Ferrari 335 S

The Ferrari 335 S was a sports racing car produced by Italian manufacturer Ferrari in 1957-8. Four cars were produced in total. An evolution of the 315 S, it had a V12 engine with a greater 4,023.32 cc (245.518 cu in) displacement and a maximum power of 390 horsepower (290 kW) at 7400 rpm; the maximum speed was around 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph). The car was a direct response to the Maserati 450S which with its 4.5-litre engine was threatening to overpower the 3.8-litre 315S and 3.5-litre 290MM.

This model was the protagonist of the accident in the 1957 Mille Miglia, which led to the cancellation of the race starting from the following year. In its World Championship debut in the third round of the 1957 season, a 335S (#531), driven by Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago (who had replaced an ill Luigi Musso) was in third position, running on a long straight road sector between the Lombard hamlets of Cerlongo and Guidizzolo. When one of the tyres exploded, de Portago's car slipped to the right and crashed against a large crowd, killing nine people, as well as de Portago himself and American co-driver Edmund Nelson. The other 335S in the hands of Peter Collins and Louis Klementaski had broken down whilst in the lead giving victory to a 315S driven by Piero Taruffi.

Due to the accident only a single 335S in the hands of Collins and Olivier Gendebien was entered in the next round at the Nürburgring 1000km and came second behind an Aston Martin DBR1 and although both 335S models failed at Le Mans, Collins and Phil Hill obtained another second place at the Swedish GP behind a Maserati 450S with Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso finishing fourth in the sister car. In the final round of the World Sports Car Championship at the Venezuelan Grand Prix, a 335S raced by Collins and Phil Hill won with Hawthorn and Musso finishing second. These results added to the earlier Mille Miglia victory by a 315S and the win in the Buenos Aires 1000Km by a 290MM gave the World title to Ferrari. The change in regulations for the World Championship to a 3-litre engine limit which was a reaction to the Mille Miglia crash and earlier tragedies rendered the 335S ineligible for the 1958 season onwards and Ferrari replaced the model with its 250TR.

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