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"A predecessor to the 250 GTO, this car racked up numberous wins in the world of endurance racing."
―In-game catch text for the car, from GT7's car collection

The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta passo corto '61 is a road car produced by Ferrari. It appears in Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport (as part of Update 1.36, released on March 28, 2019) and Gran Turismo 7.

The car that appears in the games is chassis number 2521, which has appeared in various Ferrari exhibition shows.

Colors[]

Only one color is available for this car:

  • CN.2521 (Rosso)

In-game description[]

"Ferrari's 250 GT series owes much of its renown to this car, the 250 GT Berlinetta. Announced by Ferrari in 1959, it marked a decisive shift away from previous 250s. One notable difference was the 2,400 mm wheelbase, which was 200 mm shorter than its predecessors. This gave the car better handling, and led to the name 'SWB', which stands for 'short wheelbase'. The V12 engine was also more powerful. Driven by great drivers, including Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, and Carroll Shelby... The model proved to be an outstanding success. The total production of the Ferrari 250 Berlinetta was around 160 cars in total. Some of these featured an aluminium body for racing, while others like this one had steel bodies for street use."
―In-game description of the car, from GT7's Legend Car Dealership

"The predecessor to the 250GTO, with innumerable wins in the world of endurance racing."

The new 250 GT Berlinetta announced at the 1959 Paris Motor Show was styled by Pininfarina, with the 250 in the naming relating to the 250 cc per cylinder found in the 3 L, 12-cylinder engine.

There was one thing that was definitively different about this car from previous models. By shortening the 250 GT series chassis that was traditionally 2,600 mm down to 2,400 mm, they aimed to improve cornering agility to give it an edge in GT category racing. In later years it came to be called the 250 GT Berlinetta Passo Corto, or 250 GT Berlinetta SWB (abbreviation for Short Wheel Base in English) to distinguish it from the previous models.

The SWB began production in the following year of 1960, and was available in an all-aluminium, racing bodyshell as well as a steel bodyshell for road use. The 2,953 cc V12 SOHC produced between 216 BHP to 276 BHP depending on the tuning, and it was the first mass-production model by Ferrari to be equipped with four-wheel disk brakes.

In racing, the improvement of the car's performance from the shorter wheelbase paid off; nearly unstoppable, it won the Tour De France 3 years in a row from 1960 to 1962, and won the GT category in the Le Mans in 1960 and 1961, two years in a row. It also won the Nürburgring 1000 km race two years in a row from 1961 to 1962. It later passed the baton on to the 250 GTO, an evolution of this model.

Only 162 of these cars were ever made.

Café Conversations (GT7)[]

Fabio Filippini[]

The Ferrari 250 GT SWB is the 'Mona Lisa' of sport cars! It brings sportiness, elegance and power into one perfect shape. This Pininfarina[1] design... Is the final word on a pursuit of volume and proportion that started in 1947 with the Cisitalia 202 Berlinetta. Compact, dynamic shapes and curve, sinewy surfaces are expressed as utter purity and elegance. The car fits a low, gritty front, a set-back cabin, generous hips and a compact tail... All into one concentrated ensemble. It's not unlike... A painting by da Vinci or a sculpture by Michelangelo. That is, it achieves a similarly exceptional level of perfection and timeless beauty. It is beauty in its purest and most striking essence!

Acquisition[]

Game Purchase location Credits Other methods
Gran Turismo 6 Ferrari Dealership 7,500,000 ---
Gran Turismo Sport
(Update Iconv1.36+)
Ferrari Brand Central 12,500,000 ---
Gran Turismo 7 Legend Cars 7,800,000[2] ---

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • There are two window stickers on the front-right window, referring to the Ferrari & Maserati Artedinamica exhibition held in 2002 and from the Ferrari 50th anniversary exhibition in 1997. There's also a sticker on the rear window from a Ferrari event held in Modena on April 29-30, 1989.
    • Only the rear window sticker can be restored in GT7, as decals cannot be placed on the front windshield.
  • In GT7, GT Auto offers the option to remove the front and rear bumpers.

Notes[]

  1. Incorrectly spelt in-game as "Pininfarina's".
  2. Price as of January 2025
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