1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Coupe

Ferrari introduced the 275 GTB and its convertible counterpart GTS at the 1964 Paris Salon. They had identical chassis with a welded steel tubular frame, a fully independent suspension with unequal-length A-arms front and rear, disc brakes, and tubular shock absorbers. They both were powered by a 3.3-liter Colombo V12 engine, the berlinetta had 280 horsepower and the spider was rated at 260. Both were equipped with a five-speed transmission mounted in unit with the rear axle. The clutch and bell housing were at the engine.

The Ferrari 275 GTB was ideal for either touring or racing. Customers had the option of either three Weber carburetors or six, and the bodies could be steel and aluminum or all-aluminum. Standard equipment included the Campagnolo alloy wheels with Borrani wire wheels available as optional equipment. During its production lifespan, the overall shape remained mostly unchanged, however minor changes were evident when the second-series cars were shown at Frankfurt in 1965. The vent wings from the driver's window had been removed, and the headlight covers no longer had chrome rims. A bulge was now evident on the front head to cover the carburetors. In the back, the trunk lid hinges were on the outside of the body which provided additional interior space. A month later, at the Paris Show, the front of the body had grown in side and now had a smaller air intake.

When the Series II 275 GTB made its debut at the Brussels Show in January of 1966, the driveshaft had been encased in a torque tube and it now rested on alloy wheels. Roughly 250 Series I and about 200 Series II 275 GTBs were built during the production lifespan.

This particular 275 GTB is finished in a silver metallic shade of Argento (18940 M) over a Nero leather (VM 8500) interior. It was delivered new by Crepaldi S.a.s. in Milan to the first owner Luigi Delle Piane of Bergamo, Italy, on March 30th of 1965. A day later, it was registered in Bergamo as BG 119897. A short time later, it was sent to Sweden and from 1966 to 1975 the car was transferred through a succession of Swedish collectors, eventually coming into the care of Ulf Boman. At this time the car received an outside fuel filler cap to the passenger side rear of the car. Additionally, the radio antenna was removed, and the car was painted yellow with a longitudinal stipe. It was registered under the Swedish license plates ESF 214. In 1976, the car was driven by Boman in the Rallye International Cognac in France. It was later campaigned by Boman in several other events throughout Scandinavia and Europe.

After the car was acquired by Lou Tarantolo, it was exported to the United States. In late-October of 1979, it was offered for sale in Hemmings Motor News and later the Chicago Tribune by dealer Harry Woodnorth of Chicago, Illinois. The advertisement described the car as a short-nose with steel body painted red with a black interior with an outside fuel filler cap and metric gauges. It also stated the car had 70,000 km on the odometer. It was acquired from Lou Taratolo by Bernard R. Nevoral, a resident in Burr Ridge, Illinois, in 1979. In May of 2008, Nevoral spent roughly $25,000 in recommissioning the Ferrari. It was then sold to John Weinberger's Continental Auto Sports in Hinsdale, Illinois, who in turn sold the car through dealer Nick Saridakis to John Haugh of Berea, Ohio.

In 2017, the car received a comprehensive restoration which brought it back to its original Argento over Nero seats with grey cloth inserts. During the restoration the outside fuel filler was changed back to its original inner trunk location. After the completion of the work, the car earned a Platinum Award at the XXVII Palm Beach Cavallino Classic held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida in January of 2018. The current owner has submitted the car for Ferrari Classiche certification, with results pending.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2019