For our first automotive post we are making a very bold statement.

The Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is the best road Ferrari ever made. Yes that’s right. Not the 250 GTO, not even the 250 SWB, nor the iconic California 250 Spyder. Not even the important 250 Tour de France (TDF) which has won Ferrari so many races. The 275 GTB/4 is the best car ever to come out of the gates of Maranello. Why are we so sure? 

Well because I have done my homework. I have driven one extensively. I have read all the reports by experts. Listened to the most successful racing drivers like Stirling Moss and tried to understand the car in relation to what else was available at the time. And the verdict is pretty clear. The 275 GTB/4 wins on most accounts.

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Understanding Ferrari History

In order to understand what made the 275 GTB/4 successful it is important to know what was going on at the time within Ferrari.

In the mid – sixties Ferrari was on top of its game. Not even 20 years old, Ferrari had already created some mythical cars. The Iconic and now $35m+ value 250 GTO was introduced and won most races there was to win. In addition to its legendary multi championship winning Formula 1 cars, Ferrari made the best sports racing cars allowing 9 outright wins at Le Mans. It had introduced the successful dream line up of the 12 cylinder, 3 litre 250 series of GT cars which included: the 250 GT LWB Berlinetta TdF (more widely known as the 250 Tour de France), 250 GT LWB Interim Berlinetta, 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and 250 GTO. This 250 series had won the Tour de France road race nine times as well as many class wins at Le Mans and numerous important races around the world. The 250 SWB left its competitors like the Aston Martin DB4 GT in the dust, and the last of the 250 line, the 250 Lusso quickly became regarded as one of  the most beautiful and elegant Ferraris ever made. Ferrari road cars were now firmly on the map and the brand was well known internationally. Film stars were lining up to buy a car from Enzo Ferrari.

Perhaps Ferrari got complacent but in the mid 1960s, there was supercar competition. Not far away in Modena, Ferruccio Lamborghini introduced what many regard as the world’s first super car, the legendary Lamborghini Miura. It was faster than anything Ferrari had made and had a new four cam engine.

But Ferrari the company, and Enzo the founder, both thrived under competition. The result was what we think is the best Ferrari road car ever made. In response to the four cam Miura, Ferrari introduced its masterpiece in 1966: The Ferrari 275 GTB/4.

Ferrari 275 GTB/4

The 275 GTB/4 was introduced at the Paris Motor show in 1966, replacing the 2 cam (SOHC) 275 GTB.

It was the last attempt at making the 275 perfect (we will cover the 275 GTB in another post). While we will not go into too much technical detail, the main highlights of the car were: It was the first production Ferrari with independent rear suspension (introduced in 1964 on 275 GTB); first production Ferrari engine with four overhead camshafts (finally catching up to Lamborghini who had introduced it a few years earlier); dry sump. Ferrari wanted to create a new car that was more aggressive than the last model it introduced – the Ferrari 250 Lusso. So the 275 GTB, and especially in this the ultimate incarnation, the 275 GTB/4 is a race inspired car in many aspects.

Like its 275 GTB predecessor the engine capacity of the 12 cylinder Colombo engine was 3.3L (engine type 226) and was fed by six dual choke Weber carburettors. Output was increased to 300 bhp at 8000 RPM and torque was also raised. Improvements during the development of the 275 GTB such as the ‘torque tube’ drive shaft and more aerodynamic ‘long nose’ to prevent lift at high speed were carried over. The car was steel bodied, with the bonnet, boot and door panels made in alloy. Around 16 examples were wholly bodied in alloy. The name 275 was derived from the fact that the car had 275cc per cylinder equating to 3.3L which the car carried. GTB stood for ‘Grand Touring Berlinetta’ and the 4 stood for 2 cams per bank, hence the 4 cam designation.

Visually a masterpiece 

While technically there were many reasons to fall in love this classic V12 front engined 1960s Ferrari, many connoisseurs say the 275 GTB/4 with its long nose is among the most beautiful Ferraris ever made.

I have been noticing something: The most beautiful Ferraris were designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. Would you like evidence of that? Alright. What about the 250 S1 cabriolet. Or the 250 Lusso. And the 250 SWB? So would you like to guess who built and designed the 275 GTB/4? Yes the famous duo again. Designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti.

There is one thing you have to realise about Ferrari and the legendary founder Enzo. His heart was with race cars not road cars and he was mostly interested in making the engines – the best in the world- nothing more, and nothing less. So he let famous coachbuilders like Pininfarina (the master of them all), Boano and Vignale carry out the coachbuild design of his road cars.  

Many people agree: the 275 GTB/4 is an iconic design of the 1960s front engined Ferrari. It is well known once Enzo Ferrari was asked what the most beautiful car in the world was- to which he replied, ‘Undoubtedly the Jaguar E- Type’. Collectors and experts often say that the 275 GTB/4 was Enzo’s interpretation of the E-type done the Italian way.

The 275 GTB/4 driving experience

We can write all day about this great car. But what sets this car apart from all other Ferrari road cars, is driving it. Even the legendary Sir Stirling Moss in a test report comparing the 275 GTB/4 to the 250 SWB could not decide. In fact he had to climb into the 250 SWB and drive it again because he thought the 275 GTB/4 was such an incredible car to drive (he ended up favoring the 250 SWB- but it was a very close call).

While the 250 SWB is a well balanced car, it lacks the pull and torque of the 275 GTB/4 which has almost 60 bhp more despite being only 100kg heavier. Ferrari collectors often compare the 275 GTB/4 to the 250 GTO. Both are similar in shape and have an open gear shift gate. Often called the poor man’s GTO, the 275 GTB/4 is considered by journalists, collectors, and experts as among the best road car ever made by Ferrari ( the 250 GTO and the alloy bodied 250 SWB Competizione are often quoted as better cars to drive but these cars are not purely road cars but rather road/rally – race cars). I have had the pleasure of driving the 275 GTB/4 and accelerating to 8’000 rpm. The experience is simply not properly transmitted on paper, so expect a video of the driving experience of the 275 GTB/4 to come out late spring / early summer. Hearing the V12 screaming beneath the bonnet and powered by the six dual Weber carburettors  is something that can only be shown on Video.

The 275 GTB/4 is the last ‘pure’ Ferrari ever made

What makes the 275 GTB/4 so great is that everything built after it was not a ‘pure Ferrari’ anymore.

Stricter regulations in the US in terms of safety and carbon emissions forced Ferrari to stop producing the 275 GTB/4 after only two years and only 330 examples built. Shortly after the last 275 GTB/4 was built in 1968 Ferrari sold the majority of the company to FIAT and thus the model following the 275 GTB/4, the Daytona 365 GTB/4 was not built entirely under Ferrari anymore.

The 275 GTB/4 was the last real Ferrari ever made. That is why they are so collectable today.

(My sincere thanks to Mr Steven Robertson, based in the UK who helped me on the technical details for this Post)

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Below the front view of the 275 GTB/4 belonging to a Swiss collector. Note the long bonnet which strongly resembles the E-Type Jaguar.