Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder at a glance

The California Spyder is part of the large 250 family that defined Ferrari in the 1950s and early 1960s; the closed racing relatives include the 250 GT Tour de France and the 250 Testa Rossa. All Ferrari models are in the Ferrari catalogue.

How the California Spyder was born

In the 1950s American interest in European sports cars and racing grew quickly, and European makers began to think of models tailored for the US market. Ferrari already sold an open car, the luxurious 250 GT Cabriolet by Pinin Farina, but it was not what the sporting customers in California were asking for.

The initiative came from the United States. John von Neumann, Ferrari's representative on the West Coast, proposed an open version of the competition berlinetta, and the importer Luigi Chinetti backed the idea. Chinetti later said that the factory found it hard to see a convertible as a serious sports car, and Enzo Ferrari was hesitant because the Cabriolet already existed. According to Wikipedia, if Ferrari had refused, the two dealers would probably have had a berlinetta converted into a spider by Scaglietti themselves.

Ferrari agreed. A prototype was built in late 1957, and series production started in 1958. Ferrari itself notes that the name "Spyder" is not strictly accurate: the car is technically a cabriolet with a full folding hood, unlike the bare racing spiders of the time.

Design and body by Scaglietti

Pinin Farina was too busy to build the car, so the work went to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Modena, which built Ferrari's competition bodies. Sergio Scaglietti adapted the lines of the 250 GT by Pinin Farina. The result looks close to the 250 GT Cabriolet Series I of the same year, but slimmer and more aggressive. It has a "shark mouth" grille, the berlinetta's recess in front of the rear wheels and a more steeply raked windscreen.

Early cars share the berlinetta's body from the waist down. The headlights could be faired in under plexiglass covers or left open, at the customer's choice - except on cars sold in Italy in 1959, which had to have open lights. Behind the front wheels, vents with polished strips help to cool the engine bay: three strips on the LWB cars, two on the SWB.

The bodies are mainly steel, with aluminium doors, bonnet and boot lid. Nine cars were built entirely in aluminium. A removable hard-top was available for both series. All cars but one SWB were built with left-hand drive.

Engine and chassis

The engine is the 3.0-litre V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo and used across the 250 series since 1952: an aluminium-alloy 60° V12 with a single overhead camshaft per bank, two valves per cylinder and a capacity of 2,953 cc (bore 73 mm, stroke 58.8 mm). It breathes through three Weber twin-choke carburettors, 36 mm at first and 42 mm from 1960. Over the years Ferrari used several engine types (128C, 128D, 128DF, 128F and, on the later SWB cars, 168 and 168/61). On later cars the spark plugs moved outside the vee, as on the 250 Testa Rossa racing car, which made servicing easier.

Power figures depend on the source. Wikipedia gives 179 kW (240 hp) at 7,000 rpm for the LWB and 209 kW (280 hp) for the SWB, which received new cylinder heads and larger valves. Ferrari's heritage department gives 194 kW (260 bhp) for the LWB engine with twin ignition. Some cars were delivered with the more powerful engines of the competition berlinettas.

The chassis and drivetrain come from the 250 GT Tour de France berlinetta: a tubular steel frame, independent front suspension with double wishbones and coil springs, and a rigid rear axle on leaf springs. The four-speed manual gearbox was praised for its easy shift and reliability; an overdrive was added in 1960. Drum brakes were replaced by Dunlop disc brakes from late 1959, and in 1960 telescopic dampers replaced the earlier Houdaille units at the front. The car weighs about 1,100 kg dry, roughly 100 kg more than the berlinetta.

LWB and SWB: the two series

The first series used the 2,600 mm long-wheelbase chassis of the Tour de France. In 1960 Ferrari moved the California to the new 2,400 mm short-wheelbase chassis of the 250 GT SWB berlinetta; the change was presented at the Geneva motor show in 1960. The shorter chassis brought wider tracks, a 30 mm lower overall height and sharper handling. Production was split almost evenly between the two series.

The two are easy to tell apart. Early LWB cars have berlinetta-style rear lights and flush door handles, and the air intake on the bonnet stands proud of the surface. On the SWB, the intake sits in a recess and the front wing vents have two strips instead of three.

Inside the cabin

The interior is similar in finish to the Pinin Farina Cabriolet, but simpler and more functional. The dashboard carries seven round dials. On the LWB cars they sit behind a three-spoke Nardi steering wheel in wood and aluminium; on the SWB they are arranged in a line across the dashboard. There was no dedicated place for the number plate, so owners had to find their own solutions.

Racing record

The California was not designed for racing, but many cars were raced in endurance events. At the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, a North American Racing Team car (LWB chassis 1451 GT) driven by Bob Grossman and Fernand Tavano finished fifth overall. At the 12 Hours of Sebring, California Spyders won their class with Richie Ginther and Howard Hively in 1959, and with Giorgio Scarlatti, Fabrizio Serena and Carlo Abate in 1960.

Collectors and auction records

Its small production, its looks and its racing history have made the California Spyder one of the most sought-after classic cars. On 18 May 2008, at Sotheby's "Ferrari Legends and Passions" sale, broadcaster Chris Evans bought a car formerly owned by the actor James Coburn for €7,040,000, a record at the time. On 6 February 2015, at the Artcurial sale at Rétromobile in Paris, an SWB car from the Baillon collection sold for €14,200,000 before fees. It had been hidden away for almost 30 years and had once belonged to Alain Delon.

The model became widely known outside the classic car world after the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Ferrari later revived the name: the Ferrari California of 2008 echoes the design of the 250 GT California Spyder.

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