Miguel Sánchez
Interestingly, one of the key moments in the history of Porsche occurred by pure chance. And it is that, in an unscheduled way, Ferdinand Porsche and Max hoffman They met during the 1950 Paris Salon.. Perfect strangers, both men seemed destined not to understand each other.
Not surprisingly, while the first had the light and small 356 as the only car in its range, the second was dedicated to marketing European brands in the US market. Of those, completely dominated by local manufacturers with tastes radically different from those represented by the Stuttgart brand.
However, Hoffman was gifted with a spectacular nose for business. In this way, nothing more to see the 356 sensed in its design a great potential for sales beyond the Atlantic. Something shocking at first, although perfectly understandable when analyzing how he could seduce certain American drivers with pretense of pilots by his exoticism.
Thus, the businessman managed to sign an agreement with the historic German designer by which he would import about 15 units a year. By the way, with zero faith on the part of the second. However, by 1952 Porsche was already shipping over 280 units to Hoffman's dealership in New York. That is, almost 20% of its total production. It's more, When 1955 arrived, he already gave him half of it and, come the following decade, three quarters.
In short, by chance the US market became the most important for Porsche by far. The one who would value his creations the most, conditioning the future creation of models such as the 928, 948, Cayenne or Panamera. In addition, The XNUMXs were also especially propitious for English manufacturers in America.. Benefited by the good reception of their roadsters for being precisely as exotic as those Porsche 356s were.
One of the biggest paradoxes in the commercial history of motorsports and, at the same time, a key factor in order to understand the finances of many European brands. Something important enough to wonder what was Ferrari doing in such a situation. And yes, the truth is that the answer has many similarities to the attitude shown by Ferdinand Porsche towards Max Hoffman back in 1950.
And it is that in Maranello they were not thinking about the tastes of the American market. In fact, they hadn't even cared much about advertising or marketing. However, in the middle of the decade two of the most notable dealers for Ferrari in the United States began to demand a convertible model. Just the kind of car that Enzo Ferrari would never have considered a true sports car. Although, to tell the truth, it fits perfectly with what is desired by drivers from places as sunny as California or Florida.
FERRARI 250 CALIFORNIA, A V12 ADAPTED TO THE SUN
Within Ferrari's schemes, a convertible was not very appetizing in the mid-fifties. Not surprisingly, it neither had the rigidity of a covered GT nor did it offer the radicalism of a competition barchetta. Nevertheless, the vision of a convertible model on the mechanical basis of a powerful V12 it became especially lucrative for Luigi Chinetti and John Von Neuman.
The first an old personal friend of Enzo Ferrari himself. Maximum distributor of the house of Maranello in America and, in addition, leader of the competition team North American Racing Team. Undoubtedly, one of the key men in order to understand the history of Ferrari. The second, a former racer turned importer on the West Coast, especially known for his business work with Porsche.
Thus, both of them clamped down to convince Enzo Ferrari of the need to launch a product aimed at the US market. And yes, despite the immobile and furious character shown by the Commendatore on more than a few occasions, the green light was finally given to the 250 California project. Based on the referential GT platform for the brand at that time, it sported lines signed by Pininfarina -and sculpted by Scaglietti- capable of transmitting the ideas of the "Dolce Vita".
Undoubtedly, a car perfectly adjusted to the requests of Chinetti and Von Neuman. In fact, the trade name itself referred to what was expected to be its natural territory. At this point, the 250 California was launched on the market during 1957 with the already classic V12 Colombo engine adjusted to 2,9 liters for 240 CV at 7.000 revolutions per minute. Likewise, in 1960 the SWD version with a shortened chassis appeared, going from having a 2,6-meter wheelbase to another adjusted to 2,4.
And it is that, true to its sporty character, many customers used the 250 California as a nice spyder and, at the same time, a racing car. Something very representative of those first Ferrari customers, who used their cars on a day-to-day basis and then, when the weekend came, make some modifications thus entering the circuit. Undoubtedly, the perfect expression of those "Gentelman racer" so important in order to understand several decades of motorsports.
PD The unit chosen to illustrate this article will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's in Monterrey during the next month of August. With participation in the 1962 Targa-Florio, this is a perfect example of what we were discussing at the end of the text. That is to say, a particularly elegant and pleasant Ferrari that, at the same time, does not renounce a clear occasional aspect as a racing car.
