Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis #: 8971
While some of Ferrari's most iconic of automobiles may be front-engined exotics, it is by no means a stretch to think Ferrari and mid-engine supercars. But where and when did it all begin? This particular chassis is the answer. The advantages of mid-engined car designs were becoming apparent by the end of the 1950s with Cooper's tiny grand prix cars. Enzo, more concerned with the power of an engine than where it sat in a car would be slow to go along with the growing trend. This would change with the Scuderia's 156 F1 car that would win both Formula One World Championships in 1961.Ferrari didn't just build a mid-engine Formula One car. They would also develop a new sportscar with a mid-engine layout—the 246SP. This car would be nearly as successful as the Formula One car winning the Targa Florio and the Nurburgring 1000 Kilometers. Another example, the 250 P, would add victories in the Sebring 12 Hours and the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the tally of success.
Still, it wouldn't be until after sustained success that Enzo would even entertain the thought of building a mid-engine production sportscar. However, though Enzo recognized the potential success of such a car being made available to the public he would not be in favor of a 12-cylinder example simply because he thought them too dangerous for the common man.
Completed with a luxurious interior and Gardenia White, 8971 was to be the first of many 'Tre Posti' 365s. The car would make its debut at the Paris Auto Salon in September of 1966 and would be a hit with the crowd as they would be gob-smacked by Pininfarina's design, including such innovative 'extras' as a transparent roof section and, of course, the center driving position. The car would share things in common with Ferrari's Formula One cars and would be one of the first supercars to really blend all of the technology from the track into a road going car. Chassis 8971 would be the result of the brilliance of Sergio Pininfarina and Aldo Brovarone and was so well received that it would lead to a second car, chassis 8815.
Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti
Coachwork: Pininfarina
Chassis #: 8971
The rolling chassis used to build this car is possibly a 365 P-2. It was raced only once at Daytona with Pedro Rodriguez at the helm. It was then taken back to Italy and converted to the 365 P-3 Posti and then returned to Luigi Chinetti. This is one of two Ferrari 365 P chassis ordered by Fiat Boss Gianni Angelli that received special Pininfarina bodywork in 1966. Chassis 8971 was one of Sergio Pininfarina's first designs and was displayed at the 1966 Paris Motor Show. Enzo Ferrari did not believe that there was a place for a mid-engine V12 road car, but others in the Ferrari inner circle believed otherwise, including Sergio Pininfarina and Ferrari's 'man in America,' Luigi Chinetti. Pininfarina designed the cars to carry not just one, but three people, with the driver's seat positioned at the center of the car, a layout which would be seen again in the McLaren F1, 26 years later. The 'Tre Posti' was a runaway success at the Paris, London, Brussels, Geneva, and Turin motor show before it was sent to Chinetti Motors in July of 1967. It was then sent to the Los Angeles Auto Show before it was briefly owned by a New York businessman. After a brief time in Cannes in the south of France, the Chinetti family decided that the car needed a permanent home, so they kept it at their home in Greenwich, Connecticut, where it was occasionally shown until December 2017 when Luigi Chinetti Jr. sold it to the current owner. The car is powered by a 12-cylinder engine developing 380 horsepower.
1966 Ferrari 365 P
Ferrari
2014 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach Concours
High Bid (Lot was not sold)
USD $22,500,000
Recent Sales of the Ferrari 365 P
(Data based on Model Year 1966 sales)
Ferrari 365 Ps That Failed To Sell At Auction
1966 Ferrari 365 P's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1966 Ferrari 365 P Berlinetta Speciale Tre Posti | 8971 | 2014 Gooding & Company : Pebble Beach Concours | $22,500,000 |
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1966 Ferrari 365 P
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