Ferrari 750 Monza

The 750 Monza at a glance

Why Ferrari built a four-cylinder racer

In the early 1950s Ferrari's chief engineer Aurelio Lampredi argued that a four-cylinder engine with big cylinders and high torque could beat a V12 on twisty circuits. His 2.0-litre Tipo 500 won the 1952 and 1953 Formula One world titles under Formula Two rules with Alberto Ascari. For 1954 Ferrari bored the engine out to 2.5 litres for the new Formula One rules and built sports cars around the same family: the 625 TF, the 735 S and the 2.0-litre 500 Mondial.

The 750 Monza was the 3.0-litre development of the Mondial for the World Sportscar Championship. Its name follows Ferrari's old system: each cylinder displaced about 750 cc. The car was shown to the public at the Brussels Motor Show in 1955, but by then it had already raced for a season.

Engine, gearbox and chassis

The chassis is a tubular steel frame, made by the specialist Gilco, covered by thin aluminium panels. Placing the gearbox at the rear axle was meant to improve weight distribution compared with the earlier sports cars. With about 191 kW and 760 kg, the 750 Monza has roughly 251 kW per tonne, close to a modern supercar; the 1cars power-to-weight calculator shows how that compares with any other car.

The four-cylinder engine gave strong pull out of slow corners, the quality Lampredi had designed it for. The short-wheelbase car also had a reputation for being tricky at the limit on fast circuits.

Design: Scaglietti's barchetta

Most cars carry open barchetta bodies built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti in Modena, with a faired-in headrest behind the driver. Sources disagree about the design: some credit Pinin Farina, others attribute the shape to Enzo Ferrari's son Dino. A few cars received other bodies, and several were rebodied during their racing lives.

The front shows a wide oval grille, often with extra driving lamps for endurance races, and the car runs on wire-spoked wheels. The cockpit is purely functional: a small wrap-around screen in front of the driver, a large rev counter and a three-spoke steering wheel with the Ferrari horse in its centre.

Racing history

The 1955 season was difficult. Mercedes-Benz took the championship with the 300 SLR, and Ascari's death at Monza, in a borrowed 750 Monza during an unofficial test four days after his crash into Monaco harbour, shocked Italy. Ferrari answered with the bigger 857 S, and the 860 Monza of 1956, with 206 kW (280 PS) from 3.4 litres, won the Sebring 12 Hours with Juan Manuel Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti.

Many 750 Monzas were sold to private teams in the United States, where they raced successfully in club events into the late 1950s.

Rivals in the mid-1950s

Compared with the Jaguar, the Ferrari had a similar output but weighed less, while the Mercedes had far more engineering and money behind it. Ferrari's own sports-car line is easy to trace through the 375 MM Berlinetta, the six-cylinder 121 LM of 1955 and the 250 Testa Rossa that followed. The 1cars comparison tool helps line up classic and modern cars, and the 750 Monza also appears among open cars in the ranking of the most powerful convertibles.

Fuel use, equipment and safety

There are no official fuel figures: like other racing cars of its day, the 750 Monza was tuned for power, not economy. It has no safety equipment in the modern sense, with no roll-over bar or seat belts as built, and no crash testing. Equipment is limited to what racing needed: lamps, a minimal screen and the instruments.

Buying and collecting a 750 Monza

With so few cars built and many rebuilt after accidents, history is everything. Before any purchase, an expert should confirm the chassis number, the engine number and the race record. Ferrari Classiche certification and an unbroken ownership history add value, and original bodywork matters more than cosmetic perfection. Prices at public auctions have run from under two million to several million euros, depending on history and originality.

As a buy, the car suits only experienced collectors and historic racers. Events such as historic Mille Miglia retrospectives and concours shows are where these cars appear today. More about the maker is in the history of Ferrari, and other early Ferraris are in the 1cars catalogue.