When it came to road cars, Enzo Ferrari was a dilettante for at least a decade. Oh, he made the 166 and 195 Inter models – with thirty-eight and twenty-eight produced, respectively. Some say the 250 Europa was Ferrari’s first GT (disputable) but ok, so only three dozen of those ever emerged from the factory. And so it goes, with several race cars produced for every “road” model – until 1958. That year, Ferrari introduced its Pinin Farina-bodied 250 GT. For Ferrari, this new car represented its first serious production effort on behalf of a road car; for Pinin Farina, which had to expand in order to keep Ferrari’s business, it meant a shift from artisan methods to industrial manufacturing. The effect of this shift can be seen in the car’s almost simplistic lines, a departure from the more elaborate compound curves of its predecessors. With ten times the sales of its prior models, this GT established a new benchmark for Ferrari – one which the company was to build on for years to come. Coming to auction at RM Sotheby’s on November 4th in London is this 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé Series II by Pinin Farina, carrying an estimate of £375,000 – £425,000. The lucky buyer will note that the desirable license plate reading “250 PF” is not included in the sale but may be purchased separately. We have Barn Finder Araknid78 to thank for this alluring tip!
This car is named after its engine – the wonderful 3.0 liter Columbo V12 mated to triple Webers: a single cylinder displaces about 246 cc’s, which, rounded up, is 250. It is fitting that the motor commands the stage: its aluminum block meant it weighed only half that of the contemporary Jaguar XK mill, while producing 240 hp and jetting from zero to sixty in about seven seconds. That’s the matching-numbers engine you see above, confirmed both by the Marcel Massini report and the car’s Ferrari Classiche Red Book. By 1960, the 250 GT was being produced with an overdrive four-speed manual as well as four-wheel disc brakes – improvements that no doubt helped drive sales.
Frequently when we feature an exotic, commenters will rightfully mention that it’s not a “barn find”. But this example certainly spent many a year in at least a shop, as its restoration inched along for more than two decades. A subset of the available invoices total some £73,000. Yet, the paint – and the car has received several color changes over the years while never being brought back to the factory original Grigio Argento – is not perfect, the glove box is dented, and so is the ashtray lid. A cracked tail lens and other slight imperfections hover here and there, none of which diminish the visceral attraction of this early Ferrari. The engine…. that instrument panel – bristling with gauges…. the slightly severe Pinin Farina body. Think of the F40 and then look at this car: the two were made for different drivers altogether, but drivers bound by the charisma of performance in a beautiful envelope.
Other than a magnificent car, the new owner will benefit from this example’s well-researched provenance, a thorough supply of documents, and a full (and obviously used) tool kit. No mention is made of the car’s mileage being original – after such a lengthy and frequently suspended restoration, the true mileage may simply be unknown. Sotheby’s knows its business, and this car’s estimate appears to be market-correct – slightly on the conservative side accounting for the very few flaws here.
I really don’t care if it was found in a barn, I love old Ferraris! They’re beautiful, fun to drive, sound wonderful and, unlike the latest models, I can actually get in and out of one. To me, they’re worth every cent of whatever someone pays to get in one.
As an antidote to rustmobiles and other strange and often-unloved objects that so often fill these pages — which, by the way, I look at because I dig them, too — cars like this are a welcome treat.
I’d really like to stash one in my barn! If, that is, my barn was weatherproof, climate-controlled and had a good alarm system….
And they’re quite musical: all that TINKLING from parts being strewn all over the roadway is very fetching.
It has a mgb-gt look, of corse pinn fara had hands in the design
I was 11 when my dad traded a brand new 66 mustang drop top in 67 for a 63 model 250 GT 2+2 Ferrari. He was a stock broker and his rich buddy was also. He owned a bunch of imports, the cream of the crop of Italy. including a P-4 Ferrari. He told my dad he had never owned an American car before and would he like to trade for one of his imports.The 250 was already 4 years old, but the mustang was shiny and new. Done deal. Memories.
If the story us true, Dad got screwed. These were horrible cars, a nightmare to fix, and they needed that a lot. Of course he wanted to trade for the Stang, a by far better ride.
That’s why when folks go to museums they always look for the Mustangs.
That tool kit for the backyard mechanic photo got both my attention and some chuckles. I suppose those tools could fix…something.
I’ve owned 28 Mustangs, almost all 65-6. I’d give them all and then some for one of these.
In 2014 I worked at a non-official Ferrari new and used parts place. The owner bought and sold whole Ferrari’s and or parts. He would part out what looked like a nice car if someone wanted to buy a part off of it. We got in a 2+2 in a multi-vehicle deal. It was cream color with matching leather interior. At that time I was not too familiar with Ferrari’s and I really liked it, and it surprised me that it was held in such low regard by the owner and the other experienced people there. They offered it to me for his purchase price but I had already found out how expensive Maintenance was, so I declined the offer. I wish I had taken it out for a test ride but didn’t want to fall in love with it as I was in the middle of a project already.
look a lill like our 2nd gen Lincoln (markII)?
£375,000. So, about $5000 then. Not bad.
Mileage is really not even part of the equation when buying this type of car. At these prices, you simply assume that it will drive as perfectly as the day it came off the factory floor singing mama mia.
In an age no fuel shortages were ever even being thought about as USA’s industrial age was in full swing spilling dollars globally, Ferrari knew they could make the very best cars with price not an obstacle. So they did. And here’s proof. Engineers and artists. 3 liter 12 cylinder? Nope, that wasn’t happening in Detroit. Luckily for Ferrari. Unlucky for everyone else who’d rather have this than an old Corvette or Mustang.
£325,625 GBP | Sold