1961 Ferrari 250 GTE Coupe

The Ferrari 250 GTE was unofficially introduced in 1960 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands of the course marshal; a few months later, it officially debuted at the Paris Salon. Based largely on the chassis of the 250 GT LWB 'Tour de France' and powered by a 3.0 liter Colomb V12 engine paired with a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive, it wore new bodywork with a raised roofline and enough interior space for a small rear seat. Production of the 250 GTE would last four years and would include three series.

This particular example was completed in October 1961 and sold that November to NIS-Film SpA, a film production company in Rome, for use by its president, Mr. Bertolli. It passed through several other owners until 1972, when it was exported to the United States and sold to Robert J. Trier of Seattle, Washington. In 1975, the car was sold to Redge H. Martin of Portland, Oregon. In 1988, it returned to Europe when it was purchased by British collector Stuart Anderson, who apparently intended it for his fiancée at the time. In 1993, it was purchased by Ernest Fleischer of Richmond, the first of several collectors in British Columbia, Canada. It was sold in 2002 to a prominent British Ferrari connoisseur who kept it in his collection until 2014, when it entered new ownership. In 2015, it received a restoration with the bodywork performed by the Italian firm Carrozzeria Sport Cars and the drivetrain, including the numbers-matching engine, rebuilt and interior restored by Garuti and Maeili, respectively. The bodywork was refinished in Grigio Conchiglia, as was used on many 250 GTOs in-period, while upholstery was fitted in a seldom-seen Connolly shade of blue-green, VM 3087. (These colors are similar to the originally specified 1961 livery, Grigio Medio Metallizzato over Blu.)

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2023