1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Coupe

It is believed that just 42 examples of the alloy competition 250 GT cars were built in 1960 and chassis number 2209 GT was the fourth from the last example constructed. It was sold new to Ardilio Tavoni of Modena on October 18th of 1960 and was registered on Modena plates MO 60578. Just a few days after taking delivery, racing drivers Jo Schlesser and Andre Simon raced the car at the French 1000 kms of Montlhery where they finished third overall. Next was the March 12, 1961, Monza 'Coppa Saint'Ambroeus' with Sandro Zafferi at the wheel and the car numbered as #197. The car placed 4th in the GT Class at the Tour de Corse on November 4th and 5th of 1961, driven by Jo Schlesser and his wife.

The second owner of the SWB was Gianni Roghi of Milan on November 2nd of 1962. February 18, 1963 Roghi had the Ferrari serviced by the factory Assistenza Clienti in Modena. Later, on June 2, 1963 Roghi placed 3rd in class at the XXV Coppa della Consuma Hillclimb. Other events during the 1963 season include Coppa Pisa, the Monza Coppa Inter-Europa and the Coppa Citta d'Asagio.

The car was sold to Tullio Lombardo on January 19th of 1967 who passed it on to the fourth owner, Gastone Crepaldi, both residents of Milan. In 1968 Carrozzeria Piero Drogo of Modena re-bodied the car to a design by Tadini. The original engine was replaced with a 250 GTE engine numbered 4291.

The next owner, Miss Maryvoure Lassus of St. Vile, France, became the car's next owner on May 29th of 1969. On February 18th of 1971, it was acquired by the next owner Eric Russli Birchler of Paris, France who later sold it to Berurd Cros-Lafage. Sometime in 1978, it was either 'stolen' or sold by a garagiste for a repair or storage bill owed. UK resident Stuart Passey purchased 2209GT from dealer Michael Lavers after the French police and the UK Fine Arts team determined that the 'theft' matter was resolved, and Mr. Passey was able to obtain a clear title of ownership.

Mr. Passey registered the car in the United Kingdom with UK plates 'SWB 70' before commissioning a total professional restoration. Upon completion in the summer of 1984, the car was put on display at the Donnington Park Ferrari Owners Club meeting. The car would remain in Mr. Passey's care for over two decades. During that time, it was driven and displayed at various UK-based events, including the Coys Historic Festival in 2001.

The car was sold by Simon Kidston in January of 2003 to racing driver Frank Synter who in turn passed it to Carlos Monteverde of London, England. While in his care, the car was re-sprayed to his standard colors of yellow with a green nose-band. The car was raced in various international events for three or four seasons until it was damaged by a friend in a race in Portugal. The car was repaired in England and re-sprayed white with a green stripe in an attempt to return it to its original appearance.
On May 20th of 2007, the car was sold by RM Auctions at their Maranello Ferrari Factory sale. The restoration was not completed by the time of the sale, so it was conditionally sold complete but in a partially disassembled state to the current owner, Skip Barber. The rest of the restoration was completed by the Ferrari Classiche Department. The work, bringing it back to factory-original condition, took a complete year to complete. When completed, it was painted in the classic Ferrari 'Rossa Corsa' racing color. The new Classiche-stamped engine block was reassembled using all new and correct internals.

In 2011, the car was offered for sale at the Monterey, CA auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $3,800,000 - $4,500,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $5,280,000, including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2011