It has been noted by auto aficionados that early Ferraris were all identified by a number, which represented the capacity of a single engine cylinder. Thus by strict definition then the Ferrari 250 was by definition a V-12 with a capacity of 12 liters. Until the development of the V6 “Dino” engines. Ferrari power units with the exception of the Grand Prix racing in-line fours, all used the classic 60-degree V12 layout – which perfectly balances all the principal unequal forces.

In the 1950′s there were two such engines in production at Maranello -if production is the correct and appropriate word for a process which involved “craftsman” and such small “production” numbers. Indeed for want of any better and specific description it was craftsmen assembling the boutique product all by hand. Yet for want of a better set of terms these engines became labeled among classic sports car experts as the “short” and the “long” V12s. The short engine designed by Gioachino Colombo, was a little jewel and the first Ferrari power unit of all. It started its lifespan with a capacity of only 1.5 liters in the original Tipo 125 sports car of 1947. The “long engine” which was all in all physically much bigger, was the work of Aurelio Lampredi and began life later in time and evolution as a 4.5 liter GP power unit aimed specifically at wrestling supremacy from the Afa Romeo Alfettas ( of which it did no doubt).

When it came to a 3 liter engine the choice lay between the two, because the short engine could be opened up all the way to a 3 liter capacity, while the long one could be “sleeved down”. It really could be said to depend on the specific design priorities at and on hand. True the bigger engine promised greater reserves of strength and reliability, but inevitably was much heavier and needed to be installed in a bigger and heftier chassis. » Read more: Ferrari Engines Make the Difference and Distinction