The “Breadvan” as it is famously known for is a bit of “eye sore”
according to some, specially as it is based on a short wheel based
250GTO. The car was not built for looks. It was built to beat the
Ferrari giant on the race track. Here is the story of the car.
Enzo Ferrari is best known for the cars that bear his name, but his
fall-outs with employees and customers are also well documented. One of
the most dramatic of these happened in the winter of 1961/1962 when a
large number of key personnel left. Among them were engineers Carlo
Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, and 1961 Formula 1 world champion Phil
Hill. Shortly after their departure the rogue group set up their own
company, ATS (Automobili Turismo Sport), to take on their former
employer in single seater and sports car racing.
One of the final projects the team was working on at Ferrari was the
250 GTO racer, which was eventually completed by a young Mauro
Forghieri. Among the first ones in line to acquire an example for the
1962 season was Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata for his Scuderia
Serenissima Republica di Venezia (SSR) to campaign. When Enzo Ferrari
found out Count Volpi was one of the financial backers of the ATS team,
he understandably refused to deliver a GTO. Through some friends he did
eventually get an example, but he wanted more for his assault at Le Mans
that year.
In his stable the Count had a very fast ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’ spec 250 GT
SWB (s/n 2819 GT), which had shown its potential in the 1961 Tour de
France in the hands of Olivier Gendebien. Unable to obtain a second GTO,
Volpi decided to have his SWB brought up to GTO specs and who better to
hire for that than Giotto Bizzarrini? More than happy to oblige, the
talented engineer set out to turn 2819 GT into an even more extreme
racer than the GTO already was. The car was transferred to Piero Drogo’s
workshop and upgraded by Bizzarrini in an incredibly short period of
time.
His first objective was to mount the engine as far back and as low as
possible to obtain an ideal centre of gravity. The V12 was fitted
completely behind the front axle; 12 cm further back than in the GTO. A
dry-sump lubrication system was fitted to allow the engine to be mounted
considerably lower. Similar to the GTO a six Weber carb set-up was
fitted boosting the power to 300 bhp. The only item missing compared to
Ferrari’s GTO was a five speed gearbox, so the hybrid GTO had to make do
with the old SWB four speeder. To round things off GTO wheels and tires
were fitted.
Although the technical changes greatly improved the car’s
performance, it is not what the Count’s GTO hybrid would become famous
for. That was all due to the aerodynamic body Bizzarrini had designed
for it. At first it might look similar in design to the GTO body, but
closer inspection reveals that it is even lower and features a much
sharper nose. It was so low that a plastic cover was required to shield
the Webers that pierced through the bonnet. The roof line carried on all
the way to the rear end where it was sharply cut-off to create an
extreme Kamm style tale.
Upon completion the Count was rightfully impressed with his new racer
that was 100 kg lighter than a GTO, more aerodynamically efficient and
equally powerful. It was part of a three car entry for Le Mans together
with the GTO and a Ferrari 250 TR/61. Soon after its arrival
Bizzarrini’s unusual rear-end design earned it the nickname
‘camionette’, French for little truck, or most commonly ‘Breadvan’ in
English. Under pressure from Ferrari the organizers placed the
‘Breadvan’ in the prototype class, instead of the GT class with the
GTOs. In the race it outpaced all other GTs in the first hours, but a
broken drive shaft meant the end of the race.
It was campaigned four times more in the season scoring two GT class
victories and a class track record. It was obvious that the ‘Breadvan’
could easily match the competition’s pace, but the limited resources and
time available for proper development prevented it from attaining
Ferrari’s incredible reliability. After SSR was disbanded in 1963, the
Count frequently used the car on the road before he loaned it to Fiat
supremo Gianni Agnelli. He had his butler paint it black as a joke
because he thought it looked like a hearse. Volpi eventually sold it in
1965 after which it changed hands a few time before finding long time
ownership in the United States in 1986.
Source; Wouter Melissen
Video of the car at a classic race
here.
Ferrari owners club.
Ferrari Life.
More images on
www.in2motorsports.com
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