1961 Ferrari Other for sale $595,000
| 1961 Ferrari Other $595,000 | |
| Car Ad from: Hemmings View Original Ad | |
| Price: | $595,000 |
| Contact: | View Original Ad from Hemmings |
| Location: | Emeryville, CA |
| Details: |
1961 Ferrari 250 TR61 Reconfiguration s/n 13123, Engine no. 4915 Rosso Corsa with Blue Cloth Interior For the 1961 racing season Ferrari continued the development of the tried and trusted 250 TR for yet another year despite an increasing number of competing teams having adopted mid-engine layouts. However, the new for 1961 250 TRI61 did represent a significant step forward with regards to areodynamics since the introduction of the three-litre Testarossa back in 1957. A driving force behind the newly acquired Sharknose appearance of the TR61 was Ferrariandrsquo;s chief engineer Carlo Chiti, who had insisted a wind tunnel should be installed in the factory. After a temporary, small scale tunnel was tried early in 1960, a more permanent and larger wind tunnel was completed before the end of the year. Among the first lessons learned by this more scientific approach was applied to one of the two TR61s built. Although more developed under the skin, the 1960 TR still featured an evolution of the body used for all the works cars since 1958. Initially, the work focused on the rear half of the car where a much taller tail was fitted complete with a cut-off Kamm tail. The experimental tail was carried straight over to the 250 TRI61 as it was found to reduce drag, while also increasing the downforce generated thanks to a small spoiler mounted on the very edge of the tail. The latest Testarossa was fitted with a steeply raked, wrap-around windscreen, which was barely taller than the rear deck. Featuring a striking Sharknose style split front air-intake; the very slippery TRI61 was considerably longer and somewhat more angular, when compared to its predecessors. Despite the increase in size, it was actually also quite a bit lighter. Like the 1960 Testarossa, the TR61 featured a sophisticated space frame constructed from smaller diameter, lighter steel tubes. The cars utilized an independent rear suspension system first introduced in 1960. Larger disc brakes were fitted front and rear. The red-headed 3.0L V12 powerplant was mated to a five-speed gearbox. The bodies were designed by Fantuzzi, but built by Scaglietti in lightweight aluminum, with a lightweight steal sub-suport system. The Ferrari factory only produced two cars in the TR61 configuration; s/n 0792TR and 0794TR, with a third car, s/n 0782TR ultimately converted over to TR61 configuration from TR60 of the previous year. Although few in numbers, the cars were immensely successful in competition. s/n 0792TR won the 12 Hours of Sebring overall in 1961 and 1962 with Phil Hill/Olivier Gendebien and Joakim Bonnier/Lucien Bianchi driving, respectively. After a rebody in in-house, s/n 792TR went on to victories at Auvergne and Reims. The sister car captured what is surely the crown jewel of the TR61 historical accomplishments; an overall victory at the 24 hours of Lemans with works drivers Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien at the controls. Unfortunately, later in s/n 0794TRandrsquo;s period history the car sustained significant damage in a racing accident at Cotati in California, and was off the road for many years prior to being restored to Pebble Beach Standards. s/n 0792TR, after also sharing a period of North American racing history (with Pedro Rodrigues), has also undergone a top caliber restoration including a rebody back to original TR61 configuration. Curiously, s/n 0782TR is thought to have been sold to Australia sometime after 1962, but it is yet to surface. This particular reconfiguration is an amalgamation of Ferrari components assembled to its present form between 1991 and 1994. It is based around a standard Ferrari 250GT V12 powerplant (no. 4915, internal number 536/62E), with a Ferrari transmission, differential, suspension parts, and braking system. The chassis is a small diameter steal spaceframe built by Mark Gerisch of Mandamp;L Auto Specialists in Wisconsin. The frame was constructed using factory plans for |