Seeking 250 Info | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Seeking 250 Info

Discussion in 'Vintage (thru 365 GTC4)' started by Bob Zambelli, Sep 27, 2016.

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  1. yale

    yale Formula Junior

    May 2, 2004
    744
    New York City
    Can anyone discuss the driving characteristics of these cars? I have driven a PF Coup and a 250 GTE. Are the Boano's and Ellena's similar to those cars and are they at all like the concurrent TdF's? Tia.
     
  2. John Vardanian

    John Vardanian F1 Rookie

    Jul 1, 2004
    3,043
    San Francisco Area
    Full Name:
    John Vardanian
    Yale, I'd doubt that the drum braked passenger cars in that group are much different from one another when it comes to general performance. The Series I PF coupe and the Boano/Ellena cars are made of the same ingredients. The PF coupe gives the impression of being slightly lower in overall height, and if it is it might have a slight advantage in handling.

    john
     
  3. freestone

    freestone Formula Junior

    Feb 8, 2005
    412
    West Coast USA
    The GTE from what I read has closer to a 50/50 weight bias and is slightly wider than like the GT coupe which i think is more 46/54.
     
  4. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    #29 Ed Niles, Nov 1, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  5. yale

    yale Formula Junior

    May 2, 2004
    744
    New York City
    Damn Ed when I saw you had posted on this thread I thought we'd get some back in the day driving impressions....can we...please?
     
  6. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    Well damn, Yale, I hardly know how to answer. Looking back, I had a few Boanos, 6 or 7 PF coupes, and a few TdF's. They all drove pretty much the same. Wonderful engine sounds; it was hard not to rev them up to 7000 just because of the sound they made. The engines were far and away the best part of those cars. You could drop your voice after that. The clutches were sudden, and a pain in the butt if they had to be replaced. I had a slipping clutch on one of my first Ferraris, 0389GT, and my mechanic friend tried to send the (multiple) discs out to be refaced. They came back so fat that we couldn't even bolt the plate on. So then the clutch refacing company ground them down, and after assembly it slipped just as it had before. Of course I could have mailed the factory for parts (this was pre-dealers) but the car would have been laid up for months.

    Otherwise, those old cars were similar to other sports cars of that era; a bit stiff and a bit cumbersome at normal speeds, with brakes that required a strong leg. I've been told that the drum brakes were actually pretty good if set up properly, so maybe I never had one that was set up properly?

    The TdF's were somewhat more fun, as they were lighter and more lively, although the chassis was essentially the same. In particular, the Zagato 0515GT was a hoot, and I suspect that it had a shorter rear-end ratio than some of the others. When I first owned it in the early 60's, it was my daily driver for about 6 months or so.

    In looking back, I think much of the charm was the exclusitivity (is that a word?). One NEVER saw another car like yours. It didn't need to be painted red to catch eyes.

    I hope I have answered your question. It's hard to remember things like this that occurred 50 years ago.
     
  7. Ed Niles

    Ed Niles Formula 3
    Honorary

    Sep 7, 2004
    2,493
    West Hills, CA
    Full Name:
    Edwin K. Niles
    Looking back at the the green 0429, I realized that it was in front of a friend's house; he owned a Siata OttoVu prototype with only one door. Prototype City!
     
  8. yale

    yale Formula Junior

    May 2, 2004
    744
    New York City
    Thank you Ed! It is great for me to read all that you have to say about the era. I can understand how it must have felt to have owned and driven these cars when they were basically a mirage for people. Appreciate it!
     
  9. El Wayne

    El Wayne F1 World Champ
    Staff Member Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 1, 2002
    18,043
    San Marino, CA
    Full Name:
    L. Wayne Ausbrooks
  10. tongascrew

    tongascrew F1 Rookie

    Jan 3, 2006
    2,989
    tewksbury
    Full Name:
    george burgess
    Thanks to the all aluminum body work they were lighter; tonga's crew
     

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