Ferrari
250 GT SWB Breadvan

Why it matters

The Breadvan is a 250 GT SWB rebuilt in 1962 to compete against the new 250 GTO, and it became one of the best-known Ferraris of its era. Ferrari Classiche has recognised it with a Certificate of Attestation, a document for cars that do not meet the strict Authenticity Certification rules but are of historic interest through racing or international show history.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY 4.0
• Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Neil · CC BY 2.0
• Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

The car began as a regular 250 GT SWB, chassis 2819 GT, and finished second in the 1961 Tour de France with Olivier Gendebien and Lucien Bianchi. In 1962 Scuderia Serenissima, the team of Count Giovanni Volpi, had Giotto Bizzarrini rebuild it to take on the new 250 GTOs.

The rebuilt car's stretched roof gave an aerodynamic advantage and the boxy rear that gave it its name. In 2014 it took part in the Tour Auto in France. The story is told in Cavallino issue 135 and in the book Rebel Rebel by Marc Sonnery and Keith Bluemel.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The original car is chassis 2819 GT, a standard 250 GT SWB converted in 1962. Ferrari Classiche treats it under a Certificate of Attestation rather than a full Authenticity Certification. The later Breadvan Hommage, a bespoke shooting-brake body on a Ferrari 550 Maranello by Niels van Roij Design, is a separate tribute car and not a Breadvan.