1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Competition Speciale

With the Ferrari 250 GTO nearing obsolescence in GT-class racing in 1964, Maranello's plan was to replace it with the 250 LM, introduced to the public in November 1963. When the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) refused to homologate it for GT-class racing, Ferrari updated its 250 GTO to Series II configuration (also known as GTO64) and created a competition version of the 275 GTB.

The Ferrari 275 GTB Grand Touring Coupe

The 275 GTB two-seat grand touring coupe was introduced in 1964 and produced through 1966. Its source of power was from a double overhead cam 3.3-litre Colombo-designed 60-degree V-12 engine designated Tipo 213. The name '275 GTB' was derived from the engine's per-cylinder displacement of 275 cc and the Italian designation Gran Turismo Berlinetta.

With a trio of twin-choke Weber carburetors, the Tipo 213 engine produced a claimed 280 horsepower at 7,600 RPM. The factory option of six twin-choke Weber 40 DCN carburetors boosted output to 320 horsepower at 7,500 RPM. The engine was paired with a five-speed manual transaxle with Porsche-style synchromesh and a limited-slip differential.

The conventional ladder frame was fabricated from oval-section steel tubes with a wheelbase size of 94.5 inches. A double-wishbone independent setup suspended the front and rear, along with coil springs and Koni shock absorbers. Dunlop disc brakes were placed on all four wheels.

The 275 GTB was the first Ferrari road car to use a four-wheel independent suspension system and a transaxle.

Between the fall of 1964 and the summer of 1966, Ferrari built 236 examples of the Series I 'short-nose' and 206 Series II 'long-nose' cars.

Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Speciale (A.K.A. the 275 GTB/C Speciale)

The Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Speciale was one of three distinct series of 275 GTB-base competition cars; the other two being the 1965 275 GTB modified production 'customer competition' cars and the purpose-built 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C.

The 275 GTB Competizione Speciale was intended to replace the 250 GTO as Maranello's GT-class entry during the 1965 racing series. Designed under the supervision of Mauro Forghieri, a total of four examples were built - three were manufactured near the close of 1964 and the start of 1965. The fourth example was completed in 1966.

The Tipo 213 engines powering the 275 GTB Competizione Speciale were tuned to 250 LM specification, with outputs of approximately 290 to 305 bhp. Pininfarina created the design, bestowing a streamlined shape similar to the 250 GTO and the 330 LMB. The hand-formed bodywork was by Scaglietti using extra-thin-gauge alloy. Lightweight construction was used for the Tipo 563 chassis using smaller diameter tubing. Additional weight was saved by drilling holes in interior panels, the use of magnesium castings for parts of the engine and transaxle, and Plexiglas windows.

Complications with homologating the model for GT class racing resulted in just one example racing a truncated 1965 schedule. Bruno Deserti and Giampiero Biscaldi drove it at the 1965 Targa Florio but failed to finish. Biscaldi and Giancarlo Baghetti placed 13th overall at the 1965 1000km Nürburgring, and Willy Mairesse and Jean Blaton (under the name 'Beurlys') for Ecurie Francorchamps placed 3rd at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car placed 11th overall at the 1965 500 km of Bridgehampton and won the 1965 Nassau Tourist Trophy.

Ferrari 275 GTB Customer Competition Cars ('Competizione Clienti')

Ferrari built ten 'customer competition cars' that were similar to the production 275 GTB, but with expanded capacity fuel tanks, exterior fuel fillers, extra venting, and alloy bodywork. The Tipo 213 engine received six carburetors, the same as the production road-going 275 GTBs.

Ferrari 275 GTB/C

Twelve lightweight 275 GTB/C competition cars were built for the 1966 season. Although the design was similar to the road-going 275 GTB, the 275 GTB/C was drastically different, with substantial mechanical changes and extensive use of lightweight steel and aluminum. The independent suspension was the same design as on the 275 GTB, but with different shock absorber valving and stiffer springs. The same disc brakes used on the production 275 GTB were used on the 275 GTB/C, but with quick-change racing brake pads.

Scaglietti built the bodies using 0.28-inch thick aluminum panels joined with rivets, with the entire rear section reinforced by fiberglass. The bumpers had a similar design to the road version but were constructed of much thinner material. Plexiglass was used for the side and rear windows, the floor panels were built from thin fiberglass, and the seat frames were made of magnesium.

The Tipo 213 V12 engine received a dry sump lubrication system, allowing the engine to reside lower in the chassis. It was tuned to 250 LM specification with a special piston, camshaft connecting rods, crankshaft, and sodium-filled Nimonic valves. Only three carburetors were homologated due to an apparent clerical error (rather than the six carb option), so Weber helped recover some of the lost horsepower by constructing the 40 DF13 carburetor. In this guise, the engine produced upwards of 282 horsepower at 7500 RPM.

The Ferrari 275 GTB/C was introduced in 1966 and raced by several independent racing teams with varying degrees of Ferrari factory support. The list of private teams included Scuderia Filipinetti, Ecurie Francorchamps, NART, and Maranello Concessionaires. Competition outings include the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1967 Targa Florio. At the Le Mans in 1966, the Maranello Concessionaires-entered 275 GTB/C was driven by Roy Pike and Piers Courage to an 8th-place overall finish and 1st in class. The Ecurie Francorchamps 275 GTB/C was driven by Claude Dubois and Pierre Noblet to 10th overall and 2nd in class. At the 1967 Targa Florio, Tullio Sergio Marchesi placed 1st in class.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Allegretti
Chassis number: 09813
Engine number: 100 148

In normal guise, the Ferrari 275 GTB was a road-going car, but what is often the case with the prancing horse marque, customers wanted to take it racing. To quench their desire, Ferrari developed the 275 GTB/C with alloy bodywork and a six-carburetor engine. The most successful example was chassis number 06885 that Scuderia Ferrari, Ecurie Francorchamps and NART raced in 1965. Among its successes was a first in class in the 1965 24 Hours of LeMans, piloted by Willy Mairesse and 'Beurlys' (Jean Blaton). It was a very unique example that had a GTO-styled front-end, three air vent slots in the fenders behind the rear wheels, and large driving lights.

The 275 GTB/4 was introduced in 1966. Again, it was not intended for competition. The main differences between the 275 GTB and the 275 GTB/4 were dual overhead camshaft cylinder heads and an increase in horsepower and torque.

Ferrari did not make a competition version of the 275 GTB/4, though around 17 of the 280 GTB/4's constructed were clothed in aluminum by Scaglietti.

This Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is chassis number 09813. It was found in early January of 1987 in pieces by Greg Garrison. All that remained were the engine, chassis, tires, and four wheels. The car had been in an accident, so the chassis was not in perfect condition. Garrison sent the parts to Italy where a new chassis to the original plans was created by Vaccari, the Ferrari chassis builder. Brandoli in Maranello was tasked with building the body, but it was Carrozzeria Mario Allegretti in Modena who would end up creating the lightweight aluminum coachwork it now wears. The engine, transmission and rear assembly, brakes, and other mechanical components were restored at Sport Auto by Johnny Dena and Albo.

The coachwork is reminiscent of the LeMans class winning 275 GTB/C. It has the GTO-style nose, oval grille, covered driving lights, and an opening at the front of the hood bulge. The side windows are fixed but have sliding panels to allow ventilation and access. In the rear are three grill vents that allow air to freely flow from the rear wheel wells. There is an exterior fuel filler cap that can be found in the right roof sail panel.

The exterior is deep red and the interior is tan and black leather. It is equipped with a roll bar for additional support and safety.

In 2007 the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, California where it was estimated to sell for $700,000 - $850,000. It was offered without reserve. Those estimates proved too low, as bidding soon excelled over the magic million dollar mark. As the gavel fell for the third and final time, the lot had been sold for $1,155,000 including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Scaglietti
Chassis number: 10311

There were nearly 800 examples of the 275 Berlinetta produced from 1964 through 1968. A two-cam version of the 275 was introduced two years later. A four-cam version soon followed. Though the Ferrari factory never produced a competition 275 GTB/4, there was a run of alloy body versions manufactured to special order. These lightweight aluminum, alloy bodies weighed around 260 pounds less than their steel counterparts. For the two-cam Berlinettas, around 27 alloy bodies were constructed with two-gauges of aluminum used. Around 17-19 of the alloy-bodied cars were made with the four-cam engine.

This 1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 Alloy Berlinetta is chassis number 10311 and wears coachwork by Scaglietti. Its first race was at the 1968 Watkins Glen Six Hour race where it was run under the NART (North American Racing Team) banner. The drivers were Bob Grossman and Ronnie Bucknum. When the checkered flag fell, they were seated in the ninth position after traveling 240 laps. To prepare it for the race, the bumpers had been removed, an outside exhaust system was installed, a roll bar was inserted, an external gas filler was built to feed the twin fuel tanks, twin Bendix electric fuel pumps, and 15' x 7' Borrani wire racing wheels were fitted. Some tuning was done to the engine.

The car was brought to Daytona but it did not have a driver. There were a few drivers available, such as a young Sam Posey and Ricardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez was a cattle rancher from South American who had a passion for racing. Posey had never raced in a Ferrar. During the race, the gearbox failed. There was no spare, so the crew attempted to rebuild it in the pits. The unit was fixed and the car returned to racing. It finished 2nd in class and 23rd overall. This was an impressive accomplishment, especially after losing 3 hours in the pits.

By the early 1970s, the car was in Houston. At this point in history, it wore a metallic brown paint scheme and was owned by Dr. Ron Finger, a plastic surgeon who would go on to own many interesting Ferraris. In 1972, the car was purchased by a young doctor Frenger for $8,000. During the next two years, the car was painted white, similar to its original ivory color. A $1,200 valve job was performed on the engine.

Skip Berg became the car's next caretaker in 1984. While in his care, the car was given a restoration. Some time prior in its life, the car had been in an accident, and the repair job was done poorly. The car's restoration was featured in Cavallino magazine in issue number 40, August of 1987.

In 2008, the car was offered for sale at the 'Quail Lodge, A Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia' presented by Bonhams Auction. It would leave the auction unsold.

Tom Price of California acquired the Ferrari in February 2010 before next passing to a Swiss collector a few years later. In June 2012, the car was certified by Ferrari Classiche, issuing a White Book to preserve the racing modifications, such as the outside fuel filler, which the car received from NART en route to its class victory at the 1969 24 hours of Daytona.

While residing in Switzerland, the 275 was maintained by the official marque dealership Garage Nemeth in Bern-Hinterkappelen, before being acquired by the current owner in 2015. In 2024 the Ferrari was submitted to Motion Products Inc. for a refinish to the 1969 Daytona livery, including a fresh repaint in the original Avorio (with race #41 and NART decals) over a new rosso leather interior.

Only 16 factory-built 275 GTB/4 alloy-bodied cars were constructed, and this 'Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Alloy by Scaglietti' was the only car to achieve a class victory in a major international race. It was prepared by Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART) in 1968 for competition use and finished 1st in class at the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona, driven by Sam Posey and Riccardo Rodriguez. It has received a Ferrari Classiche certification, and benefits from a 2024 cosmetic refinish by Motion Products Inc. to its 1969 24 Hours of Daytona livery, including the original factory-appointed color combination.

by Dan Vaughan

During the late 1950s, Ferraris road-oriented Berlinettas split in terms of design from their race cars. After the 250 short wheelbase Berlinetta, the dual-purpose road / race Ferrari seemed gone. This new distinction motivated Ferrari to manufacture more civil road cars having impressive specifications. The first example of this new trend was the 275 GTB.

The 275 GTB/GTS was debuted in October 1964 at the Paris Salon. It was designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti. The 275 GTB was based on the 250 GT Berlinetta Lusson and the 250 GTO. The GTS version drew styling from the 330 GT 2+2. Production continued through 1966.

The fastback Berlinetta coupe was the GTB series. This version was meant for driving on the road and at the track. The Open Spyder was the GTS series designed to replace the 250 California. This version was more comfortable and more suited for touring. Around 200 examples of the GTS were created during its two-year production.

Being light, powerful, and strikingly beautiful, the 275 was a very successful car for Ferrari. It sold well, with around 1000 examples made, and, as an afterthought, scored victories in endurance racing after the 250 LM was denied homologation.

By moving the transmission to the rear of the car, better weight distribution was achieved. The engine used was a Colombo-derived V-12 engine that produced 260 horsepower in the GTS and 280 horsepower in the GTB. With the GTB version, an option was given to the buyer to purchase the vehicle with three or six Weber carburetors.

In 1965, Ferrari created three examples of the 275 GTB for the purpose of endurance motorsport racing. The vehicles were dubbed the 275 GTB/C and outfitted with a lightweight aluminum body, air vents for the brakes, six carburetors, and a 320 horsepower engine, and a few other minor mechanical modifications.

In 1966 the 275 GTB was re-introduced with a four-cam version of the V12. Six Webber carburetors aided in delivering around 300 horsepower. To cope with the new power, the GTB/4 was given wider tires and a ZF limited-slip differential. The 4 in the name GTB/4 represented the twin camshafts per cylinder bank totaling four. This was the first quad-cam road-going Ferrari ever created. It was easily distinguished by its bulge in the hood. During its production run lasting until 1968, around 320 examples of the 275 GTB/4 were created.

The 275 P and P2 were purpose-built to Capture the World Championship and in the process beat Ford. The 275 P was powered by a 3.3-liter powerplant; a 4 and 4.4-liter version was also used. These mid-engined, open-topped cars were comprised of many of the same components as the road-going versions.

by Dan Vaughan