Ferrari 246 F1
The Ferrari 246 F1 is a Ferrari racing car built for the Formula One World Championship of 1958.
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Ferrari | ||||||
| Designer(s) | Vittorio Jano (Technical Director) Carlo Chiti (Chief Designer) | ||||||
| Predecessor | 801, 156 F2 | ||||||
| Successor | 246 P, 156 | ||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||
| Chassis | Tubular aluminium body on chassis composed of two main elliptic tubes and other small tubes to form a light, rigid structure | ||||||
| Suspension (front) | double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar | ||||||
| Suspension (rear) | DeDion axle, transverse upper leaf spring, two longitudinal radius arms, Houdaille shock absorber lever dampers | ||||||
| Engine | Dino, 2,417.33 cc (147.5 cu in), 65° V6, naturally aspirated front engine, longitudinally mounted | ||||||
| Transmission | Ferrari Type 523 4-speed manual | ||||||
| Weight | 560 kg (1,230 lb) | ||||||
| Fuel | Shell | ||||||
| Tyres | Dunlop | ||||||
| Competition history | |||||||
| Notable entrants | Scuderia Ferrari FISA Scuderia Sant Ambroeus | ||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||
| Debut | 1958 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||
| |||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 1 | ||||||
246 F1
The Formula One regulations for 1954–1960 limited naturally aspirated engines to 2500 cc and for the 1958 season there was a change from alcohol fuels to avgas. The 246 F1 used a 2,417.34 cc (2.4 L; 147.5 cu in) Dino V6 engine with a 65° angle between the cylinder banks.[1] The power output was 280 PS (206 kW; 276 hp) at 8500 rpm. Bore X Stroke: 85 mm × 71 mm (3.35 in × 2.80 in) This was the first use of a V6 engine in a Formula One car, but otherwise the 246 F1 was a conventional front-engine design. The Ferrari 246 F1 was good enough to win a World Championship for Mike Hawthorn and a second place in the Constructors' Championship for Ferrari.[2]
The Ferrari 246 F1 was not only the first V6-engined car to win a Formula One Grand Prix, the French Grand Prix at Reims in 1958, it was also the last front-engined car to win a Formula One Grand Prix. This occurred at the 1960 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where the major British teams boycotted the race.[3]
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In 1960, the Ferrari 246 designation was also used for the first mid-/rear-engined Ferrari, the 246 P Formula One car (using same Dino V6 engine of 2,417.34 cc), and then again in 1966 for Ferrari's first three-litre era Formula One car.
256 F1

In 1959, to make a full use of the allowed capacity regulations, Ferrari enlarged the bore of the Dino V6 engine of the 246 F1 car by 1 mm to 86 mm. This allowed the total displacement to rise to 2474.54 cc. The resulting power output was now 295 PS (217 kW; 291 hp) at 8600 rpm. The new car also received disc brakes as standard and a five-speed gearbox. Only Tony Brooks raced this model but he was outpaced by the mid-engined British cars. He still won in the French and German Grands Prix.[4]
Technical data
| Technical data | 156 F2 | 246 F1 | 256 F1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine: | Front mounted 65° 6 cylinder V engine | ||
| Cylinder: | 1489 cm³ | 2417 cm³ | 2475 cm³ |
| Bore x stroke: | 70 x 64.5 mm | 85 x 71 mm | 86 x 71 mm |
| Compression: | 9.8:1 | 10.0:1 | |
| Max power at rpm: | 180 hp at 9 000 rpm | 280 hp at 8 500 rpm | 295 hp at 8 600 rpm |
| Valve control: | Dual Overhead Camshafts per cylinder bank | ||
| Carburetor: | 3 Weber 38 DCN | 3 Weber 42 DCN | 3 Weber 45 DCN |
| Gearbox: | 4-speed manual | 5-speed manual | |
| suspension front: | Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bars | ||
| suspension rear: | De Dion axle, double longitudinal links, transverse leaf spring | De Dion axle, double longitudinal links, coil springs | |
| Brakes: | Drum brakes | Disc brakes | |
| Chassis & body: | Fackverkframe with aluminum body | ||
| Wheelbase: | 216 cm | 222 cm | |
| Dry weight: | 560 kg | ||
| Dry speed: | 240 km/h | 280 km/h | |
Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 2.4 V6 | E | ARG | MON | NED | 500 | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | MOR | 401 (57) |
2nd | |
| 3 | Ret | Ret | 5 | 1 | Ret | |||||||||||
| Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | RetF | 5 | 2PF | 1PF | 2F | RetP | 2F | 2 | 2P | |||||||
| 2 | 7 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Ret | 4 | 5 | Ret | ||||||||||||
| DNA | 3F | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 1959 | 2.4 V6 | D | MON | 500 | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | POR | ITA | USA | 32 (38) |
2nd | |||
| 9 | Ret | 5 | Ret | |||||||||||||
| Ret | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Ret | 1P | 1PF | 9 | Ret | 3 | ||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Ret | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | Ret | 2F | Ret | ||||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1960 | 2.4 V6 | D | ARG | MON | 500 | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | POR | ITA | USA | 26 (27) |
3rd | ||
| 2 | DNQ | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | Ret | 4F | 12 | 7 | Ret | 1PF | |||||||||
| Ret | Ret | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | 8 | 5 | Ret | 11 | 6 | 4 | ||||||||||
1Includes 6 points scored by Dino 156 F2.
Notes
- 1958 Ferrari 246 F1 on www.f1technical.net
- "Ferrari 246 F1". formula1.ferrari.com. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
- 1960 Italian Grand Prix on 8w.forix.com
- "Ferrari 256 F1". formula1.ferrari.com. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
