Ferrari
250 MM

Why it matters

The 250 MM was Ferrari's first 3-litre V12 sports-racing model and the car that set the Pinin Farina fastback shape later used on the 250 GT berlinettas. It was named for the 1952 Mille Miglia win of the 250 Sport and was a privateer car built in only 31 examples.

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 MM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Ferrari 250 MM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Terragio67 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Ferrari 250 MM (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

In May 1952 Giovanni Bracco and Alfonso Rolfo won the Mille Miglia in the 250 Sport, a Colombo-based V12 enlarged to 250 cc per cylinder with Lampredi-style heads. Six months later, at the Paris Salon, Ferrari introduced the production 250 Mille Miglia on a shorter chassis, with even-numbered racing chassis numbers. The model was produced through mid-1953; Bonhams says it was launched at the 1953 Geneva Salon.

Of the 31 cars, 18 had Pinin Farina berlinetta bodies and 13 were Vignale-bodied, all but one of them as spiders. Paolo Marzotto drove one in the 1953 Giro di Sicilia, a Vignale spider won at Pebble Beach in April 1953, and an example finished 7th in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana. Harry Schell and the Marquis de Portago took second at the 1000 km of Buenos Aires in January 1954.

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.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1953 Ferrari 250 MM Berlinetta by Pinin Farina Level C RM Sotheby's, Monterey 2018

   • Colombo-designed short-block V-12
   • Lampredi-style head with individual porting
   • shorter 2,400-mm chassis

   Accessed 2026-11-13
2. 2
   1953 Ferrari 250 MM Berlinetta by Pinin Farina Level C RM Auctions, Villa d'Este 2011

   • SOHC V-12 engine
   • 2,953 cc SOHC V-12 engine
   • three Weber carburettors
   • 240 hp, 2,953 cc SOHC V-12 engine
   • four-speed manual transmission
   • independent front suspension with unequal-length A-arms and transverse leaf springs
   • rear live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs and trailing arms
   • four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes
   • Wheelbase: 2,400 mm (94.5")

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   1953 Ferrari 250 MM, Talacrest stock listing Level C Talacrest, archived capture · 2015-07-03

   • 240 hp, 2,953cc SOHC V12 engine

   Accessed 2026-11-13
4. 4
   1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta, chassis 0312 MM Level C Bonhams

   • four-speed transmission was adopted instead of five-speed
   • Road & Track recorded 0-60 mph acceleration in just 5.1 seconds

   Accessed 2026-11-13