Ferrari 250 S

Ferrari 250 S Vignale Berlinetta s/n 0156ET ...
FCA National Meeting, 2004 ... Bjoern Schmidt

Ferrari 250 S

The first of the 250 line was the experimental 250 S berlinetta prototype entered in the 1952 Mille Miglia.
The company's newest product was entrusted to Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo and was severely tested by the Mercedes-Benz 300SL racers run by Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, and Karl Kling.
The little 230 PS (169 kW; 227 hp) Ferrari was outgunned in the long straights but fought back in the hills and curves and Bracco emerged victorious at the end. This same car was later entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Carrera Panamericana.

The little 250 S used a 2,250 mm (88.6 in) wheelbase with a "Tuboscocca" tubular trellis frame. Underneath were double wishbones at the front and a live axle located with double longitudinal semi-elliptic springs at the rear. Drum brakes and worm and sector steering were the norm. The dry-sump 3.0 L (2,953 cc (180 cu in)) engine used three Weber 36DCF carburettors and was mated directly to a five-speed manual transmission.