It would appear that someone began a full frame off restoration of this Ferrari, but they have either run out of steam or funds. The seller is a Jeep specialist, so perhaps they realized this was out of their league? Who knows the reasoning, but if you are in the market for an unfinished Ferrari 250, this one could be an interesting projects. You can find it here on eBay in Wylie, Texas with a BIN of $38,000. While I see some of the trim pieces, I’m most concerned about the lack of an engine. Before these cars went up in value, it wasn’t uncommon for their V12 to be removed for use in more desirable models, so finding a replacement could be an issue. Of course you could always put something cheaper and more conventional, like a big American V8! It wouldn’t be anywhere near the same as the V12, but it would be cheaper and would make this car the talk of any car show you took it too! So would you hunt for the proper Colombo V12 or would you drop a V8 in that engine bay? Special thanks to Dennis C for this tip!
Best offer already accepted. Given the stratospheric rise in value of any prancing horse from the 60s, it’s probably going to be fitted with a V12 that’s been sitting around waiting for a body. It is, for the right person, a perfect opportunity to do a restomod on one of these, whether motorvated by a newer Ferrari engine (3 litre V8 perhaps?) or something easier and cheaper to work on. A body that attractive doesn’t necessarily need its original drivetrain.
Or you could just order the correct V12 from Ferrari since you can buy everything single piece for any Ferrari ever made
True. But at what cost?
the very reason it has no engine, is because somebody stole the V12 for a better project
I’d V8 it matched to a 6 speed standard but it needs some serious work. And it has been sold already
Josh, Are you crazy? To put anything other than its original v12 powerplant would be sacrilege. Enzo himself probably supervised the construction of this very car.
Perfect opportunity to use as a plug for moulds and bang out some replica bodies. That way you get the best of all options:
1. Old-world class design
2. Preservation of the original metal.
3. Choice of V6, V8 or other V12 (Jag, BMW) engines.
Given that it sold so quickly, I would say that either someone had a 3-liter Ferrari motor “lying around,” or they were already planning some sort of engine conversion.
This car, done right, now sells for over $400K
http://www.rmauctions.com/mo14/monterey/lots/1963-ferrari-250-gte-22-series-iii-by-pininfarina/1068253
As far as I can tell from the listing, this car does not have a numbers-matching drive train or RM certainly would have mentioned it.
Want to be the talk of any car show (and receive the derision of Ferrari purists), install a Dodge Ram Truck V-10 or better yet, for the ultimate Ferrari stealth Q-ship, a Viper V-10. Two less cylinders, more than twice the displacement and horsepower at the rear wheels. Would be the fastest 250 GTE in the world and possibly be among the fastest Ferrari 2+2 cars ever.
Just thinking out loud.
I wish I had thought of that!
If I’d of had the $$’s, I’d of dropped in a nice BMW V12 from a 750il
Hey Josh,
Have a look at the seller’s 1962 PORSCHE 356 B 1600 S CABRIOLET, pretty much complete, ‘n only been bid up to $26,900. so far with reserve not yet met..
Collins Bros. That’s Dennis Collins that bankrolls a lot of the projects on Gas Monkey Garage (t.v. show).
They resto-modded a (previously totaled) Ferrari F-40 on one (or more) episodes.
This is not an unfinished restoration. It is a what is left when someone builds a California or SWB replica and needs an engine and chassis.
I’d put in a 2-stroke Saab motor, extra stinky, one that backfired frequently and emitted lots of lovely blue smoke.
Hmm: I get it. That’s about your speed.
I’d buy it but: 1. I’ve already fallen in love with the Cadillac a few lines down from this one, 2. Its sold, 3. I could afford to buy it a windshield wiper arm — maybe.
But this car should be restored to its original factory spec. It is simply too pretty to do otherwise.
Mighty nice of Dennis Collins to offer a tip on his own listing. As others have said, this was most certainly a donor car for a 250 GTO or SWB recreation, likely back before any Enzo era v12 Ferrari went to the moon in value. Anyway, already sold for probably more than double what Dennis paid. Would love to see what becomes of it, some interesting options. And yes, I’m jealous of both the buyer and seller.
I think A.J. nailed it. When these 250 GTs were cheap ($5K to $50K depending on what past decade you’re talking about) and 250 GTOs and 250 TRs began to get expensive ($1 million and up) a lot of these lost their tube frame and drivetrain because you could build a replica body for a lot less than the cost of a real GTO or TR. Then you could keep your real $1 million Ferrari in your climate and humidity-controlled garage and take the replica 250 GTO/TR to track days with the rest of the Ferrari Club of America boys and not risk your real investment.
That worked because the frame and drivetrain for the 250 GT had nearly the same parts as the 250 GTO/TR. After all, Ferrari only made road cars to fund his racing, so using components that had already been developed for racing was cheaper than developing a completely new car.
I think the chances of finding the rest of the original parts you would need to make this into a complete 250 GT are slim to none. It’s now a set of body parts.
Nope that hard to get parts just call the Ferrari factory and they will anything you need for your car
I could be wrong, but I don’t think that would work or be practical James.
Getting a Classiche certification of authenticity for a car from Ferrari is very expensive (the car must be shipped to the Ferrari factory for detailed inspection). Same with their restoration services, and Ferrari are very picky about authenticity. I doubt that they would agree to manufacture the thousands of parts, including the serial-numbered frame and drivetrain that you would need for this car. That would amount to duplicating an Enzo-era car, which I do not think they would do.
The history of this shell is known to be very murky. Denning Cars Worldwide says:
The serial number had been filed off the chassis and the VIN plate in the engine compartment “looks to be remanufactured.” Reportedly (then) owned by the same man for the last 20 years. The whole car was offered on 07 Oct 06 at The Sportscar Auction in Geneva, Switzerland and was not sold at a high bid of $92,750. It is also shown in Cavallino, #157, Feb/Mar 07, page 11. It is currently located in San Antonio, Texas, and the asking price is US$22.5K.
[http://www.dennigcars.org/1962_ferrari_250_gte__Series_II_body.htm]
So it’s known in the Ferrari world and I doubt any serious Ferrari buyer would touch it, and so far they haven’t for years. I think whoever bought it from this Ebay auction might not have known all this.
Assuming that the Ferrari factory would supply the thousands of needed parts to make this into a car again, which I doubt very much they would do, they would need to make most parts from scratch. The cost would be astronomical and would be some multiple of the value of the car at the end. And then it would still only be a 250 GTE, the least collectible / least desirable vintage Ferrari in the eyes of just about all Ferrari fans.
It would be far better to use that money to buy a more desirable whole Ferrari with a known history that did not involve filing the serial number off the frame and remanufacturing a VIN plate, with the bare body shell kicking around unsold for years.
In the Ferrari world that kind of history is the kiss of death to the desirability and value of a car.
@ LearJet – Find yourself a sense of humor somewhere.
Why do I need a sense of humor when there’s jokers like you schlepping around? Oh, wait, you mean you were serious? Uh, then, so was I?
There’s a V12 from a 2003 Ferrari on sale on eBay, right now. That, if it could be fabbed to fit, would be amazing. A true resto-mod.