The great Ferrari achievements in the 1950s were hard to follow up with. From winning La Mans several times, creating the 250 GTO, and experimenting with engines all throughout the decade, one thing was for sure: Ferrari was at the cutting edge of automotive technology and second best wasn't an option

Production Cars

Ferrari began the 1960s with the conservative 250 GT design and continued in that vein when it launched the 250 GT 2+2, which had a small rear seat -- an innovative addition that hadn't been foreseened in the years before. Now a Ferrari was availible for even the family. Pninfarina then designed the Ferrari GT SWG, one of the best car shapes of the post-WW2 era. First shown at the Paris Auto Show in 1959, they went on sale in 1960 with a marvelous 280 horsepower V12 engine.

But PninFarina was proving he was capable of even more jazz with its superfast II, III, and IV show cars and a limited series of 400 SA (and shortly after the 500 superfast). "Aeurodinaminco" coupes, as they were called. The design and performance of these new cars once again proved Ferraris worth as a reputable car builder, propelling them into the 60s with much force. The Paris Auto Show seemed to compassionately agree: They absolutely loved the opulence surrounding the curvy Marenello-derived race cars.

The 2+2 line shed some of its conservativeness in late 1963 with the 330 GT 2+2. The 330 signaled a move away from the now-classic 250 GT 3.OL V12 to nearly 4 liters.

Ferrari attended the Paris Auto Show again in 1964, but besides their already well established production line of Ferraris, Ferrari had two knew cars up their sleeves: The 275 GTB, which replaced the Lusso, and a Spider called the 275 GTS. Both had a 3.3L V12 with independent rear suspension replacing the tradition Ferraris live rear axels. The 275 GTB and 275 GTS became instant hits, and the demand was rising at a astronomical pace for Ferraris. Shortly thereafter in Geneva, surprising commentators, Ferrari unleashed two additional cars that would add to the Ferrari legend: The 330 GTC, and the 330 GTS. These beauties were both high-performance two-seaters with a bit more luxury than the typical Ferrari. The styling is a but understated, but the total package of design along with its independent suspension and 4.0L V12 undoubtably make it one of the greater Ferraris of the 1960s. Ferrari put a racing twist to the car and made the 330 TRI/LM version, which took Ferrari to yet another crushing victory at Le Mans in 1962. Later in 1969, they were made even faster by putting a 4.4L V12's in them and became known as the 365 GTS/GTC.

Around the same time the 330 GTS/GTB were introduced, Ferrari also offered the brand new Ferrari 365, a long, open machine that would be considered a bit over-styled by most enthusiasts.

Later, to appeal to those who wanted to carry more than two, Ferrari had the large impressive-looking 365 2+2 in 1967. At the other end of the size scale came the Dino 206 with its 2.0L V6 mounted behind the passenger compartment.

Oddly enough, and something that may surprise enthusiasts, is while the 275 GTB in its two and four-camshaft versions is highly prized today, it wasn't such a hot seller in the 1960s. Luigi Chinetti tried to bump sales by implementing a convertable version called the NART spider, and the 10 that were made are now prized and worth millions.

It wasn't long before Ferrari was changing even more. After Enzo Ferrari and PininFarina put their trust in the young, yet brilliant 26-year-old designer Leonardo Fioravanti, it wasn't long before the impression was made. Within a week, the 365 GTB/4 was created, otherwise known as the Daytona. The 365 GTB/4 was almost an instant classic.

By the end of the 1960s, the era of one-off show cars for customers was over. But PininFarina had a new act ready: a series of dramatic show cars meant as design studies, the first of what we call concept cars were brought about. One such car was the 1967 Dino Competizione, a truly beautiful Ferrari concept. Another interesting concept car was the 365 P, in which there was the center-driver and then two back seats -- a setup that wasn't to be predated until the Mclaren F1 decades later. Also in the category of concepts were the futuristic 1968 250 PS and then the P6 -- the styling prototype that was to be used for the mid-engine Berlinetta Boxer in the 1970s.

Additional cars and facts

In the start of the decade, Ferrari took the 250 GTO. This beautiful coupe in many ways was a 250 Testa Rossa with a closed, flowing Scaglietti-shaped body and it often vied for the race lead, allowing Ferrari to take the constructors' crown once again. And again in the wonderful year of 1963, thanks to the GTO, Ferrari designed the innovative 250 LM -- a slamdunk that completely decimated the competition on the track. This beauty had a V-12 380 horsepower engine. But just as fast as it had won the Le Mans two years in a row, a threatening force emerged - Carol Shelby and the Cobra. Although Ferraris 250 LM recieved an overall higher rating on a point scale, Carol's Shelby Cobra lead ford, an american auto producer, for the first time to win Le Mans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969. Later something hilarious was unveiled: Ford had spent nearly 200 million dollars on designing the Cobra compared to Ferraris mere 20 million. You do the math :)

In 1965, one of Ferraris main weapon in the prototype war was created: The 1965 365 P/P2. This was a beautiful car inside and out, and features a tall, rules-required windscreen. This car propelled Ferrari to victory in the 12-hour race at Reims, France.

Then came the Ferrari 330 P3/4. Powered by a 4L V12, the mid-engine sports racing car was quite possibly the most beautiful car of the time. It was famously known for their 1-2-3 finish in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967, immensely helping Ferrari secure the sports car manufacturers' championship. But in an attempt to compete in the Can-Am race series in the extremely lucrative U.S. Market, Ferrari with little success, converted 330 P3/4s into what was labled Can-Am spiders. This wasn't a glory moment for Ferrari.

After sitting out of the 1968 season to protest rules governing international sports racing cars, Ferrari came back fiercly in 1969 with the 312P, one of my personal favorites. While the chassis and body was drew from Marenello's Can-Am experience, the engine was a development of the 3.0L Forumula 1 B12. Unfortunately the cars aesthetic beauty didn't warrant any first places, especially against the rival Porsche 908.