Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB
1959–1962 · Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB — Grand Tourer, V12, designed by Pininfarina.
The Story
The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB (passo corto, ‘short wheelbase’) is the car that proved a Ferrari could be driven to the circuit, win, and be driven home again — the definitive dual-purpose Ferrari. Unveiled at the Paris Salon in October 1959, it took the 250 GT recipe and shortened the wheelbase to 2,400mm (from the LWB 2,600mm), transforming the handling. Under the Scaglietti-built, Pinin Farina-penned body sat the 3.0L Colombo V12 (tipo 168), tuned from ~240 to 280 hp by specification. Crucially, the SWB was the first Ferrari GT offered with four-wheel Dunlop DISC brakes — the combination of low weight, V12 power and stopping power that finally caught up made it formidable.
Ferrari split the run into two characters: steel-bodied ‘Lusso’ road cars with trimmed interiors and softer springing, and lightweight aluminium ‘Competizione’ race cars. Roughly 165 were built (sources range ~158–176). In the right hands it was almost unbeatable: Stirling Moss, in Rob Walker’s dark-blue SWBs, won the Goodwood Tourist Trophy in both 1960 AND 1961 — the 1961 car the right-hand-drive alloy ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’ chassis 2735GT.
The SWB’s deepest legacy is genetic. The same engineering minds — Giotto Bizzarrini, Carlo Chiti and a young Mauro Forghieri — developed it, and the chassis they refined became the direct basis for the 250 GTO, whose frame was an evolution of the 1961 SWB unit and which was homologated under the SWB’s papers. That makes the SWB both a holy-grail Ferrari in its own right and the ancestor of the most valuable car in the world.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Grand Tourer class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Pininfarina
Italy’s most storied carrozzeria and Ferrari’s principal design house 1952–~2012. Used as the credit where no individual stylist is documented (esp. 1950s GTs designed collectively in-house).
Studio Motors POV
The SWB is the purest expression of Ferrari’s dual-purpose ideal — beautiful enough to be a road car, fast enough to win at Goodwood, and important enough to have fathered the GTO. If the GTO is the crown, the SWB is the head that wears it.
The Engine
Ferrari Colombo V12
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 250 GT Berlinetta SWB
Worth Knowing About the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- • It was the FIRST Ferrari GT sold with four-wheel disc brakes as standard — Dunlop discs all round, a genuine technological leap for the marque.
- • Stirling Moss won the Goodwood Tourist Trophy twice (1960 AND 1961) in Rob Walker's privateer SWBs — and in the 1960 race he reportedly had a radio fitted so he could follow the commentary.
- • The 250 GTO's chassis was a direct evolution of the 1961 SWB's, and the GTO was homologated under the SWB's existing papers — the SWB is literally the GTO's ancestor.
5 Fast Facts
- • Roughly 165 built (1959–1962; sources range ~158–176), split between steel 'Lusso' road cars and aluminium 'Competizione' racers.
- • 3.0L Colombo V12 (tipo 168), ~240–280 hp by state of tune.
- • Short 2,400mm wheelbase — 200mm shorter than the LWB — for sharper handling.
- • First Ferrari GT with four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes; offered in LHD and RHD.
- • Values ~$8M–$15M+: a Gooding SWB sold for $9,465,000 (Pebble Beach 2023); competition cars climb past $10M.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Stirling Moss — RACED (not owned) Rob Walker’s SWBs to the 1960 and 1961 Goodwood Tourist Trophy wins (Motor Sport / Classic & Sports Car). Eric Clapton — documented owner of multiple SWBs: he took chassis 2335GT in 2001 (the car whose original owner’s complaint prompted Enzo to install a Competizione engine as goodwill) and also acquired alloy SWB 3067GT (Classic Driver). (Chris Evans’s documented Ferraris are a 250 GTO and a California Spider, NOT a closed SWB → not attributed here.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The first fork is steel ‘Lusso’ vs alloy ‘Competizione’ — the lightweight race cars command a strong premium, and within them the ‘SEFAC Hot Rod’ cars are the apex. Provenance is everything: a documented period race history (a genuine Le Mans, Tour de France or Tourist Trophy entry) can multiply value, so demand a continuous chassis-by-chassis history. Expect ~$8M–$15M+, with exceptional race-historied cars past $10M. Insist on Ferrari Classiche (matching-numbers engine, gearbox and body) and beware re-bodied or re-numbered cars — with only ~165 built and a tangle of rebuilds, the paper trail matters as much as the metal.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB
- Class
- Grand Tourer
- Production years
- 1959–1962
- Units built
- ~165 (sources 164–176; steel road + alloy competition)
- Variants
- SWB Competizione (alloy), SWB Lusso (steel)
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- V12
- Engine family
- Ferrari Colombo V12
- Displacement
- 2953 cc (3.0 L)
- Power
- 280 hp
- Torque
- lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 6.5 s
- Top speed
- 150 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 264 hp/tonne · 8.3 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 4-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD (4-wheel disc brakes — a first on a Ferrari GT) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2337 lb
Questions
250 GT Berlinetta SWB FAQ
What are the key specifications of the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB?
The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB uses the Colombo 3.0-litre V12 producing approximately 240 hp in road specification and up to approximately 280 hp in Competizione tune, on a shortened 2,400mm wheelbase chassis. Ferrari built approximately 167 examples between 1959 and 1962, divided between Lusso (road) and Competizione (race-prepared) specifications, all bodied by Scaglietti to a Pininfarina design.
What did the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB win in competition?
The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB was Ferrari’s dominant GT class contender from 1960 to 1962, winning the Tour de France Automobile in 1960 and 1961 and competing successfully at Le Mans, the Targa Florio, and GT class races across Europe. It served as the direct competition baseline from which Ferrari developed the 250 GTO, retaining the same fundamental engine and gearbox architecture in a more aerodynamically developed body.
What is the difference between a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB Lusso and Competizione?
The Lusso (luxury) specification retained interior trim, wind-up windows, and road-comfort features, while the Competizione stripped these away in favour of Plexiglass side windows, lightweight bodywork, and the high-output engine tune. Competition cars were built to order for racing customers and lapped considerably faster; road-going Lusso examples were heavier but more practical for daily use.
What is a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB worth at auction?
250 GT Berlinetta SWB market has moved higher — Classic.com shows SWB averages around $7.9M-$8.2M as of 2026 (steel Lusso road cars in that band; alloy Competizione cars materially higher). Documented race provenance and factory alloy body construction drive top-end values.
Can you source a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB through Studio Motors?
Yes. The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB is one of the most historically significant and collectible Ferraris of the classic era — the direct predecessor to the 250 GTO, produced in approximately 167 examples across Lusso and Competizione specifications.
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