1961 Ferrari 250 GTE NART Spider Speciale

Luigi Chinetti was Ferrari's first continental importer to the United States. Along with brining these exotic vehicles to the US, he was also an accomplished racer during the Scuderia's formative years, and best appreciated for his North American Racing Team. The N.A.R.T. badge graced several desirable Ferrari sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, resulting in period race winners. Many of these famous race cars wore a design orchestrated by Chinetti. Over a period of several decades, Luigi and his son Luigi 'Coco' Chinetti Jr., crafted a lineage of modified one-off, or limited-edition, Ferraris. Their most memorable creations were the ten 275 GTB/4 N.A.R.T. Spiders, one of which won at Sebring in 1967.

This particular car is chassis number 2235 GT which began its life as the 28th first-series 250 GT 2+2 created. It was given a long-wheelbase four-seat grand touring body and designated as a GTE model. It was given a green paint scheme with a black interior. Assembly was completed on January 13th of 1961 and subsequently sold to Luigi Chinetti Motors.

The car was intended for sale at a customer in Buenos Aires named Miguel Carcano, but it unclear if it was ever delivered to him. In 1964, it was damaged in a minor accident, and re-purposed by Chinetti and his son. It was shipped in 1965 to Italy for new coachwork in Coco's design and to be built by Carrozzeria Fantuzzi.

The new design called for a small-mouthed slant nose with covered headlamps and bumperettes, and GTO-style fender gills. The windscreen was raked and fitted with wind wings, and a hollow aluminum basket-handle roll-hoop in the style of Ferrari's 250 P race car.

The work was completed in the autumn of 1965. The car was finished in silver and shipped to San Francisco for the eighth annual Import Car Show at Brooks Hall in November. After its West Coast debut, it made an appearance at the Miami Auto Show and the New York International Automobile Show in April of 1966.

After its show appearances, the car was sent to Modena Sportscars where it was made road-legal and safe to race, which resulted in the addition of driving lights and the reinforcement of the basket-handle with a functional roll bar and cushioning. The engine was uprated to near-Testarossa specifications, which included the installation of six Weber carburetors and a racing camshaft. The gearbox was also converted to a five-speed unit.

Coco Chinetti used the car for several months before selling it to Michael Stone of New York City, who is believed to have occasionally entered it in local events.

Phil Tegtmeier acquired the car in 1970, part owner of Kirk White Motorcars in Paoli, Pennsylvania. Soon after, the car was offered for sale, but the reserve of $10,000 was not met.

In 1971, Mr. Tegtmeier sold the Spider to Ed Osborne, of Cleveland, Ohio, who raced it once by Tegtmeier the following year, at a local track called Nelsons Ledge.

In 1974, David Berger, along with the resources of two additional enthusiasts under a consortium dubbed the 'Fantuzzi Partnership', purchased the car for $13,700. By this time, Tegtmeier had removed the car's bumperettes. Berger also removed the wind wings and then repainted the exterior in Rosso Chiaro in 1977. A short time later, the car was raced at venues such as Lime Rock, Road Atlanta, Mount Equinox, and Sebring.

The car grazed the tire wall at Summit Point, West Virginia when Berger spun the car during a passing move. There was minor damage, yet a full restoration soon began around 1980 and took eight years to complete. During that time, the gearbox was disassembled and rebuilt and the engine was cleaned and tuned. The body imperfections were reworked and refinished. The interior was re-upholstered in black leather.

After the work as completed, the car was shown by Mr. Berger and his friends at Ferrari Club events.

Eventually, one of the other members of the Fantuzzi partnership assumed principal care of the car. In 1995, the current owner had a professional rebuild of the engine performed on the car. In 1997, the car displayed 43,900 kilometers. Since that time, the car has accrued less than 5,000 miles.

In January 2014, the car was shown at the XXIII Cavallino Classic, where it was awarded First Place in a Design Distinction class.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2014