Description
The Ferrari 857 S was a sports racing car built in 1955, designed to compete in the fiercely contested World Sportscar Championship during an era when Ferrari was constantly evolving its lineup of endurance machines. It represented one of the final developments in Ferrari’s pursuit of large-capacity four-cylinder racing engines, following earlier successes with cars such as the 750 Monza. The 857 S carried forward that same philosophy but with even more displacement and power, making it a formidable contender in the mid-1950s racing scene.
The car was powered by a 3.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi. Producing around 280 horsepower, it was one of the most powerful four-cylinder engines Ferrari ever built, emphasizing strong torque delivery and durability over outright high-revving performance. This engine was paired with a tubular chassis and clothed in lightweight aluminum barchetta-style bodywork, which gave the car excellent agility and an impressive power-to-weight ratio. The simplicity of the four-cylinder layout also made it more reliable for endurance races compared to Ferrari’s more complex V12s, which were still being refined.
Stylistically, the Ferrari 857 S was striking. Most examples were bodied by Scaglietti, who gave the car a purposeful, low-slung appearance with smooth, aerodynamic curves and a wide grille that hinted at its performance. The open two-seat cockpit reflected its role as a pure racing machine, offering little in the way of comfort but providing excellent visibility and a direct connection between driver, car, and road. The design built upon the lessons learned from the 750 Monza but with more aggressive proportions to handle the greater power of the enlarged engine.
On the racing front, the 857 S was entered into major competitions, including the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, and endurance events in both Europe and the United States. Although it showed flashes of promise, its results were mixed. The powerful engine made it quick, but the handling could be demanding, and it sometimes struggled against competitors such as Maserati and Jaguar, who had refined their own sports racers. Despite this, the car played an important role in Ferrari’s racing development, bridging the gap between the successful four-cylinder Monzas and the return to V12-powered endurance legends like the 250 Testa Rossa.
Only a handful of Ferrari 857 S cars were built, which makes them exceedingly rare today. Their historical importance lies not only in their limited numbers but also in their place within Ferrari’s experimental phase of the 1950s, when the company was constantly seeking the best balance between engine configuration, chassis dynamics, and race-winning potential. Collectors and historians view the 857 S as a fascinating and important milestone in Ferrari’s sporting evolution, representing both the peak and near end of the marque’s four-cylinder racing program.