A 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Drogo Speciale on display at the London Classic Car Show.
. The prototype for the first series-production 2+2 Ferrari appeared before the public as the course marshal’s car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June 1960, after which the model was introduced at the Paris Auto Show in October of that year. Built on the same chassis as the 250 GT 2-seaters the new 250 GTE benefited from the GT’s improved suspension, which incorporated independent front A-arms with coil springs in place of the old semi-elliptical arrangement, and a live rear axle with parallel trailing arms and telescoping shock absorbers; disc brakes were employed at all four corners. Designed by Gioacchino Colombo, the 250 GTE’s Colombo-designed V-12- engine used the by-then conventional Testa Rossa-style heads, each with an overhead cam and coil valve springs for a spirited 235 HP at 7,000 RPM. The biggest challenge in producing the GTE was in adapting its bodywork to the 4-seater layout while maintaining that Ferrari flair, a problem beautifully solved by Ferrari stylists and engineers. This fact makes the example offered here particularly interesting, having taken the solution one step further with the fitting of Drogo-inspired coachwork by Allegretti of Modena. Patterned after the famed Rob Walker 250GT that was raced by Stirling Moss and later rebodied by Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports Cars, the example offered here is chassis number 4769. It was originally sold in Italy to a Signori Vari as a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2. By 1985 it had been relocated to Quebec, Canada and was still mostly in original condition. Through the late 1980s 4679 changed hands a number of times until it was purchased by a Florida man, who sent it to Allegretti to be fitted with the Drogo-style body. A number of unexpected changes were required to accommodate the new coachwork; the owner finally ran out of patience and sold the then nearly-completed car to a California dealer. A series of subsequent ownership disputes ended in 1990 when the car was purchased by a prominent colle
Size: 5401px × 3517px
Location: ExCeL London, One Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL
Photo credit: © John Gaffen 2 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -12-, -quater, 1963, 2+2, 250, 2015, allegretti, car, classic, colombo-designed, drogo, engine, ferrari, front, gte, london, modena., rare, show, speciale, view
