1959 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet

Racing has always been a means to advertise a product, but by the mid-to-late 1950s, Ferrari's racing costs had increased, and needed to sell more road-going models to help pay for its extensive racing program.

The 250 GT Cabriolet was introduced at the Geneva International Auto Salon in 1957. It was a semi-luxury touring car that had better soundproofing that the California Spyder and a chassis and drive-train similar to Ferrari's racing cars. The Cabriolet was based upon the 250 GT Coupe and given its body was produced by Pinin Farina.

The new 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, introduced a year after the 250 GT Coupe, made its debut at the 1959 Paris Salon. Both the coupe and the cabriolet shared nearly identical overall dimensions and both had significant mechanical improvements over the California Spyder.

The 3.0-liter Colombo-derived V-12 engine, designated Tipo 128 F, produced 250 brake horsepower. It had outside-plug cylinder heads and twin distributors. Disc brakes could be found at all four corners, as could the 16-inch Borrani wire wheels. Zero-to-sixty took only seven seconds while top speed was achieved in the neighborhood of 140 miles per hour.

This car, chassis number 1865 GT, is the 29th example of 201 Series II cabriolets originally produced between 1959 and 1962. It was sent to Ferrari Representatives of California, who sold it to its first owner of record, Mr. David Garroway of New York. It changed ownership over the years and was restored in the early 1990s. It is painted in a maroon exterior finish and has a black convertible top and a set of period-correct Borrani knock-off wire wheels.

In 2009, this 250 GT Series II Cabriolet was offered for sale at the Automobiles of Arizona auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $450,000 - $500,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $375,000 including the buyer's premium.

A few months later, this Series II Cabriolet was offered for sale at the Sports & Classics of Monterey auction presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $350,000 - $450,000. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for the sum of $385,000, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2010