At the Geneva Show in in March 1956, Ferrari displayed the replacement for the 250 Europa GT. Architecture for the new car was quite similar to its predecessor, but the styling was slightly updated.
Pinin Farina was responsible for the new design which included a much smaller front grill and discrete rear tail fins. These changes were borrowed from the Series II 410 Superamerica which had similar traits.
Chassis 0429GT was first displayed at Geneva with a steel body and aluminum doors and hood. This was followed up by four more Pinin Farina prototypes, two completely made in aluminum. These cars had a distinctive kick-up rear fenders that were not included when the model reached production.
Ferrari and Pininfarina were cautious to get the design right since the GT Coupe would be one of Ferrari’s first production cars with a stabilized design that span over 100 cars. This was nothing compared to numbers of other mass-produced Italian cars, but a huge step for Ferrari.
The new GT shared the same 2600mm wheelbase and aluminum alloy, Colombo-designed V12 as the Europa GT. Small changes were made to the design to increase production feasibility. Attached was a fullt synchronized four-speed transmission offering a top speed of 125 mph (200 kph).