The only 250 Testa Rossa with Maranello’s experimental twin-cam V12, chassis 0744, restored by Classiche to Richie Ginther’s 1959 specs.
Chassis 0744 occupies a singular place in Ferrari history: the only 250 Testa Rossa originally engineered to accommodate the experimental twin-cam 12-cylinder engine, and later transformed into one of the most powerful front-engined sports racing Ferraris of its era. In 2024, the car returned to Ferrari Classiche for a comprehensive restoration, bringing this unique competition machine back to its authentic late-1950s specification.
The origins of chassis 0744 date back to 1957, when the FIA revised World Sports Car Championship regulations, imposing a three-litre engine limit. Ferrari responded by developing two parallel 12-cylinder Testa Rossa engines: one with a single overhead camshaft and another with a more complex twin-cam layout. To accommodate both power units, Maranello began work on two different size chassis. Of these, chassis 0744 was the only example built specifically for the twin-cam Tipo 142 engine, installed in April 1958 before the rolling chassis was sent to Scaglietti for a bespoke body.
The car made its competition debut on 18 May 1958 at Spa-Francorchamps in the sports car Grand Prix, driven by Olivier Gendebien. Unfortunately the race ended prematurely due to fuel supply issues and, soon after, Ferrari’s engineering focus shifted to the simpler and more robust single-camshaft architecture. As a result, the experimental twin-cam unit was removed from chassis 0744 and replaced with the formidable 4.1-litre Tipo 141 V12 from the 335 S, the very same power unit that had equipped Alfonso de Portago’s car in the fatal Mille Miglia the previous year.
Reconfigured as the 250 Testa Rossa Competizione/335, the car was shipped to the United States for John von Neumann’s Ferrari Representatives of California. A pivotal figure in American motorsport during the 1950s, von Neumann entrusted the car to Phil Hill for its US debut at Watkins Glen in September 1958. Mechanical issues forced retirement, a fate repeated weeks later at Riverside. The car returned to competition in October 1959, again at Riverside, where Richie Ginther secured its first and only victory in the Kiwanis Grand Prix, driving for Eleanor von Neumann, who had taken over the racing operation.
Following this success, chassis 0744 returned to Maranello to receive four-wheel disc brakes, a necessary upgrade given the car’s prodigious performance. Further outings followed in the Bahamas, where it finished second in the Governor’s Trophy at Nassau before retiring from subsequent races. After changing ownership, it raced sporadically through 1961, achieving second- and third-place finishes at Riverside before being retired from competition.
Acquired in 2006 by Chris Cox, the unique 250 Testa Rossa was preserved and exercised in rallies and concours events before its return to Maranello in 2024 for comprehensive restoration by Ferrari Classiche.
Once in the workshops, chassis 0744 was completely disassembled and every mechanical component – including its 4.1-litre V12 engine, gearbox and transmission – was meticulously overhauled. The electrical system was entirely replaced, while the seats were reupholstered in brown velvet. When the body was refitted to the chassis, the original mounting holes aligned perfectly with the rivet points, confirming the exceptional precision of the original construction. The finishing touch was a livery of silver, with a fine black longitudinal stripe following the bonnet, and the race number 53 – just as Richie Ginther raced it at Nassau in 1959.
Report by Alessandro Giudice for ferrari.com
Photography by Axel Ruhomaully
