1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta

The 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta was displayed in 1962 at the Paris Salon wearing elegant coachwork by Pininfarina featuring a low-slung nose, curvaceous front wings, chrome three-piece front bumper, an egg crate grille and mesh hood intake, a delicate canopy, and a graceful Kamm tail. As an up-market luxury automobile, its interior was plush and comfortable with deep bucket seats, a capacious luggage platform with leather retention straps and a quilted cover panel.

Beneath the bonnet was an all-aluminum 3.0-liter short-block V12 engine breathing through a trio of twin-choke Weber 36 DCS carburetors and producing 240 horsepower. Unique to the Lusso, its engine was positioned further forward to allow for optimal cabin space. There were Koni shock absorbers, rear Watts linkage, four-wheel disc brakes, and knock-off Borrani wire wheels.

Ferrari built 350 examples of the 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta and this particular example is the 313th constructed. It was built as a left-hand drive European-market car wearing Grigio Fumo (Smoke Gray) with a Pelle Bleu (Blue Leather) interior - the only Lusson in this color configuration. Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps was invoiced the amount of $7,500 on July 9, 1964, for the Lusso and took delivery five days later on July 14.

The car's first owner (unknown) wanted a metallic blue car and, thus, did not accept delivery of this car (chassis 5695) unless it was repainted blue. Therefore, it was repainted in metallic blue by Garage Francorchamps at the behest of its original owner.

The Lusso was traded in at Garage Francorchamps two years later and later purchased by American expatriate, Mike A. Dunn. It was sold in 1972 by Dunn to a commercial airline pilot, Larry Poksay of Marin County, California, who had it repainted in light metallic gray. The Lusso remained with Mr. Poksays for nearly three decades, before entering into the ownership of its current caretaker.

In August 2000, the new owner displayed the Lusso at the Concorso Italiano, winning the Ferrari Club of America's Best Unrestored Ferrari preservation award. In 2007, the car was given a comprehensive multi-year restoration and returned to its factory shade of Grigio Fumo. Since its completion in 2022, chassis 5695 was issued a Ferrari Classiche Red Book.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2023