Beautiful and unbeatable

The idea of Sergio Scaglietti, the magical coachbuilder from Modena who worked for Ferrari during the 50s, was to make the magnificent mechanics of the new Ferrari sports car - christened Testa Rossa and destined for the World Sports Car Championships, perform even better through aerodynamics. His inspiration for the front section was from Formula 1: a distinctive cut-away nose separated from the fenders, visible front suspension and a deep recesses in the flanks to facilitate the flow of air from the brakes. At that time, and we are in the autumn of 1957, no-one imagined that even the smallest aerodynamic appendage - as today’s Formula 1 cars clearly demonstrate - could significantly change the behaviour of the car.

This image reveals the secret of the Testa Rossa name: the cam covers were painted bright red above which stand the six mighty two-barrel carburettors that allowed it to produce 300 hp when it was presented in the autumn of 1957.

When the car was presented everyone found it magnificent - and still today it is the most sought after Ferrari after the GTO - but some began to doubt that beauty and performance had really combined. At high speeds, the original and beautiful shape of the car, known as a Pontoon Fender, caused the front end to lighten. The problem was so noticeable that Ferrari returned to a more conventional front section for Le Mans in 1958, Hill and Gendebien drove the modified version to victory.