Cars
European Hill Climb Championship: Ferrari Turns The Mountains Red
Ferrari's sporadic but legendary European Hill Climb Championship appearances saw intense rivalry with Porsche. From Scarfiotti's 1962 victory in a Dino 196 SP to Schetty's 1969 triumph in the 212 E Montagna, Ferrari proved its prowess on the slopes.
Between the late '50s and early '60s, the Germans, as mentioned in our previous episode on Roarington.com, developed prototypes specifically for hill climbs, winning repeatedly with the 718. Meanwhile, the Italians were focused on Formula 1, with the 246 F1 and 156 F1 winning the Drivers' World Championship with Mike Hawthorn in 1958 and Phil Hill in 1961. Porsche's victories annoyed Maranello, so in 1962, Sporting Director Eugenio Dragoni convinced Enzo Ferrari to entrust a Dino 196 SP to Ludovico Scarfiotti. Alone, against Stuttgart's squadron, the Italian won the European Hill Climb Championship with two races to spare, becoming the champion right in Germany.
The score was settled: when Ferrari participates, it wins! This was true also in Formula 1, where another Drivers' and Constructors' World Championship came in 1964 with John Surtees driving the 158 F1. In the mountains, however, Porsche didn't rest and returned to dominate with its lightweight 8-cylinder boxers. The response was ready: in 1965, Ferrari struck again with the Dino 206 SP, once more driven by Ludovico Scarfiotti, this time directly entered by Ferrari, not by Scuderia Sant'Ambreus like before. It was an extraordinary season, winning the European Title again in front of their fierce Porsche rivals.
