STORY OF THE DAY: Ferrari Tests a Streamlined D50 at Reims
On 1 July 1956, during practice and testing associated with the French Grand Prix at Reims, Eugenio Castellotti and Alfonso de Portago drove the experimental Lancia-Ferrari D50T marked T. This was a test appearance rather than a race result and therefore carried no World Championship significance of its own. Ferrari evaluated the streamlined car but chose to contest the Grand Prix with its conventional D50s.

Reims, with its long straights and sustained high speeds, offered a logical setting for reduced-drag bodywork. Mercedes-Benz had demonstrated the potential of streamlined Grand Prix cars on fast circuits, encouraging Ferrari to investigate a similar approach. The D50T did not provide a sufficiently convincing advantage in practice, so Castellotti and de Portago returned to standard-bodied machinery for the race.

The experimental car was based on the Lancia-designed D50, powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre V8 and developed by Ferrari after acquiring the project in 1955. Its distinguishing feature was enveloping streamlined bodywork intended to improve maximum speed. The test illustrates Ferrari’s willingness to explore circuit-specific aerodynamics while retaining the proven open-wheel configuration when the alternative failed to meet expectations.

Eugenio Castellotti was an Italian Grand Prix winner and one of Ferrari’s leading young drivers, noted for his speed in both single-seaters and sports cars. Alfonso de Portago was a Spanish aristocrat and versatile sportsman who entered top-level racing comparatively late but quickly impressed Ferrari. Their participation made them development drivers as well as competitors, entrusted to judge an unusual experiment at one of Europe’s fastest circuits.