1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Coupe

Ferrari introduced their 275 GTB at the 1964 Paris Salon and it was designed as the successor to the long-running, popular, and successful 250 GT. The engine was an enlarged 3.3-liter version of the classic Colombo V-12, and this was the first Maranello road car to be given independent rear suspension and a rear-mounted, five-speed transaxle. About a year after the car's introduction, Ferrari introduced a longer, redesigned nose for the 275. This new design was intended to assist aerodynamic downforce at high speed. The 'short-nose' examples totaled just 250 cars.

This particular example is a late short-nose 275 GTB that has been in the care of just one owner for the past 37 years. It was used sparingly and is an undamaged example that retains all of its original bodywork, interior, and drivetrain components. It is one of the few late short-nose cars to feature an 'interim' driveline that was subsequently utilized on the 275's later competition variant, the 275 GTB/C. In fact, 07751 was built very late amongst the short-nose cars but shortly after the official debut of the long-nose prototype. It was built with various elements of both designs. It has hanging pedals, a wood grain dashboard, and enlarged footwell - improvements that were made over the lifespan of the short-nose cars.

During the life of the 275 GTB, Ferrari used three different driveline configurations. The earliest cars were given an open Hotchkiss-style normal u-joint setup. The use of a rear-mounted transaxle required this driveshaft to rotate at a much higher speed than a conventional one, making proper alignment critical for the elimination of any vibration. Overtime, these drivelines often became misaligned. As a result, Ferrari switched to a constant velocity (CV) joint setup with a center bearing (referred to as the 'interim' driveline setup), which made the alignment process much simpler. It is believed that perhaps just 10 such cars were given this 'interim' setup. Ferrari ultimately switched to a torque tube setup that effectively bolted the clutch housing to the transaxle at the rear, fixing them together as a unit.

This car was sent to coachbuilder Scaglietti in July 1965 to be clothed in Pininfarina's body design. The work was completed in September and finished in Oro Chiaro (light gold) paint with an interior trimmed in Nero (black) Connolly leather.

07751 is an American-export example with instruments in miles. It was delivered new for retail to Luigi Chinetti Motors in New York in September of 1965. It was soon sold to a Mr. Freedman, of New York City. A decade later, with less than 23,000 miles on the odometer, it was repainted in red. It was offered for sale by a Pennsylvania-based owner in September of 1975. The current owner acquired it two months later. Shortly after purchasing the car, a comprehensive rebuild of the original V-12 engine began. This was followed by a full, bare-metal media-blast in red. Upon completion, the car was shown at numerous exhibits and events over the years.

Currently, the car shows approximately 50,000 original miles. It has its original starburst-style Campagnolo alloy wheels, wood-rimmed steering wheel and shift knob, carpets, deck straps, and seats. The bodywork and glass are original to the car and display the correct Securit watermarks.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2016