Seeing Red—70 Years of Ferrari at the Petersen
- Images by Shawn Glad
The latest exhibit in the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery at the Petersen Automotive Museum celebrates the 70th anniversary of Ferrari, titled “Seeing Red.” Maintaining a theme centered on a single color—red, naturally—the gallery showcases eleven of the most significant road and race cars from the Prancing Horse over the last seven decades. Among these cars that showcase Ferrari’s evolution in design, engineering, and performance are one of the 39 built 1963 Ferrari 250 GTOs—a total stunner, a 1955 Ferrari 857 Sport—a rare finned variant, and a 1965 Ferrari 250 LM that won overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The exhibit’s theme centers on the color red, an emblem of Ferrari’s spirit. At the entrance, a sign provides insight into Ferrari’s enduring connection with this iconic color.
“Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1947, Ferrari has long stood for innovation, engineering perfection, and top performance on and off the track. Since the debut of the 125 S, the first Ferrari-badged car, Ferrari has recorded over 5,000 victories in races around the world. While organized with the sole intent to build and campaign race cars, Ferrari funded his racing pursuits by building and selling exotic road-going variants that are now ranked among the most beautifully designed and engineered cars of all time. The firm’s deep-rooted association with the color red dates back more than a century to the time when Rosso Corsa (“racing red”) was chosen to be the official color for all Italian motorsports teams regardless of manufacturer. Enzo Ferrari readily embraced this tradition and the race cars that bear his name today belong to an ever-shrinking number of Italian teams that continue the tradition of painting its cars Rosso Corsa, reinforcing an association with the color red that continues to this day.”
The “Seeing Red: 70 Years of Ferrari” exhibit wraps up at the end of April 2018, so act fast and get out to the Petersen if you haven’t been already!
Below are highlights from the exhibit, each accompanied by a brief history. Cheers!
This 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, with Scaglietti coachwork, and Giotto Bizzarrini-engineered mechanics, was primed for dominance in European racing, clinching the FIA GT World Championship from 1962 to 1964. Despite the FIA’s mandate for a minimum production of 100 cars to qualify as a “production” car for Grand Touring races, only 39 units were produced. This rarity, coupled with its timeless design and illustrious racing heritage, places the 250 GTO among the most coveted automobiles ever created.
In 1955, following a defeat by Mercedes-Benz at the World Sportscar Championship, Ferrari, already a respected innovator, ventured into more radical designs. The Ferrari 857 Sport, part of this exploratory phase, featured a novel twin-cam, four-cylinder engine and a lightweight aluminum body crafted by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Exported in 1956 to Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, this model is unique among the four created for having a rear fin.
This 1965 Ferrari 250 LM, with a 3.3-liter V12, stole the spotlight at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965, beating out the favored “factory” teams of Ferrari and Ford. The victory, secured by a privately entered team from Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) and driven by American Masten Gregory along with future world champion Jochen Rindt of Austria, marked a significant upset. Completing 347 laps of the 8.326-mile circuit, they averaged 120.944 mph over the 24 hours, recording the last overall win for Ferrari at Le Mans. Post-1965, the 250 LM showcased its strengths at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968 and 1969, with its final race in 1970, finishing seventh.
This 2006 Ferrari 248 F1, driven by Michael Schumacher in his final Formula One season, was engineered by Aldo Costa and Rory Byrne, its name reflecting the 2.4-liter, eight-cylinder engine it housed. Schumacher, after a decade with Scuderia Ferrari, announced his retirement from Formula One following his victory at the 2006 Italian Grand Prix.
This 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB is a short wheelbase variant, produced between 1960 and 1962 with only 56 units made. This model has a more robust stance along with enhanced acceleration and handling, making it a standout over the long wheel based sibling. Targeted for the North American market, this vehicle played a pivotal role in cementing Ferrari’s reputation stateside. It’s now widely recognized as the “Ferris Bueller Ferrari,” although, fortunately, the car featured in the movie was a replica, phew.