There are Ferraris, there are rare Ferraris, and there are divine Ferraris. This 1959 250 GT long wheelbase California Spider Competizione, to be auctioned by Broad Arrow at Amelia Island on March 7, is both rare and historically significant, landing it in the last category. Consequently, this car’s sales price is expected to breach eight-figure territory. What is the buyer acquiring once he stashes this car in his garage? Based on the long wheelbase 250 GT Berlinetta “Tour de France” – a rare car in its own right – the California Spider Competizione variant was given alloy sheet metal, a 35 gallon gas tank, a high-compression, “outside plug” Type 128F engine, and race-ready suspension. Only eight cars were made in this configuration. No wonder chassis no. 1451 GT racked up substantial racing success, including placing fifth overall at Le Mans in 1959. Thanks to Araknid78 for another exotic tip!

If its build and history aren’t enough to catch your attention, perhaps this will cause you to break open the piggybank: chassis no. 1451 GT retains its matching numbers engine, chassis, body, and four-speed Tipo 508D gearbox. The rear differential is said to be the “correct type”. These ingredients were sufficient for Ferrari to grant the car its Classiche certification. Speaking of the engine: the 250 GT Coupe launched in 1954 utilized a Tipo 128 2953 cc Colombo V12. This engine offered the opportunity to build variations of the 250 series for road or track. The California Spider is a representative of the 250 family’s “sporting” branch. This car bears the Tipo 128F “outside plug” configuration (“inside plug” engines had the sparkplugs arrayed in the “V” of the block). Competition valve springs, a dual coil/distributor system, an external oil cooler, and a compression ratio of 9.6:1 lead to a horsepower rating near 260, making this car a prodigious rival on the track.

Inside, the car reveals its purpose, with a simplicity that contrasts substantially with Ferrari’s other convertible, the Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet. The Cabriolet is a grand tourer with a luxurious, leather-laden, sound-proofed interior. The California Spider presents a spare cabin, dressed up only by its wood-rimmed Nardi three-spoke steering wheel and generous helping of gauges.

Sergio Scaglietti designed and built Ferrari’s California Spiders. The rear fender shape is faithful to the Pinin Farina-styled 250 GT Berlinetta, and the LWB cars sit on its chassis. Short wheelbase cars arrived in 1960; altogether about 100 California Spiders of all types were made, including eight of the competition variant. This car wears its original color scheme, and aside from its period race history, it has been regularly shown and driven within the last several years. The auction estimate of $10 million to $14 million anticipates that buyers will appreciate this example’s rarity, provenance, condition and beauty.