It would appear that having an argument with Enzo Ferrari often lead to great things. Ferruccio Lamborghini had a spat with the ‘old man’ and went on to create Lamborghini supercars. Another man who had a tiff with Enzo was Count Giovanni Volpi who was denied Ferrari 250 GTOs for his racing team. He employed the famed Giotto Bizzarrini to build a car to surpass the machines he could not have. The result was the legendary Ferrari 250 GT SWB Breadvan, and now there’s a new one.
The distinctive Ferrari Breadvan was based on a 250 GT and was modified to feature a more aerodynamic shape to achieve higher speeds at Le Mans. Today the car is known all over the world and regularly tours different tracks, even competing in some races including those at the Goodwood Revival. Commissioned by an unnamed customer, coachbuilder Niels van Roij Design has created a modern-day incarnation of the Breadvan based on a Ferrari 550.
It’s quite a thing to behold, don’t you think? This isn’t some simple cut and shut roof job, Niels van Roij Design has looked at every element of this car and reinterpreted it for 2021. While the Ferrari is still clearly a 550, the ethos of the 250 SWB Breadvan lives on with echoes of the legend clearly visible. The new bonnet elements are elegant and historic, being reinvented but respectful of the original. From those prominent nostrils to the clean dome, the whole design is very well resolved.
The aerodynamic roofline has been carefully created in a way that appears so natural on this bespoke super GT. Note the individual taillights and quad exhaust exits akin to this car’s inspiration. The interior also pays close attention to the original with modern carbon being upholstered in blue.
The Ferrari 550 Breadvan’s powertrain remains unmodified, so that means a glorious naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V12 engine can be viewed through the bonnet dome.
“We see it as a great privilege that we can celebrate the ’62 Breadvan through this Hommage commission,” says Niels van Roij. “It was a complex task to translate the essence of the legendary car into a contemporary design. We intended to be inspired by the original, but ensured we were not limited by it in our creativity. The Breadvan Hommage is a new original.”
We hope to see the new Breadvan alongside the 1962 original at some point in the future.
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Keyword: One-off Ferrari 550 Breadvan harks back to an icon