recounts the experiences of a number of current owners.

The book has been written and designed by David Wheeler, editor of the 250 GTE Newsletter, a publication that is now in its 37th year. The author draws on the GTE Register, access to the archives of distinguished Ferrari historians, and his own extensive travels to view and document more than 125 examples of the GTE around the world to offer the ultimate reference work on this historically significant model.

Set to be produced in a limited edition of 750 copies, this is the definitive story of Ferrari’s iconic V12 Grand Touring four-seat coupé.

Story Highlights

  • The background to the design and development of the 250 GTE in response to the new market for comfortable and spacious Grand Touring cars in the late 1950s.
  • Lavishly illustrated technical descriptions of the engine, chassis, running gear and body.
  • The evolution of the model through production of 954 examples over three Series, including a comprehensive analysis of the prototypes and the identities of these fascinating individual cars.
  • Stories of ownership, preservation and restoration.
  • Discussion of the GTE’s place in the wider world.
  • More than 650 photographs and illustrations, from period documents to a bespoke studio portrait shoot.
  • A complete listing of all 954 GTEs built, with their original specifications and notes on their current whereabouts.

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