Ferrari Testa Rossa, forward!

From 1958 to 1962, the Testa Rossa was Ferrari's main weapon at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In its different versions, it only conceded one defeat in 1959 against Aston Martin. It embodies Maranello's control over the Le Mans event and the quintessence of the front-engined sports car.

Published on 04/09/2022 à 09:00

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Move around, there is nothing to see... Except the success of Gendebien-Hill in 1958 © DPPI

This article on the Ferrari Testa Rossa comes from the AUTOhebdo Collector dedicated to the Ferrari adventure in 24 Hours of Le Mans, available on our online store.

The Testa Rossa demonstrates Ferrari's change of attitude at the technical level. Before it, Maranello's creations were rustic to say the least, relying on their V12 to compensate for chassis and aerodynamic weaknesses. In perpetual evolution, the Testa Rossa has allowed the small Italian manufacturer to bring itself up to date thanks to the work led by Carlo Chiti. This former engineerAlfa Romeo was appointed technical director in place of Andrea Fraschetti, who had killed himself in August 1957 while trying a F2 on the Modena circuit. If the initial design of the Testa Rossa is due to Fraschetti, it was Chiti who finalized it and directed its developments.

En 1955 et 1956, Ferrari délaisse le V12 au profit de moteurs 4 et 6 cylindres en ligne, avec des résultats décevants. Au creux de la vague, la Scuderia va retrouver un second souffle avec la 250 Testa Rossa, appelée ainsi en raison de la couleur rouge des couvre-culasses de son V12 simple arbre. Celle-ci apparaît en 1957, au stade de prototype. Après une 10e place aux 1000 km du Nürburgring, elle est engagée aux 24 Heures du Mans en version 3.1 litres, Gendebien-Trintignant évoluant entre les 2e et 4eplaces avant d’être trahis par leur moteur à la 10e heure. Les 335