1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico

Introduced at the Superfast III, this Ferrari 400 Superamerica is the seventh of the 17 examples produced. Unlike the earlier 410 Superamericas, these cars were fitted with the latest version of Ferrari's legendary Colombo-designed V12. This car was completed in September of 1961 and painted in Grigio Fumo with the interior finished in red Pelle Rosso Connolly leather. It was shown at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1961 and delivered to its first owner, Count Fritz Herbert Somsky of Geneva, Switzerland. The 400 SA was one of the most expensive cars of its day and represented the pinnacle of Ferrari production with fantastic 1960s styling, extremely low production numbers, and world-class performance. The Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamico is considered to be one of Pininfarina's great designs. Its Aerodinamico name refers to its distinction as one of the first Ferraris to be designed in a wind tunnel in order to refine its aerodynamic profile.

Built as a road car, the 400 Superamerica was graced with a meaty 340 horsepower, 4.0-liter (hence the '400') single-overhead-camshaft V-12 engine, and a four-speed manual gearbox. Its build sheet determined it has coil-spring independent front suspension with a live rear axle, four-wheel telescopic Koni shock absorbers, and four-wheel disc brakes - another of Ferrari's dominant street-cars with a race track pedigree.

At the Brussels motor show in January 1956, the Ferrari 410 Superamerica with its 4,962cc long block engine which offered 340 horsepower was introduced to the world. In 1960, at the Brussels Motor Show, the second series 400 Superamerica was introduced, which would provide the inspiration for the Coupe Aerodinamica.

The superfast III was introduced in 1962 and remained in production until January of 1964. There were a total of seventeen examples of this style created, all riding on a short 2420mm chassis. These second series cars were powered by the legendary Colombo-designed V12. The coachwork was by Pininfarina, who gave the car a tapered nose and tail with a streamlined body. The design earned the car its name, the Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica.

This particular car is chassis number 2841SA and is the 7th of the 17 examples of the 400 SA SWB Coupe 'Aerodinamicos' produced. It was completed in September of 1961 and painted in Grigio Fumo (smoke grey) with the interior finished in Pelle Rosso Connolly (red leather). Upon completion, it was shown at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1961. In November it was delivered to its first owner, Count Fritz Herbert Somsky, of Geneva, Switzerland. In the 1970s, it was imported into the United States and into the ownership of Barry Le F Fave, of Santa Ana, California. It was then sold to W.B. LeFace who sold it to Walter Harris, another California resident. By this point in history, the car was painted in red with a red and black interior. In March of 1980, the car was offered for sale in the Ferrari Market Letter. The car was sold to Greg Garrison (it was painted in gray metallic). On May 12 of 1999, the car (now painted green) was sold by Garrison to C.A. Skeets Dunn of Rancho Santa Fe, CA. It was shown at the 2001 Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance where it placed first in class and won the Meguiar's Award for best paint.

In August of 2003, a complete restoration of the car began. The entire restoration cost in excess of $400,000. Upon completion, it was shown at the 56th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 20th of 2006, where it scored 99.5 points in the class for Ferrari GT cars (class M1). It was shown on January 27th of 2007 at the XVI Palm Beach Cavallino Classic Concours d'Elegance at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, where it won a Platinum award.

In 2008, this vehicle was offered for sale at the 'Sports & Classics of Monterey' presented by RM Auctions. It had an estimated value of $1,500,000 - $2,000,000 and was one of the highlights of the event. The lot was sold for $1,650,000 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2009