scuderia_ferrari_logo.gifVia an article on the Top Gear website I found out about the RM Auctions Ferrari auction that was held at Ferrari’s own test track in Fiorano on the 20th of May this year. The auction included 33 classic Ferrari’s. The cheapest got sold for €44.000 (1986 Ferrari 328 GTS), while the 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa got sold for the record high bid of 6.8 million Euros.

After have stumbled upon these websites, I did a quick search on Google to see if I could find more info on this auction and the 1962 masterpiece.

Turns out that the guys over at Hemmings saw RM Auction as a good excuse to run through the history of twenty different Ferrari’s on their blog!! It stretches from 1953’s 340/375 MM Competition Berlinetta to 2006 599 GTB Fiorano.

Below I have compiled a list with a thumbnail, link and a short excerpt for each car they covered. The list is not meant to replace the original articles, see it as a springboard to the original juicy content; so, don’t thank me — thank the guy’s at Hemmings.

Ferrari1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Competition Berlinetta
According to factory records, Ferrari completed 0322 AM in June of 1953 as a 340 MM and immediately sent it to France as a factory entry for the 21st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13th. Driven by the Marzotto brothers, Paolo and Giannino, 0322 AM finished fifth overall – the highest place finish for a Ferrari that year.

Ferrari1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Spyder
The first of these Lampredi-engined Ferraris were 3.3-liter cars built in 1950. Two of these 275 S models driven by Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi entered the 1950 Mille Miglia, but dropped out with driveline failures. It was a classic problem – the new engine’s outstanding power and torque simply overwhelmed the existing gearbox and axle.

Ferrari1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione
The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta is unmistakably Ferrari. It is devoid of superfluous bulk, features or embellishments. It is aerodynamic. The driver’s visibility from the ample greenhouse is good. The corners of the car are tightly wrapped around the wheels. Its gently rounded masses speak unambiguously of potency and power.

Ferrari1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa Spyder
The Testa Rossa was already a racing success when it was introduced in late 1957 and it went on to a string of victories that are simply too numerous to describe in anything less than a book, and indeed, several have been written. But it was at Le Mans where the Testa Rossa established its reputation.

Ferrari1963 Ferrari 250 GTE
The 250 GTE was a huge commercial success for Ferrari. Between the introduction at the 1960 Paris Salon and the evolution into models fitted with a four-liter V-12, almost 1,000 cars were built. Although history does not record his opinion, Enzo Ferrari no doubt enjoyed this success as it contributed substantial profits, which he could then allocate to the factory’s increasingly expensive racing efforts.

Ferrari1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2
330s have never been the first choice of the cognoscenti, but the somewhat controversial styling and real GT usability make them about the best bargain you’ll find in 1960s V-12 Ferraris.

Ferrari1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
The 275 GTB/4 was unveiled at the Paris Salon in October 1966 and was the first production Ferrari to feature a quadruple camshaft V-12 power unit. Many consider the resulting car to be the finest production Ferrari ever built, combining the thoroughbred mechanical pedigree of its road racing forebears with sufficient creature comforts to make the 275 GTB/4 a superlative grand touring automobile.

Ferrari1966 Ferrari Dino 206 SP
Lightweight. Aerodynamic. Powerful. The Ferrari 206 SP is the lithe, sinuous, brilliant V-6 son to the V-12 father. It is similar in many respects, but accomplished with conscious differences.

Ferrari1967 Ferrari 330 GTC
Nothing more clearly shows the evolution of Ferrari into the premier constructor of grand touring automobiles than the 1966 Geneva Auto Show debut of the 330 GTC. Borrowing liberally from many successful Ferrari automobiles, it offered the 4.0-liter engine in a chassis closely patterned after the 275 GTB. Coachwork by Pininfarina combined a gorgeous nose borrowed from the 400 Superamericas with a prominent beltline from the doors back culminating in a tail that clearly paid homage to the 275 GTS.

Ferrari1969 Ferrari 365 GTC
Ferrari introduced the predecessor to the 365 GTC to the world at the Geneva auto show in 1966. The 330 GTC was a happy marriage of three elements: the chassis of the 275 GTB; the new larger engine from the 330 GT 2+2; and sleek new two seat coachwork penned by Pininfarina.

Ferrari1970 Ferrari 512 S
Ferrari’s 512 S represented yet another attempt by a manufacturer to take advantage of the homologation rules laid out by the C.S.I. (Commission Sportive International). It was a practice the C.S.I. was trying hard to avoid; manufacturers would build prototype racers, produce them in the required quantities and fit them with lights, horns, and spare tires - all the trappings of a road car. On paper, the 512 S was a car for the average Joe, but in reality, it was the fastest car Ferrari had ever built, capable of more than 235mph.

Ferrari1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder
Ferrari was more than back on their game at the dawn of the 1970s; at a time when other manufacturers were floundering, Ferrari created a modern, hugely capable and appealing car that became an instant superstar, the 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyder. Many enthusiasts consider the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 to be the definitive front-engined sportscar, the ultimate example of the traditional grand tourer, and it is undoubtedly a classic design. The open Spyder configuration is a favourite among the world’s Ferraristi, and often mentioned as one of the cars most would like to own.

Ferrari1983 Ferrari 126 C2B Formula 1 Grand Prix Car
Introduced in 1981, the new 126 was a technological marvel – initially producing 580hp from just 1.5 liters, the new V6 engine was more compact and allowed better aerodynamics. Handling was a challenge that first year, partly because of the boost characteristics of the new engine.

Ferrari1985 Ferrari 288 GTO
When the FIA introduced new Group B Race and Rally regulations in 1984, Ferrari created a model that looked back to the glory days of their 1962-‘64 250 GT models. The 400 horsepower, twin turbo 288 GTO of 1985 was the result. It benefited from the intensive race and rally experience the Michelotto Company had gained from their successful and active campaign of the Ferrari 308 models.

Ferrari1986 Ferrari 328 GTS
Introduced at the 1985 Frankfurt Auto Show, Ferrari created the 328 to replace the 308. Although the greenhouse remained unchanged, by smoothing out some of the 308’s more angular lines, Pininfarina managed to modernize the 328 and improve its aerodynamic efficiency. In GTS guise, the vinyl-covered fiberglass roof section was simply carried over from the 308.

Ferrari1987 Ferrari F40 (prototype)
Something truly unusual, a prototype marking the birth of a car that defines “supercar,� one of the eight known 1987 Ferrari F40 prototypes, chassis 74049.

Ferrari1992 Ferrari F40 (production)
Introduced in Europe in 1987, Ferrari’s new supercar was a shock to the senses. An engineering tour-de-force, the F40 combined raw-edged radical styling with state-of-the-art technology in engine, body and chassis design.

Ferrari1997 Ferrari F310B Formula 1 Grand Prix
More than any other carmaker, Ferrari is and always has been a builder of racecars. A glance at the quarter-billion-Euro budget for a single season of F1 gives a glimpse at the scale of their operation, and the point of building street cars for then has always been to finance the racing operation. Maybe that’s why, rather than a flash in the pan, Ferrari comes back again and again, decade after decade, to the podium. Today’s car, their 1997 F310B Formula 1 Grand Prix car, is one that with the help of Michael Schumacher took them to the very peak of the sport once again.

Ferrari1953 Ferrari 500 F2
The 500 F2, aside from being the first Ferrari not to have a 12-cylinder engine, is remarkable for the way it cleaned up in Grand Prix racing. In 1952-’53, the 500 F2 won an incredible 14 of the 15 races it entered, with 11 of those wins going to Alberto Ascari, giving him the world championship in both years. The 500 F2 was powered by Aurelio Lampredi’s 1,985cc inline four, which used dual overhead camshafts to produce 165hp at 7,000 rpm (bumped to 185hp at 7,500 rpm by 1953).

Ferrari2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano represents an artful blend of Ferrari’s famous front-engined V-12s from the past and a great deal of the modern technology found in their road and race cars. It is fitting that Pininfarina, famous for many Ferrari designs, including the famous 365 GTB/4 “Daytona� from which the 599 clearly descends, designed the all-aluminum body. With its long sloping nose and short upswept tail section, Ferrari claims a 200 mph-plus top speed. Aerodynamics certainly help: The vacuum created by the 599 GTB’s lower-side venturis can exceed the car’s lift by over 400 lbs. Meanwhile, the freestanding flying rear buttresses that control the airflow laterally around the 599 GTB’s curved rear glass minimize drag.