1957, 250 California SWB (CMC, limited 185/2500, diecast)
Thanks to Ferrari’s reputation in motor sports, and the work of importer Luigi Chinetti, the United States became an important market. John Von Neumann, the west coast representative, thought that there was potential for an open Spider suited to the Californian sun, a sort of open 250 GT Berlinetta.
Chinetti welcomed the proposal and convinced Enzo Ferrari that it was a good idea. Scaglietti was therefore given the opportunity to create this now almost legendary car, building 106 of them, nine with aluminium bodies.
The term ‘spider’ in the model name is something of an anomaly, as the California is really a cabriolet or convertible, with a full folding hood. However, it was in effect an open-top version of the 250 GT Berlinetta alongside which it was produced. Thus, the term spider differentiated it from the concurrently produced 250 GT cabriolets, which were allied to the road-going 250 GT coupés. With two open cars in the production model line-up, it can be seen that open cars were in vogue at the end of the fifties.
This model was constructed in two distinct series: the ‘LWB’ (long wheelbase) between 1958 and 1960, although a prototype was built in late 1957, and the ‘SWB’ (short wheelbase) from 1960 to 1962. The latter example wasn’t actually completed until early 1963, with sub-divisions relative to body and mechanical details. A removable hard-top was available for both series.
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