GTO Engineering 250 GT SWB Competizione Berlinetta

The History
Few Ferraris combine road-going elegance and competition pedigree quite like the 250 GT Short Wheelbase Berlinetta. Introduced in 1959, the SWB represented the convergence of Ferrari's great GT lineage with its increasingly focused competition programme. Built around a compact 2,400mm-wheelbase chassis and powered by the Colombo V12, standard competition variants developed approximately 280hp and rapidly established themselves as devastatingly effective on circuit and sublimely usable on the road.
Raced by factory teams and privateers alike, the 250 SWB achieved an extraordinary competition record, claiming victories at Le Mans, the Tour de France Automobile, and countless national championships. Its blend of mechanical sophistication, durability, comfort and aesthetic purity led Road & Track to describe it in period as “the ultimate 250 GT car” - a sentiment that has only strengthened with time. Today, with just 167 examples produced and values often exceeding eight figures, the SWB has become one of the most revered and inaccessible Ferraris of all.

The Tradition of Rebodying
The art of rebodying cars is a time-honoured practice that runs through Ferrari history. Throughout the 1950s/60s, the factory routinely rebodied cars for competition advantage, accident repair or stylistic evolution. Works 250 GTOs were converted from Series I to Series II specification; Scaglietti and Drogo reshaped bodies as required; and customer cars were continuously modified to remain competitive. The idea that a Ferrari’s form was fixed at birth is a modern construct, not a period reality.
By the 1970s/80s, this tradition extended to the reimagining of tired or damaged 250-series cars, most commonly converting 250 GTEs into more sporting forms by respected specialists. While many of these conversions were visually convincing, few matched the originals in technical or dimensional accuracy. Standards were simply different at the time, and provided a car looked broadly correct, that was often considered sufficient, though incorrect mechanical details or compromised body shapes were usually a giveaway.

...Enter GTO Engineering
Founded in the early 1980s by the late Mark Lyon, GTO Engineering has long been regarded as one of the world’s pre-eminent independent Ferrari specialists. Over four decades, the company has restored, raced, maintained, and inspected an unrivalled number of Ferrari competition cars, including more than half of the original 250 SWB Berlinettas and 25 of the 36 original 250 GTOs.
Their work included the remanufacture of complete 250-series drivetrains - engines, gearboxes, axles, suspension and brake systems - initially to support service and restoration, then later racing programmes, preserving original cars by allowing owners to run period-correct mechanicals while protecting “matching numbers”. From this work emerged a simple question: if every component could be produced to original specification, why not recreate the complete car to the same uncompromising standard?
The answer became the GTO Engineering Revival series - a limited programme focusing on Ferrari’s most significant 250-based designs, including the 250 SWB Berlinetta, 250 Testa Rossa, and 250 California Spyder. Each Revival is a true toolroom exercise, employing period-correct techniques while incorporating subtle, invisible improvements for reliability and usability. At the heart of every example lies a Colombo V12, hand-built in-house by a single master technician.
As Chris Harris observed after driving a GTO Engineering Revival SWB: “If you offered me this or an SF90, I don’t need to tell you which I’d choose.”

The Car
We are pleased to offer an unusual opportunity to acquire an effectively new GTO Engineering 250 SWB Revival, commissioned in 2023 shortly before the Revival order book closed.
Finished in period-correct Argento Auteuil over Tan Connolly hide, this left-hand-drive example was completed in 2025 after more than 3,500 hours of hand-building at GTO House. It has covered fewer than 500 miles from new, the majority accumulated during commissioning and testing, and consequently presents in virtually new condition.
Crucially, unlike commissioning a Revival when the programme was open, the car is completed, sorted and available immediately.
In keeping with GTO Engineering Revival philosophy, the car is constructed around a period donor vehicle, retaining an authentic period identity and documentation. The donor for this example is a 1964 250 GTE, carrying a US title. Mechanically, the car is specified with an original 3.0 litre Colombo V12 paired with a five-speed gearbox, offering enhanced flexibility for high-speed touring while remaining visually and dimensionally faithful to period specification.
With original 250 SWB Berlinettas now commanding such high values, and GTO’s own Revival programme winding down, the opportunity to acquire a newly completed, left-hand-drive example, finished to such an exacting specification, is an exceptionally rare opportunity.

As Road & Track concluded after driving one: “…as close to perfect as you can get.”

Specification
Performance & drivetrain
• Upgraded 3.0-litre Colombo V12 engine
• 5-speed gearbox adaptation
• Lightweight racing aluminium brake calipers
• Lightweight aluminium radiator
• Quicker 17:1 steering ratio

Comfort & usability
• Air conditioning - designed by GTO Engineering with a concealed compressor
• Wind-up windows with quarter vent
• Sun visors
• 6-point harness
• Cigarette lighter
• USB port
• Original-type horn
• Bose remote speaker wrapped in leather

Exterior & detailing
• Hand-painted Scuderia shields
• Small spot lamps
• Classic bullet mirrors
• Exhaust snaps
• Polished wide wheels
• Leather padding for roll hoop

Touring kit & equipment
• Spare wheel
• Fitted car cover
• Tool roll including jack
• Hub puller

This car is a recreation built by GTO Engineering from a 250 GTE donor car and original or remanufactured parts – it is not manufactured, endorsed, or approved by Ferrari S.p.A.