1959 Ferrari-Chevrolet 250 GT Coupé
When the supply of European replacement engines dried up in the sixties many enterprising racers stuffed American V8s into orphaned Ferraris, Maseratis and Jaguars. These modified sports cars extended the usefulness of some old workhorses that were permitted in SCCA and Cal Club racing. Such is the case with our feature car which is one of the oldest surviving Ferrari street rods.
Like many V8 transplants, this 250 GT needed considerable inner fender modifications to fit a V8 in the engine bay. Installed in this Ferrari was a 1969 small block Corvette engine attached to a three speed T400 automatic transmission. It may have been possible that a 283 was first installed in California for racing. Other upgrades included AC Delco disc brakes, removal of the front bumper and a Ford 9-inch rear axle.
Do to their weight, very few Pininfarina Coupes were raced and our feature car might be one of the few used in SCCA/Cal Club west coast events. When installed with a V8, the car moved from B Production to C Modified class. With the 350 upfront the car currently weighs 2994 lbs (1359 kg)
Since the mid 1990s, this Coupe has been owned and campaigned by Randy Cook who has shown it at numerous events. He has maintained the car and plans to keep it as Ferrari’s last street rod.
In Detail
type | Professionally Tuned Car |
engine | Chevrolet V8 |
position | Front Longitudinal |
aspiration | Natural |
block material | Cast Iron |
body / frame | Steel body over Steel Tube Frame |
driven wheels | RWD |
curb weight | 1359 kg / 2994 lbs |
transmission | T400 3-Speed Automatic |