Until then, Ferrari delivered the chassis and engines to companies such as Pininfarina, Scaglietti or Vignale to design and build the bodies and interiors to the customer's liking. That is why the same type of car ended up having a great diversity of bodywork and styles. This made it impossible to uniformity and consolidate a representative image of the brand impossible.
In this case Ferrari managed to standardize production, although the first 20 cars formed a series and the remaining 44 cars were another. The 20 specimens of Ferrari 250 Europa were manufactured in a period of just over a year.
The first series of 20 cars called 250 Europe had a chassis with a wheelbase of 2,800 mm and a V12 engine (designed by Lampredi) of 2,963 cm3. The second series of 44 cars called 250 Europa GT used a V12 engine (designed by Colombo) of 2,953 cm3 but the chassis shortened the wheelbase to 2,600 mm.
The Ferrari 250 Europa is considered one of the fastest and most agile cars Ferrari made in the early 1950s. While others were faster in final speed on long circuits, the 250 Europe was very fast in its reactions and had great maneuverability.
Ferrari presented the 250 Europe model at the Paris Motor Show in 1953 along with the 375 America. Most of the specimens were built by Pininfarina with coupe bodies, although they also produced a convertible. Vignale had enjoyed great popularity so far, but only 4 cars were delivered to him for carriage. The relationship between Enzo Ferrari and Pininfarina was consolidated to the detriment of the rest of the manufacturing houses.
The cars manufactured by Pininfarina were basically the same, although some minor details or small ornaments changed from one model to another. There were also some differences in the windows, headlights and front grills. The car still had a very competency-oriented lineage, hence its simplicity.
Later versions called 250 Europa GT were more oriented to the public who did not want to compete, but simply have a fast car to enjoy. For them the interior equipment was superior to that of the 250 Europe, with better comfort and greater care in the soundproofing of the interior.
Vignale designed 4 bodies for the Ferrari 250 Europa, all of them coupe. The 4 Vignale cars stood out for their combination of good sport design and elegance, especially in the interior finish.
The most important legacy of the Ferrari 250 Europa is the strengthening of the relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina. The designs are as conservative as they are refined, precisely this is what is considered to make Pininfarina lines so well accepted by all kinds of audiences.
Power: 200 hp at 6,000 rpm
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h: 7.5 s (approx)
Top speed: 217 km/h
Wheelbase: 2.800 mm
© Adrián Blanco 2006 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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