One of the few Ferraris known for its nickname is our feature car, the Breadvan. This unsavory term was first used by the English press who where probably pessimistic about the car's uneasy features: a pointed nose, flat roofline and rear end that was very unlike any Ferrari. It was also a term that did little justice describe to one of fastest racecars from the early sixties.
Even today, chassis #2819 is still referred to as the Breadvan. To see it is a rare, unusual and exciting sight. It is a one-of, and of all the modified Ferrari's, it has to be the most notorious.
The Breadvan was developed by ex-Ferrari personnel and raced by a team that was refused sale of the car they wanted most, the 250 GTO. At the time, Enzo Ferrari must have been particularly perturbed as he did not allow the car the race as a Ferrari, nor carry his badges.
The origins of the Breadvan began with the palace revolt that happened at the end of October, 1961. This dispute, between Enzo's wife and several key employees, forced many workers, including engineers Giotto Bizzarrini and Carlos Chiti, to find work elsewhere. So, they defected to Scuderia Serenissima, a race team run by Count Giovanni Volpi. After Enzo Ferrari found out, the team's 250 GTO order was canceled, and they were left to hunt used cars for the 1962 season.
Not resting on their laurels, the Scuderia Serenissima team went out on a limb to create an even better version of Ferrari's 250 GTO. Bizzarrini & Chiti were the same engineers that created the original GTO, so they easily had the necessary talents to develop an even better one for Count Volpi.
Scuderia Serenissima started work upon chassis #2819, one of the few competition SWB 250s built to contest LeMans which was also the direct predecessor to the GTO. Bizzarrini then added all the features of the GTO that made it successful. This included dry sump lubrication, a lower, more centered engine position and a radical body that was executed by Piero Drogo's coachworks.
In some ways, Count Volpi got a car that was better than a GTO. At the 1962 LeMans, the Breadvan, with much smaller proportions, weighed 143 lbs lighter than the standard GTO. Despite the lack of five-speed gearbox, the reduced weight helped the Breadvan stay ahead of the GTOs at Le Mans, until it retired four hours into the race.
The Breadvan only raced four more times after LeMans, and managed a take class win at Brands Hatch in 1962. In later years, it was used as daily transport until maturing into a vintage racecar.
This car is going to be auctioned by Chrisites at their Monterey Jet Center Auction in August. Being a unique Ferrari, and one of the last made by Bizzarrini, it could fetch upwards of five million dollars.
