Supercars.net

The 275 was Ferrari's first road car with a fully independent suspension and it was more powerful, better balanced and lavishly appointed than the successful line of Ferrari 250s that came before it.

As unveiled at the 1964 Paris Motor Show, the 275 GTB was instantly recognizable by its Pininfarina-designed fastback body, long nose, cut-off tail, flowing curves and signature Ferrari grill. Underneath, motor sport features such as all-independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, a five speed transaxle distinguished the 275 from the much larger and heavier 330 GTC shown beside it.

Despite its road-going intent, Ferrari was forced to reconsider the 275 almost from the day it was launched. After the rear-engine 250 LM was denied homologation, Ferrari had to begin fitting the 275 with competition engines and aluminum bodies for their race clientele. The most potent of these were three Competizione Speciales. These aggressive 275s were much faster than the coveted 250 GTO and lent their developments to the next series of 275s.

After being raced, lessons learnt with the competition cars were introduced in the 275. By 1965, an extended nose was used to help reduce front end lift. This was followed up in 1966 with torque tube that fixed the engine and transaxle in place to reduce unwanted cabin vibration. The last and most desirable 275 was the 1967 GTB/4 with its signature four cam, dry sump, V12 engine.

Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net