Ferrari 250 GTO, Rosso Corsa AL

The 250 GTO was shaped by air as much as by hand. Giotto Bizzarrini took the proven 250 GT SWB, made the frame lighter, stiffer and lower, and concentrated on aerodynamics, refining the body in the wind tunnel at Pisa University and on track. The result was a long, low nose with a small radiator mouth and intakes behind removable covers, a high tail and, after early testing, a spoiler across its trailing edge. When Bizzarrini was dismissed after a dispute with Enzo Ferrari, Mauro Forghieri carried the development on with Scaglietti, who built the aluminium bodies. The GTO ran under the earlier SWB's homologation, so no hundred-car run was needed; only 36 were made.

The paint is a deep crimson that reads almost claret in shadow. Beneath it the body is copper sheet, and every window and headlamp cover is real tempered glass. The bonnet lifts on the V12 and its six twin-choke carburettors under polished trumpets; the boot holds a spare on a wire wheel; the doors open onto blue cloth seats and harnesses, a wood-rimmed wheel and the open-gated gearlever. The steering works, and the drivetrain runs through a working differential to a V12 whose pistons and crankshaft move. Each car carries its own serial number. Martisan builds it at 1:18, from more than 2,000 parts.