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Ferrari 330 GTS by Pininfarina - 1968

$1,900,000 USD | Asking | RM Sotheby's | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Worth Est.: $1,650,000 USD | Asking 

• Number 86 of 100 produced; one of the rarest, open, twelve-cylinder Ferraris

• Delivered new by Luigi Chinetti Motors with Borrani wire wheels and air conditioning

• Numbers-matching engine and gearbox

• Recently refinished to its original color of Argento, with period-correct Rosso Connolly interior

• Well-known in American Ferrari circles; shown at a plethora of prestigious events

• Featured in the official Ferrari calendar by Gunther Raupp in 2014

• One of Pininfarina’s most widely regarded Ferrari designs

At the 1966 Paris Auto Salon, Ferrari launched the 330 GTS, successor to the 275 GTS and the open version of the popular 330 GTC coupe. It featured an enlarged 4.0-liter V-12 breathing through three triple-choke Weber DCZ/6 carburetors, producing a conservatively estimated 300 brake horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 244 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm, delivered through a five-speed transaxle and ZF limited-slip differential. Zero to 60 mph was possible in around 6.0 seconds and the top speed was nearly 150 mph, both incredibly impressive figures for a convertible in the late 1960s. Nimble driving dynamics come from a fully independent suspension comprised of unequal-length wishbones, coil springs, and Koni shock absorbers, plus anti-roll bars at both ends. Four-wheel Girling vented disc brakes sat behind either standard Campagnolo magnesium alloy or optional Borrani wire wheels.

The car looked spectacular, thanks to Pininfarina bodywork that drew inspiration from the contemporary 500 Superfast, with its split front bumper, triple-louvered engine vents on each fender, and an elegant swage line along each flank, tying the front end to the rear. The bodywork was mostly steel, aside from the doors, hood, and trunk, which were formed from aluminum. The production process saw bare chassis transported directly from the Ferrari factory at Maranello to Pininfarina’s plant at Grugliasco, outside Turin, where they were fitted with bodywork before being returned to Ferrari for the final mechanical installation. Sublimely detailed, the 330 GTS’s design is widely regarded as one of the most elegant produced by Ferrari during a decade of greatness.

The 330 GTS was, of course, limited in production, with only 100 examples produced. They were fiercely desirable when new and have never really fallen out of favor, with collectors still pursuing the finest examples for their stables.

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THE ULTIMATE 250 GT DROP-TOP

Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pininfarina - 1961

$1,650,000 USD Asking | RM Sotheby's | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Worth Est.: $1,650,000 USD | Asking

The Pininfarina-designed cabriolets built on Ferrari’s 250 GT platform in 1957 were nothing short of magnificent, with elegant dimensions and lines, luxurious interiors, and characteristically sporty mechanical performance. But the introduction of the Scaglietti-designed California Spider in early 1958 resulted in an unusual dilemma for Ferrari—it was now producing two very similar-looking open-bodied cars.

While the 250 GT Cabriolet was far more luxurious and docile in character than the California Spider, being built with a roadgoing-specification engine on the concurrent grand-touring chassis rather than the spider’s racing chassis, in outward appearance the cabriolet and the spider bore a number of physical similarities. This resemblance unintentionally blurred Ferrari’s model line, somewhat diluting the individual purpose and character of each car.

Seeking to further differentiate its coachwork from Scaglietti’s spider, Pininfarina designed an updated open body that debuted on the second-series 250 GT Cabriolet at the 1959 Paris Salon. Essentially a more closely related open-top version of the elegant 250 GT Coupé already in production, Pininfarina’s new cabriolet featured a rounded nose with recessed uncovered headlamps and elegant rear fenders with elongated tail-lamp lenses. An optional hardtop accentuated the model’s delicate rear haunches and long front deck. Trademark grand-touring luxury characteristics, such as increased cabin room and trunk space, were steadily supplemented during the model’s life with mechanical advancements, including four-wheel disc brakes, overdrive, and spark plugs on the outside of the engine’s V—a development that offered easier maintenance and improved engine longevity.

Remaining in production through mid-1962, the 250 GT Cabriolet Series II was built in a modest quantity of just 200 examples. These remarkable cars offer nearly identical performance to the Scaglietti-bodied California Spider at a fraction of the investment while providing far better grand touring characteristics, with fully trimmed cabins and superior weather protection. Now recognized as the Spider’s more refined cousin, the Series II Cabriolet has come to be highly prized by serious marque enthusiasts, often occupying central positions in major Ferrari collections worldwide. With their four-wheel disc brakes and outside-plug engines, as well as one of the era’s most harmonious and elegant exterior designs, it is not difficult to understand their cachet among connoisseurs.

FROM AMARANTO TO BLANCO, WITH LOVE

Benefiting from Ferrari Classiche certification and a highly awarded restoration, this beautiful 250 GT is an exceptional example of Pininfarina’s second-series cabriolet. According to the research of marque expert Marcel Massini, chassis number 2489 GT is the 124th example built, and it was dispatched to Pininfarina’s Grugliasco factory in February 1961 to be clothed in cabriolet coachwork finished in Amaranto Roma paint and trimmed in Natural Tan vinyl and leather upholstery. Of particular note, the Ferrari was equipped with an extremely rare removable hardtop with a sunroof, a highly desirable factory component that remains with the car today.

Distributed in June 1961 to J.H. Keller AG, an official marque dealer in Zurich, Switzerland, the Ferrari was quickly sold to a well-heeled woman by the name of Tora, whose husband was the director of a bank in Zurich. Mrs. Tora retained possession of the cabriolet for 15 years before selling it in 1976 to Ernst Wanzenreid of Bern. The second owner kept the car for another 15 years, ultimately trading it in 1991 to Mario Bernardi, a respected dealer based in Hann. Münden, Germany.

In 1995 Mr. Bernardi sold the Ferrari to Reijnold van der Poele of Joure, the Netherlands, and he exhibited the cabriolet at the 2000 Paleis Het Loo Concours d’Elegance. During this time the car was the subject of a feature article in the Dutch automotive magazine Autovisie. The Dutch owner relinquished possession after a decade of doting care, selling the 250 GT in 2005 to a collector in New York who began showing the car in the United States, including appearances at the 2006 and 2007 stagings of the Cavallino Classic, where the car respectively won Silver and Gold Awards.

In 2009 the 250 GT was acquired by a well-known Florida-based collector who immediately commissioned a ground-up, nut-and-bolt restoration by The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach, Florida. Requiring two years to complete, the refurbishment included a refinish of the coachwork in the elegant hue of White. At the same time, the interior was expertly re-trimmed in Red leather with gray carpets. The original removable hardtop was also refinished, now in a smartly contrasting Silver. During this process, the cabriolet was certified with a Ferrari Classiche Red Book that confirms the continued presence of the matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle.

Over the following few years, the owner presented the Ferrari to great success at major shows, winning four Ferrari Club of America Platinum Awards in as many appearances as the Cavallino Classic. The 250 GT was also shown at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in August 2012, won an Amelia Award at the 2013 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and took home a class award at the 2014 Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

In 2015 the Ferrari passed to a well-known collector based in Texas who continued to exhibit the car, presenting it at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Five years later the 250 GT was honored with a depiction in the official poster of the 2021 Tour d’Elegance, commemorating that year’s “Styling of Pininfarina” celebration.

In 2020 the Ferrari was sold to the current owner, an enthusiast residing in Pennsylvania who has dutifully maintained the breathtaking restoration while occasionally showing the cabriolet, such as an appearance at the 2021 Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance, where the car received the Chairman’s Award, and at the 2023 Pennsylvania Concorso Ferrari, a meet of the FCA’s Pennsylvania-New Jersey region, where it garnered a Gold Award. To ensure top mechanical condition, the owner commissioned marque specialists Vintage Motorsports in Malvern, Pennsylvania to rebuild the matching-numbers V-12 engine, including the installation of new pistons, liners, bearings, and timing chain, as demonstrated by invoices on file.

Accompanied by a tool roll, factory jack, and owner’s manuals, this exquisite 250 GT Cabriolet checks all the boxes, benefitting from a well-documented chain of doting caretakers, the beautifully maintained restoration, and the presence of the incredibly rare factory hardtop with sunroof. (Please note, a restored black soft top is also fitted in place.) An ideal candidate for further display at high-level concours d’elegance and FCA gatherings, or driving enjoyment on major touring events, this Ferrari is a benchmark example of the ultimate open-top 250 GT. Passionate marque collectors in search of a strong Series II Cabriolet need look no further, as 2489 GT is undoubtedly one of the finest examples to be encountered.

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Ferrari 330 GTS by Pininfarina - 1968

$1,900,000 USD | Asking | RM Sotheby's | Phoenix, Arizona | January 2024

Worth Est.: $1,650,000 USD | Asking 

• Authentic “Chairs & Flares” Dino 246 GTS, distinguished by its Daytona-style seats and widened wheel arches; believed to be one of fewer than 150 examples so equipped

• Finished in factory-correct Giallo Fly over Nero Connolly leather

• Notably retains numbers-matching 2.4-liter V-6 engine

• US-market car equipped from new with Borletti factory air conditioning, electric windows, and Campagnolo alloy wheels

• Documented by report from marque historian Marcel Massini

After years of podium finishes with his “junior” engines, Enzo Ferrari, who long desired a roadgoing production car to directly challenge archrival Porsche, charged his development team with designing a new car from the ground up, using the principles advanced by his beloved son Dino. The resulting car was both mid-engine in layout and V-6-powered, with “Dino” proudly cast in each camshaft cover. His son’s dream come to life, Enzo saw it only fitting that rather than the revered Ferrari stallion, it would be Dino’s own signature adorning the car’s nose.

The Dino 206 GT first went on sale in 1967, wearing a body designed by Leonardo Fiavoranti of Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. The chassis was powered by a 2.0-liter, double-overhead-camshaft, all-aluminum V-6 mated to a five-speed transaxle. The first major update came in 1969 with the debut of the 246 GT. The engine displacement was increased to 2.4 liters and the body construction switched to steel. Other minor updates continued throughout production, resulting in three distinct series, referred to as L, M, and E. The buying public and motoring press alike fell head over heels for the Dino, with near-universal praise for its gorgeous design and razor-sharp handling.

Chassis number 05830, presented here, is an outstanding US-specification, E-series 246 GTS, with a long list of desirable factory options. Completed by Ferrari on Independence Day, 4 July 1973, the car was originally finished, as it is today, in Giallo Fly (20-Y-490) over Nero Connolly leather upholstery. Chassis 05830 wears the ultimate 246 Dino package of “Chairs and Flares,” consisting of widened steel fender flares and leather Daytona-style seats. Of the 1,274 E Series 246 GTS models produced, fewer than 150 are so equipped. In addition, this Dino was further outfitted from the factory with Borletti air conditioning, Campagnolo alloy wheels, and electric windows.

After completion, the car was delivered to Williams Harrah’s West Coast Ferrari distributorship, Modern Classic Motors of Reno, Nevada in July 1973 before being sold to its first owner Mr. Whitelan, but he quickly returned the car to MCM soon after. The Dino would remain on the west coast until the late 1980s when it was eventually brought to New Jersey still finished in the factory yellow paint. In 2005, Joseph T. Seminetta of Kenilworth, Illinois took ownership of the 246 GTS and it would remain under his care until 2009. Over the next decade, the Dino was offered for sale several more times, and eventually brought back to the west coast. Adding to the desirability of this 246 GTS, the car retains its original numbers-matching engine. Recent service includes an oil change and fuel filter replacement in October 2023.

The “Chair and Flares” specification of this Dino and the stunning Giallo Fly exterior make it immensely desirable. A suite of factory options further sweetens the deal, while recent service will allow its next fortunate owner many miles of enjoyable of motoring.