Very First 250 GT SWB at the Cavallino28 Concorso
At the Cavallino Classic, we delight in bringing you exceptional cars, and we thank the owners for bringing such special cars for you to enjoy.
At the recent Concorso in January, we featured 60 years of the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, and what better way to honor the type than by having the very first example manufactured on display. It was the 1959 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, s/n 1539 GT, with alloy body and left-hand-drive, in standard red with a tan interior.
It was first shown at the Paris Salon in October 1959 and displayed many features not seen on the later production models, like no fender vents, no back window vent, no window rain gutter, no front blinker lights, no rear license plate holder, and non-sleeved front cooling ducts.
From the master Jess Pourret:
“The early 1959/1960 250 GT berlinettas were conceived and produced as legal homologated Competition successors to the earlier 250 GT Competition cars, and accordingly upgraded with the latest legal developments. The cars were fitted with a 2400 mm wheelbase chassis based in part on the older 508 F chassis, with 92 or 80 mm main chassis frame, Dunlop disc brakes, 15” Borrani wheels and 2 snug bucket seats. The correct nomenclature is: 539/168 (Chassis type/Motor type). The 168/168 B motor was an evolution of the previous 128 DF motor and was an all silumin alloy 3 liter V-12, fitted with 10 mm camshafts, 3 Weber carburetors, and 2 distributors. A four speed alloy and ribbed gear box was provided. The aluminum body was built by Scaglietti on a Pininfarina design. The side and back windows were made of Plexiglas, with the side windows being sliding or wind up style. The interior was kept sparse and utilitarian with a painted dashboard.”
This 1539 GT was bought by Gordon Pennington in 1960 and it was raced at the 12 Hours of Sebring by Bill Sturgis and Fritz d’Orey, where they finished 6th overall and 4th in class. A Dr. David Lane bought the car and had good success in SCCA races in 1960. It went through a succession of owners until brought into the famous Lorenzo Zambrano collection, where it remained until his recent death. A thank you to current owner Peter Goodwin for entering this special sample for all of us to appreciate.
The Cavallino Classic: Authentic Automobiles • Historically Significant • An Unrivalled Experience
Join us for Cavallino 29 on January 22 to 26, 2020.
Images from David Brady, Peter Singhof, Michael Gregg and Jerry Wyszatycki.
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