Vintage Ferrari Tires

Pirelli’s increasing range of Classic Tires offers some excellent optional and original equipment tires for some of the worlds most desirable cars.

Vintage Ferrari Tire Fitment Guide

166 (1947) – original 5.90-15 crossply. 165HR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
195 (1950) – original 5.90-15 crossply. 165HR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
212 (1951) – original 6.40-15 crossply. 185HR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
340 America – (1950) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
342 America – (1952) - 6.40-15 Crossply. 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
375 America - (1953) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 Europa - (1953) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 Europa GT - (1954) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 Tour de France - (1955) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67. Also 175HR400 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
410 Super America - (1955) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT Cabriolet Series 1 - (1957) - 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67. Or 175HR400 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT California Spider LWB - (1957) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli CA67.
400 Super America - (1959) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT Cabriolet series 2 - (1959) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT Short wheel base - (1960) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT Coupe Pininfarina - (1960) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67. Also 175HR400 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT California Spider Short Wheel Base - (1960) - 6.00-16 Stella Bianca crossply or 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67. Also 175HR400 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
250 GT/E - (1960) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.

Ferrari 250 GTE Specification

Dino 208 GT4 - (1975) – 205/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.
308 GTB & 308 GTS (1975) – 205/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 or 205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
400 GT – (1976) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
400 GTi – (1979) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
308 GTBi & 308 GTSi (1980) – 205/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36, or 205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
208 GTB & 208 GTS (1980) – 205/70VR14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 or 205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
Mondial 8 (1980) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
308 GTB qv & 308 GTS qv (1982) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
Mondial qv (1982) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
328 GTB & 308 GTS (1985) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.

250 GT Lusso - (1962) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
330 America - (1963) - 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.
330 GT 2+2 - (1964) - 205VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN72.
500 Superfast - (1964) - 205VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN72.
365 GTB/4 Daytona – (1968) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
365 California - (1966) - 205VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN72.
365 GT 2+2 - (1966) - 205VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN72.
Dino 246 GT- (1969) – 205/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.
Dino 246 GTS- (1971) – 205/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36.
365 GTC/4 – (1971) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
365 GT4 2+2 – (1973) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer – (1973) – 215/70VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN12.
Dino 308 GT4 - (1974) – 205/70R14 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 or 205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.

Mondial 3.2 (1985) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.
Mondial T (1989) –205/55R16 Pirelli P7 front and 225/50R16 Pirelli P7 rear.

Classic Ferrari Tires

Because Pirelli were world leaders in crossply sports car tires in the vintage years of front engined Ferrari road cars and race cars, Ferrari’s Association with fitting Pirelli Stella Bianca and Stelvio tires was deeply engrained. Of course Being Italian and having such a good relationship with the vintage wire wheel builder Ruote Borrani Milano only strengthened these connections.

In 1952 when the introduction of the radial Cinturato CA67 moved forward the performance expected from a sports car tire. Immediately road races were being won on these new outstanding progressive radial tires. As a result by 1960 pretty much every Ferrari Road car was leaving Maranello fitted with either a 185VR16 Cinturato CA67 or a 185VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CA67.

The next massive leap forward came in 1964 when Pirelli developed the Cinturato CN72 tire which was able to be produced in the size 205, which was the first time a tire this size was able to be fitted to cars as fast as these Vintage Ferrari.

At the End of the ‘60s low profile tires became available, with tires like the Cinturato CN36 and CN12. Of course it didn’t take long before tires got lower and lower in profile which led to the development of the fabulous Pirelli Cinturato P7.

Vintage Ferrari Dictionary

This brief dictionary will attempt to explain some of the various different terms that Ferrari uses to describe their different models, body styles and engines.

If you think we have missed any Vintage Ferrari terminology off here please let us know.

2+2 – 2 extra small seats in the back.
America – a commonly used term for cars that were expected to predominantly be exported to the US.
Barchetta – Sports car with either an open top or convertible roof.
BB – Berlinetta Boxer.
Berlinetta – small 2 seat saloon.
Bertone – Gruppo Bertone body Styling specialists.
Boxer – flat engine with apposing cylinders, not a V.
Cabriolet – Soft top.
California – convertible car considered perfect to enjoy the Californian climate.
Colombo – designer of the 60 degree V12 Vintage Ferrari engine.
Coupe – 2 door with a hard top sloping at the rear.
Daytona – 365 GTB/4.
E - Enduro.
Europa – Smaller engine capacity version of an America.
F - Ferrari.
Flat 12 – 2 banks of 6 apposing cylinders (not a V12).
GT - Grand Touring.
GT 2+2 – Grand Touring 2+2 with 2 small seats in the back.
GT4 - Grand Touring 2+2.
GT4 2+2 – Grand Touring Quad cam 4 seater.
GT4 BB – Grand Touring, 4 cam small saloon with a Boxer engine.
GTB – Grand Touring Berlinetta.
GTBi – Grand Touring Belinetta with fuel injection.
GTC – Grand Touring Coupe.
GTC/4 – Sloping back 2+2 - Grand Touring Coupe 4 seater.
GTE – Grand Touring Endurance.
GT/E – Long Wheel Base 2+2.
GTi – Grand Touring with fuel injection.
GTO – Grand Touring Omalogato – homologated for racing.
GTS – Grand Touring Spider – Open top GT.
GTSi – Grand Touring Spider with fuel injection.
i – fuel injection.
Inter – Scuderia Inter.
Lampredi – designer of early 1950s Ferrari engines.
Lusso - Luxury.
LWB – Long Wheel Base – Longer chassis car, often the predecessor of the SWB and retro named LWB.
Maranello – the home of Ferrari.
Mexico – intended for the Panamerica race.
MM – Mille Miglia.
Mondial – world wide. used for early racing cars and later 4 seat cars.
PF – Pininfarina - Carrozzeria Pininfarina is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder.
qv – Quattro Valvole – 4 valves per cylinder.
S – Abbreviation for Speciale or SuperAmerica. In some cases such as GTS it also stands for Spider or Syder.
SWB – Short wheel base, lighter chassis.
Spider – Syder- Soft top roadster.
Super America – Continuation of the America cars intended to develop transatlantic sales.
Superleggera – light weight.
Superfast – Large engine road cars. (possibly one of the best car names ever).
Syder – open top sports car. (sometimes spelt spider).
T – the T shape of the longitudinal engine with the transvers gear box.
TDF – Tour De France – Long wheel base Berlinetta that competed in the Tour De France race.
Testarossa – Red Head – Red cam covers.
Touring – Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera.

Vintage Ferrari Models Explained

It is important to note that these are not rules. Ferrari Sometimes completely ignored these vintage guidelines.

Initially Ferrari model numbers were simply the capacity of one cylinder.
Vintage Ferrari predominantly had 12 cylinders and the number was the capacity of the cylinder (eg 250cc X 12 cylinders = 2,953cc).
There was the odd exception such as the 4 cylinder race cars eg 500 Testarossa and Mondial with 4 cylinders was 2.0 litres; 750 Monza, 3.0 Litres.
Later the Dino had 6 cylinders which listed the engine capacity, then a 6 at the end of its model number so 206 GT Dino 2.0 litres; 246 GT Dino 2.4 Litres.
The 8 cylinder mid engine Berlinetta & 2+2 started off with the same theory, 208 GT Spider and 308 GT4. 2.0 litres and 3.0 lires and 8 cylinders.
By the 1990s these guide lines became more inconsistent.