Home»All Photographs»Automobiles As Art 1950s (free downloads)»1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1

The first 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 was introduced in March 1957 at the Geneva Auto Show.

This is one of the few Ferraris that I like.

Too many Ferraris favor engine size over aerodynamic design, resulting a fat-back cars that are very undesirable, to me.

I realize most people do not feel this way, or they would not sell for millions upon millions at auctions.

"Series 1 250 GTs were built from 1957-59, and Series II cabriolets were built from 1959 to 1962," states Blackhawk Automobile Museum's interpretive display.

At the time this photo was taken, this Ferrari was featured at Blackhawk, but please be advised that Blackhawk's collection does change.

"Only 42 Series 1 250 GTs were produced and each of them had slight variations," Blackhawk notes. "This particular car is the 30th produced and is one of six that has outside, front fender vents, much like the famous 250 California Spider."

The California Spider is my favorite Ferrari.

"Some confusion existed early on between the open cars ~ the cabriolet and the Spider," according to Blackhawk. "The coachbuilding company Pinin Farina separated the look of the two cars by closely identifying the cabriolet with the long-wheelbase Ferrari berlinetta, or coupe.

"Many enthusiasts feel the 250 GT Spider has more visual appeal and a performance edge on the cabriolet, but Pinin Farina originally created the cabriolet as a semi-luxury touring car.

"It had better interior appointments, more soundproofing and was better suited to the non-racer Ferrari customer for comfortable ever-day driving with with a touch of performance.

This Ferrari features a V-12, 60-degree, SOHC engine with a 73mm bore and a 58.8mm stroke, topping out at 2,953cc at 240bhp @ 7500rpm. The price when new was $14,940 in 1958's dollar valuation.

The body/coachbuilder was Carrozzeria Pinin Farina of Turin Italy. The manufacturer was Ferrari S.p.A of Maranello, Italy.

Please note that this photo was taken with my first consumer-grade DSLR as I was contemplating the change from pro SLR to pro DSLR. As a result, resolution, focus and other elements are not as polished as in my current photos with my medium- and large-format pro DSLRs.