1969 Ferrari 365 GTS Convertible Coupe

This 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS is one of only 20 examples produced, and is a matching numbers example. It is chassis number 12243 making it just the fifth of the 20 365 GTS examples ever produced. When it left the factory, it was painted in a rare combination of silver blue with a black leather interior. It was delivered from the factory to Crepaldi S.A.S. of Milan. A short time later, it was sent to Renato Nocenti, the owner of the official Florence-based Ferrari dealer Garage La Rotonda. It stayed with Nocenti for only a year as the vehicle was sold to the Societa Pacific Cinematografica in Rome, Italy.

Over the next decade, the car was in the ownership of several enthusiasts in Italy and Austria. In 1986, the engine was brought back to its original condition by Sauro Mingarelli's shop in Bologna. That same year, the car was repainted in the current red livery and was fitted with a blue leather interior and top, fabricated by Tappezzeria Luppi in Modena.

The car was exported to Switzerland in 1988 and into the care of its next owner, Peter Von Muralt. It remained with Muralt for the next decade, before ownership was transferred to another Swiss collector in 1998. In 2004, the car was sent to the United States, where it has remained since. Prior to its arrival in the US, a new black interior, dashboard and matching soft top were fabricated and installed.

In 2008, this Ferrari 365 GTS was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California and was estimated to sell for $1,000,000 - $1,300,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for the sum of $1,265,000, including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2009