1957 Ferrari 500 TRC
To keep up with the dominating Maseratis, Ferrari’s new chief engineer Vittorio Jano set out to design a new 2-litre racer, but still using the Lampredi four cylinder engine. One of the visible new features of the new car were its engine’s red cylinder heads, after it was named Testa Rossa or TR, Italian for red head. The 500 TR’s body was a development of the Scaglietti design used for the second series of 500 Mondials. It made a victorious debut at the 1956 Monza Supercortemaggiore, where Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn beat the Maseratis. Development continued throughout the year, which culminated in a special 2.5 litre version for Le Mans. Fitted with a Touring body, these Le Mans cars are commonly referred to as 625 LM. Rule changes forced Ferrari to update the 500 TR to comply with the ‘Appendix C’ for sports cars. These required the cars to be fitted with a full-width windscreen, a passenger door and a fuel tank mounted outside of the cockpit. Dubbed 500 TRC, the new car was fitted with a slightly restyled body, which was considerably lower than its predecessor’s.
(Photographs by Ultimatecapage.com)
