1959 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, or 250 TR, is a racing sports car built by Ferrari from 1957 to 1961. It was introduced at the end of the 1957 racing season in response to rule changes that enforced a maximum engine displacement of 3 litres for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sports Car Championship races. The 250 TR was closely related to earlier Ferrari sports cars, sharing many key components with other 250 models and the 500 TR.
The 250 TR achieved many racing successes, with variations winning 10 World Sports Car Championship races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, 1960, and 1961, the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1958, 1959 and 1961, the Targa Florio in 1958, the 1000 Km Buenos Aires in 1958 and 1960 and the Pescara 4 Hours in 1961. These results led to World Sports Car Championship constructor’s titles for Ferrari in 1958, 1960 and 1961.
This body was supported by a new tubular frame chassis which mounted its engine offset the centerline. This made more room for the driver who could then sit much lower in the cockpit and balanced the driveline’s weight.
The engine retained the same overall architecture as before, but new coil springs replaced the hairpin type and offered a redline of 8800 rpm. With new camshaft timing, power was up to 306 bhp @ 7400 rpm. This was fed to the rear wheels through a Colotti-designed 5-Speed gearbox for the TR59, and, as a bonus, it was cast in magnesium.
These classic cars often have an idealized aura around them, and sitting in this one somewhat defuses that nostalgia because the fit and finish look surprisingly poor by modern standards. The fuse panel is completely exposed in front of the passenger, and there are wires everywhere. The 250 TR wasn’t a luxury grand tourer; it had a focus on speed and nothing else mattered.
While Ferrari won the opening Sebring Round with a one-two finish, the following Targa Florio, Nurburgring and Le Mans were failures and mostly retirements. Despite the poor results, privately entered Testa Rossas garnered much needed points for the championship. By the last round at Goodwood, Porsche, Aston Marin and Ferrari were contesting to take the Championship honors.
Generically, the Testa Rossa’s built for the World Sportscar Championship progressively modified throughout the seasons. In 1958 victories included Sebring, Targa Florio, and Le Mans with the greatest race drivers on the planet. Privateers added further cars to the field so that Ferrari’s were supernumerary in the big races. Ferrari’s greatest disappointment in 1958 was a loss at Nurburgring to our Aston Martin DBR1. These cars had a long and interesting history and although only 19 were available in 1958 for sale to customers, their successes in club racing continued well into the 1960s. They made a few works cars for 1959 to 1961, all with impressive racing records.
