1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. Grey version
The Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso is a GT car which was manufactured by Italian automaker Ferrari from 1962 to 1964. Sometimes known as the GTL, GT/L or just Lusso, it is larger and more luxurious than the 250 GT Berlinetta.
The 250 GT Lusso, which was not intended to compete in sports car racing, is considered to be one of the most elegant Ferraris.
Contrary to the 250 GTE “2+2” which had a wheelbase of 2.6 m (100 inches), the GT Lusso was built on a short wheelbase of 2.4 m (94 inches), identical to that of the 250 GT Berlinetta.
The chassis was adopted from the tubular structure of the 250 GTO, but with narrower tubes.
The chassis could, according to Brian Laban, author of Ferrarissime, “brilliantly support the comparison with that of competitors”.
At the level of suspensions, the 250 GT Lusso had double wishbones and coil springs at the front, while the rear suspension comprised a live axle, leaf springs, semi-elliptical concentric coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers. Braking was provided by four-wheel disc brakes with hydraulic control, placed behind the polished aluminium Borrani wire wheels with knock-off hubs, fitted with 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67 tyres.
The 250 GT/L Lusso used a Colombo-designed V12 engine with a displacement of 2,953.21 cc (3.0 L; 180.2 cu in).
This engine developed an output of 240 hp (180 kW) at 7,500 rpm and 242 N⋅m (178 lbf⋅ft) torque at 5,500 rpm. It was able attain a maximum speed of 240 km/h (150 mph), thus becoming the fastest passenger car of that period, and required only 7 to 8 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph).
Certain components such as the valves and the crankshaft, were derived from the engine of the 250 GT SWB, while others, such as the pistons and the cylinder block, were derived from the 250 GTE.
The engine was equally “civilized” as the interior, given that it was provided with just one overhead cam head through the cylinder bank, two chain driven valves per cylinder and three dual-barrel Weber 36 DCS carburetors, compared to the twin-cam heads and six carburetors used on high performance models.
This V12 engine suffered major smoke emissions during high acceleration and vibrations around 3,700 rpm. This was the reason that Steve McQueen, angered by the smoke in spite of persistent engine repairs, sold his 250 GT/L in 1967.
The gearbox was also subject of complaints since it was too high geared.
