1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Coupe

The Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta, known as the 'Lusso,' combined a sporting exterior with a luxurious interior to form one of the most successful grand touring cars ever built. The Lusso, Italian for luxury, came with an all-new interior arrangement with a revised dash panel and leather upholstery. The Type 168 U engine 3-liter short-block Colombo V-12 had the outside-plug ignition and single-cylinder porting that had proven successful in the 250 Testa Rossa and California spider racing variants. There were four-wheel disc brakes, a coil-over shock absorber suspension, and a rear Watts linkage used on the 250 GTO.

The body design was courtesy of Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, with classic early cues like the egg-crate grille, curved fenders, and a fastback Kamm tail.

During its two-year production lifespan, a total of 350 examples were built.

This particular example is a matching-number mid-production Lusso that was in the care of a single owner for 48 years. It has received a boutique restoration that earned it Platinum Awards at the Cavallino Classic on two different occasions.

This Lusso, chassis number 5183 GT, is the 152nd example built and was sent to Scaglietti for coachwork in September of 1963. It originally wore a Verde Scuro (dark green) exterior with a beige leather interior. The factory assembly was completed in mid-November as a left-hand-drive example for the European market with instruments in kilometers.

Upon completion, the car was sent to M. Gastone Crepaldi, a dealer in Milan, and soon purchased by an unknown buyer. At some point during the following seven years, the car was exported to the United States, and by 1970 was owned by Alan Croxford of Hopkins, Minnesota. By this point in history, the car had been refinished in Rosso with a black interior. Mr. Croxford had the car re-chromed and fitted new Dunlop wire wheels, new brakes, and a new exhaust system before offering the Lusso for sale in 1972. Mr. Allan Pray of nearby Minnetonka soon acquired the car and his family eventually retained it for the next 48 years.

In the late 1970s, Mr. Pray commissioned a repaint and re-upholstery of the interior, while the engine was overhauled and the suspension was rebuilt. He commissioned a comprehensive two-year refurbishment in the late 2000s, including a complete rebuild of the engine, suspension, gearbox, brakes, and rear differential. All the glass, chrome, and seals were refreshed. The coachwork was bare-blasted and repainted in a deep finish of medium blue paint, and the interior was retrimmed in beige leather.

Since that time, the car was shown at a few events including the Cavallino Classic in January 2009, where it won a Platinum Award. In August 2011 the Lusso was displayed at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, California. In January 2019 the car returned to the Cavallino Classic with a number of small corrections to factory standards, resulting in another Platinum Award.

This Lusso currently displays 22,055 kilometers.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2020