Titre de circulation allemand

Châssis n° 4973 Moteur n° 4973

German title

Chassis no. 4973

Engine no. 4973

 

- Extremely rare model, only 50 built

- Exceptional original condition, original engine

- Clear history established by Marcel Massini

- Ferrari Classiche certification

 

This car is exceptional for at least two reasons: as well as being a model of which only 50 units were built (a figure confirmed by the specialist Marcel Massini), it has remained in impressive condition, both for its body and paintwork and its interior, which appears to be entirely original.

 

According to the history provided by Marcel Massini, the chassis was sent to Pininfarina on 19 June 1963, while at the same time the engine and gearbox were assembled at Ferrari, supervised by the foreman Amos Franchini. The assembly of the car was completed on 10 October 1963, with ‘Rosso Cina’ paintwork and a black leather interior, to be delivered on 18 November to Chinetti Motors in the US, who had ordered the car and were billed 7875 $ for it.

 

The car was then sold new, no doubt in December, to a Californian customer, before its second owner in South Carolina. In 1974, it was given as a present to the owner’s wife, Deborah Wilson, who put it up for sale 15 years later, in April 1989, when the odometer was reading 17,000 miles. Wilson only sold it in 2003, to a Californian buyer, before it reappeared in November 2010 in a classified ad in the Ferrari Market Letter issue 23 (vol. 35), placed by Gran Touring Classics, a company run by Norbert Hofer out of Long Beach. The Ferrari was described as being completely original, a barn find which was a non-runner but had been untouched for many years and still had its 4-litre engine and original four-speed gearbox with overdrive. In 2013, the 330 America was sold to a German couple, Maud and Mathias Beetz, from Berlin, who registered it as B-NO-330H and very sensibly restored it mechanically without undermining its original integrity. The work included overhauling all the mechanical components, the running gear and braking system, so that the car would run perfectly. The Beetz then displayed their car on several occasions: on 3 and 4 August 2019 at Classic Days at Schloss Dyck and on 30 August and 1 September 2019 at the Schwetzingen concours. The same year, the car appeared in the German magazine Maranello World before being offered for sale by Thiesen Automobile. In March 2021, it received its Ferrari Classiche certification and ‘Red Book’, and the following September, it was bought by its current owner, a major French collector, who is now parting with it.

 

It is an extremely rare model, an intermediate version between the 250 GTE and the 330 GT 2+2, with the body of the former, but fitted with a 4-litre engine close to that of the latter. It is believed to have been produced at the instigation of Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s importer in the USA, and just 50 cars were built. Of these, fewer than 40 examples are thought to remain today. The 330 we are offering for sale is particularly interesting on account of its history and condition. The 17,330 miles showing on the odometer are undoubtedly original (the car was probably laid up for a long time from the 1980s); the paint is clearly very old, but remarkably preserved, and the interior has a lovely patina. Its period black Californian license plates are still on the car. A glance at the engine and underbody, on the other hand, show that significant work has been undertaken to keep the car in good running order.

 

Sold with its attractive original tool kit, this is a rare car in enviably well-preserved condition and it will not fail to attract the attention of the most exacting connoisseurs.

 

Photos © Kevin Van Campehout