1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast Coupe

The Ferrari Superfast series with teardrop styling by Pininfarina was produced from 1956 to 1962, with the first Superfast being a 410 Superamerica (chassis number 0483 SA). The teardrop shape was accented by tailfins and a cantilevered top without windshield pillars. It was followed by the 4.9 Superfast in 1957 and then the Superfast II in 1960. The 400 Superamerica (chassis number 2207 SA) arrived in 1962, featuring a small elliptical grille, headlights under retractable body-color covers, partial rear wheel skirts, and a tapered tail.

The Superfast III of 1962 rode on the chassis of the Superfast II with a retractable grille cover for better high-speed aerodynamics and lighter greenhouse pillars. The Superfast IV had a wider grille, a tapered tail, and fully exposed wheels. The Geneva Salon of 1964 introduced the Ferrari 500 Superfast with a refined teardrop Superfast profile with an oval shape grille, gently curved windshield pillars, a wraparound rear window, and a sharply cut-off rear trunk.

The hand-built 500 Superfast was exclusive, with just 36 examples produced between 1964 and 1966, at a rate of about one per month. The multi-tubular chassis carried a 4,962.96cc Ferrari Colombo V-12 engine with six twin-choke Weber 40DCZ/6 carburetors and delivering nearly 400 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. It used a four-speed gearbox with overdrive, and the suspension was independent at the front via wishbones and coil springs, while the rear live axle had leaf springs. Servo-assisted Dunlop disc brakes provided the stopping power.

It is believed that this Ferrari 500 Superfast was the 36th example constructed. Around mid-1966, after 25 examples had been built, revisions had been made to the Superfast, the most significant mechanical update being the use of a five-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. An additional twelve examples followed, with these examples having 3-vent engine bay louvers replacing the previous 12-vent style.

This Ferrari 500 SUperfast was delivered new through Luigi Chinetti's New York agency to its original owner John R. Winter of Napoleon, Ohio. It had left the factory wearing a silver exterior, much like it does today. This unrestored example has been driven a mere 14,269 miles since new.

The car's second owner was James C. Leake of Muskogee, Oklahoma, who acquired it in the early 1970s and is believed to have sold it shortly thereafter at auction to a buyer from Long Island, NY. The Ferrari then passed through the Motorcar Gallery in Fort Lauderdale to John Mozart in Palo Alto. By this point in history, the car had been repainted to red. In 1991, it was sold at auction in Monaco and purchased by Nicholas Seydoux of France. Over the next sixteen years, the car remained in European ownership and was offered for sale in Germany during the mid-1990s. It was purchased by Emilio Gnutti of Brescia in 2005, who had the car repainted in its original silver-grey paint scheme. In 2007, the car entered the care of its current owner, having 14,088 miles on the odometer. Over the last fifteen years, it has been driven roughly 200 miles.

By Daniel Vaughan | May 2023