1957 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Coupe

The 250 GT Low-Roof Berlinetta was introduced in 1955 at the Geneva Motor Show and was designed as a replacement for the Europa GT. They had the latest chassis developments and modern styling created by Pinin Farina and executed by Carrozzeria Mario Boano. The Boano Coupes were refined Grand Touring automobiles and sophisticated sporting machines.

This example was completed on January 14th of 1957. It was the 52nd of 88 Boanos built and rides on the refined 508B chassis. Power is from a type 128B V-12 engine mated to a full synchromesh gearbox.

The car was delivered to Alberto Alberti of Milan who retained the car for only a short period of time before selling it to a resident of Rome. In June of 1960, Roberto Goldoni of Rome purchased the Boano from official Ferrari dealer Vincenzo Malago. In July, Sig. Goldoni sold the car to Ed Niles of Santa Fe Springs, California. The car was shipped aboard the SS President Hayes on August 8th of 1960. It had been freshly painted in a deep cherry red metallic finish with a brown cloth-trimmed interior. The car arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on September 11th, where Mr. Niles collected the Ferrari three days later.

Mr. Niles sold the Boano to Donald Berlin of D.B.A. Imported Motors Inc. on September 19th. From there, it was sold to a gentleman in Texas, where it remained until the late 1960s. In the fall of 1969, James Truitt of Carmel, California, acquired the Low-Roof Boano and would keep the car for 36 years.

After a cosmetic and mechanical restoration, the car was displayed at the 1974 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Six years later, it returned to the lawn at Pebble Beach, where it was placed in Class L, Postwar European through 1960.

In 2005, Mr. Truitt finally departed with the car; at the time the odometer showed just 44,000 km and still wore its original black and yellow California license plate. The car was sold to the current caretaker who performed a thorough concours-quality restoration.

The car is finished in dark red with a silver roof section. It rides on Borrani wire wheels and correct Pirelli Cinturato tires. The interior has been reupholstered in gray leather with contrasting light gray piping. The 2953cc type 128B single overhead cam V-12 engine has been fitted with three Weber 36DCL3 carburetors. The 240 horsepower engine is mated to a 4-speed synchromesh manual gearbox.

In 2013, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was estimated to sell for $675,000 - $800,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $836,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2013