Ferrari as a brand has been known to push the limits. An aspirational marque that every young boy dreams of owning one day. Through their relentless pursuit for perfection, Ferrari has mastered the art of building engaging sports cars. Though, nowadays all if not most of their cars are veering off from what they used to be.
Back when Ferrari wasn’t churning as they do now, the world was gifted with a lot of classics. The 250 GTO set a record for being the most expensive car sold at auction, the 250 SWB, still has drool-worthy looks that demand a million bucks. Our topic for this discussion is the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso or simply called the Ferrari Lusso.
The Lusso in fact holds a very prominent place in the lineup of classic Ferraris. For one, the Ferrari Lusso was the last of the 250s before getting replaced by the 275 GTB. Also, it was the shortest-lived Ferrari with production commencing in 1962 and ending 2 years later, in 1964.
The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso was brought to fill the gap created by the 250 Short-wheelbase (SWB) and the 250 GTE 2+2. The Lusso was a comfier version of the 250 SWB with seating for two, unlike the GTE.
Examples of a classic Ferrari Lusso fetch well over a million dollars while some have been auctioned for more than $2 million.
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso: A Brief
Ferrari’s glory days were in fact during the mid-’50s and ‘60s. Enthusiasts were given a lot of options in the form of the 250 GT, 250 GTE, 250 GT SWB, the breadvan, and whatnot. The 250 Lusso was meant to be the luxury grand tourer meant for the young and flexible passengers. The Ferrari 250 Lusso had more interior space than its sportier GT and retained its grand touring traits unlike the GTE 2+2, meant for the family man. Ferrari based their luxurious Lusso on the 250 GT’s platform instead of the GTE. This meant that that the Lusso had a wheelbase of 94 inches; 6 inches shorter than that of the GTE 2+2.
Much of the car was poised to cater to the wealthy with plush interiors along lavish use of leather and wood. Ferrari was successful at charming Eric Clapton and Steve McQueen into owning one, which didn’t come as a surprise since the 250 GT Lusso was considered to be one of the most elegant Ferraris ever made. Ferrari started production soon after the Lusso’s Paris Motor Show unveil in1962. However, the run lasted 18 months before the production line made way for the updated 275 GTB. A total of 351 examples of the Ferrari 250 Lusso were made and cost $13,375 back when they were new. Many have gone between $400,000 and $500,000 during pre-2010 auctions whereas now, a Ferrari 250 Lusso demands more than a million dollars with some fetching even more.
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso: A Feast For The Eyes
There’s no doubt regarding how beautiful the Lusso was. The artisans responsible were Pininfarina and Scaglietti. Of course, both of them played very different roles but their dexterity was an important factor. Pininfarina was responsible for designing the car while Scaglietti took care of the bodywork. The flowing body lines and minimal sculpture made the design a head-turner. The formula was pretty easy given that they’ve already made a few design icons, including many in the 250 lineup.
The body was mostly steel excluding the doors, bonnet, and boot lid which saw the use of aluminum. Window area was pretty large leading to better visibility while keeping the design minimal. The rounded C-pillars and slightly curved rear glass were a unique feature for the Lusso. In order to make the Lusso stand out from its 250 brethren, Ferrari gave it a set of 4 round headlamps with two being primary and the rest supplementing, much like fog lamps. The elongated nose, rectangular air vent on the hood, curved wings, and chrome bumpers helped distinguish the 250 Lusso from the rest of its siblings.
Ferrari 250 GT Lusso: A Mighty V12 Up Front
The 250 Lusso was a front-engined Berlinetta and inherited all the characteristics of its sister cars. The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso was one of the finest creations ever to leave Maranello. It was conceived in a time when Enzo Ferrari famously said, ‘I sell engines. I throw in the car for free.’ The 3.0-liter V12, which sounds hilarious compared to the current Ferrari V12s, made around 240 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque with a 4-speed gated shifter for the earlier models while a 5-speed unit replaced it later on.
Certain components such as the valves and the crankshaft were derived from the engine of the 250 GT SWB, while others, such as the pistons and the cylinder block, were derived from the 250 GTE. The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso was the fastest passenger car at the time with a top speed of 150 mph. Sounds rather paltry in comparison to the Laferrari and 812 Superfast who are among the faster ones but not the fastest in the industry.
Sources: Ferrari, YouTube, Wikipedia