The Ferrari 275 was a 2-seat front-engined Gran Turismo automobile produced between 1964 and 1968. It used a 3.3 L (3286 cc) Colombo 60° V12 engine and produced 280-300 hp. The Pininfarina-designed body was a graceful evolution of the car's predecessor, the 250, and strongly contrasted with its replacement, the Daytona. The 275 introduced Ferrari's "transaxle" concept, where the transmission and rear axle are integrated.

Two-cam

275 GTB

The standard GTB coupe was produced by Scaglietti. It was more of a pure sports car than the GT name suggested. A Series Two version with a longer nose appeared in 1965.

275 GTS

Pininfarina built 200 GTS roadsters for the American market from 1964-1966 with entirely different bodywork. It was intended to be more of a GT car and less of a sports car than its GTB brother. The 275 GTS was replaced by the 330 GTS with the switch to the four-cam engine, leaving no 3.3 L convertible in the range until the creation of the 275 GTS/4 NART.

275 GTC

12 lightweight GTC cars had aluminium bodywork.

Four-cam

The four-cam 275s were substantially updated cars. Built by Scaglietti, they featured new bodywork and was the first Ferrari to not be offered with wire wheels.

Power came from a substantially reworked Colombo V12, still with two valves per cylinder but now with dual overhead cams. In a departure from previous Ferrari designs, the valve angle was reduced three degrees to 54° for a more-compact head. The dual camshafts also allowed the valves to be aligned "correctly" (perpendicular to the camshaft) instead of offset as in SOHC Ferraris. It was a dry-sump design with a huge 17 qt (16 L) capacity.

The transaxle was also redesigned. A torque tube connected the engine and transmission, rather than allowing them to float free on the body as before. This improved handling, noise, and vibration. Porsche synchronizers were also fitted for improved shifting and reliability.

275 GTB/4

The 1966 GTB/4 featured a four-cam engine with six carburettors. The GTB/4 could hit 165 mph with its 300 hp. 280 of this version were produced through 1968.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the 275 GTB/4 number seven on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

275 GTS/4 NART

A NART Spider version was only available from a single American dealer, Luigi Chinetti. NART stood for Chinetti's North American Racing Team, and the car was a spider version of the GTB/4. In a contemporary road test, Road & Track commended the Spider as "the most satisfying sports car in the world."

It was to be a custom run of 25 cars straight from Scaglietti, but just 10 were built in 1967 and 1968, making this one of the most valuable Ferraris. NART Spiders often command nearly US$2,000,000 today.

The Ferrari 275 was a 2-seat front-engined Gran Turismo automobile produced between 1964 and 1968. It used a 3.3 L (3286 cc) Colombo 60° V12 engine and produced 280-300 hp. The Pininfarina-designed body was a graceful evolution of the car's predecessor, the 250, and strongly contrasted with its replacement, the Daytona. The 275 introduced Ferrari's "transaxle" concept, where the transmission and rear axle are integrated.

Two-cam

275 GTB

The standard GTB coupe was produced by Scaglietti. It was more of a pure sports car than the GT name suggested. A Series Two version with a longer nose appeared in 1965.

275 GTS

Pininfarina built 200 GTS roadsters for the American market from 1964-1966 with entirely different bodywork. It was intended to be more of a GT car and less of a sports car than its GTB brother. The 275 GTS was replaced by the 330 GTS with the switch to the four-cam engine, leaving no 3.3 L convertible in the range until the creation of the 275 GTS/4 NART.

275 GTC

12 lightweight GTC cars had aluminium bodywork.

Four-cam

The four-cam 275s were substantially updated cars. Built by Scaglietti, they featured new bodywork and was the first Ferrari to not be offered with wire wheels.

Power came from a substantially reworked Colombo V12, still with two valves per cylinder but now with dual overhead cams. In a departure from previous Ferrari designs, the valve angle was reduced three degrees to 54° for a more-compact head. The dual camshafts also allowed the valves to be aligned "correctly" (perpendicular to the camshaft) instead of offset as in SOHC Ferraris. It was a dry-sump design with a huge 17 qt (16 L) capacity.

The transaxle was also redesigned. A torque tube connected the engine and transmission, rather than allowing them to float free on the body as before. This improved handling, noise, and vibration. Porsche synchronizers were also fitted for improved shifting and reliability.

275 GTB/4

The 1966 GTB/4 featured a four-cam engine with six carburettors. The GTB/4 could hit 165 mph with its 300 hp. 280 of this version were produced through 1968.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the 275 GTB/4 number seven on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

275 GTS/4 NART

A NART Spider version was only available from a single American dealer, Luigi Chinetti. NART stood for Chinetti's North American Racing Team, and the car was a spider version of the GTB/4. In a contemporary road test, Road & Track commended the Spider as "the most satisfying sports car in the world."

It was to be a custom run of 25 cars straight from Scaglietti, but just 10 were built in 1967 and 1968, making this one of the most valuable Ferraris. NART Spiders often command nearly US$2,000,000 today.

References