Swedish title

Chassis no. 06807 Engine no. 06807

• Certified by Ferrari Classiche

• Complete, high-quality restoration by Cremonini, Toni Auto, Brandoli and Maieli

• Extensive history file

• Equipped with a hardtop, as fitted when new

• No reserve

 

After Ferrari dropped the 250 GT California Spyder in 1963, there was a two-year wait until the manufacturer again offered a cabriolet. Visitors to the 1964 Paris Motor Show discovered two remarkable new models: the 275 GTB and its open counterpart, the 275 GTS. While the GTB had a very sporting design reminiscent of the 250 GTO, the GTS was more understated and moderate in appearance, but extremely elegant, with lines which would be found again on the 330 and 365 GTC/GTS models which followed. To underscore their different personalities, the 275 GTB was built by Scaglietti in Modena and the 275 GTS at Pininfarina’s factory in Turin, where it also received its upholstery and accessories. The mechanical assembly was then carried out at Ferrari.

The two models shared the same mechanical underpinnings, which had been updated from their predecessors, with new independent suspension and a transaxle, which improved the car’s weight distribution. The engine was still the V12 designed by Gioacchino Colombo with a single overhead camshaft for each cylinder bank, but with its capacity increased to 3.3 litres. Fed by three twin-choke Weber carburettors, it produced 280bhp in the 275 GTB and 260bhp in the 275 GTS, confirming the Spyder’s less extreme character. It nonetheless remained one of the quickest cabriolets of its time, and with the hood down, drivers could enjoy to the full the husky growl of its 12-cylinder engine at full throttle.

 

This Ferrari 275 GTS is one of the very first examples, as it was the seventh car built out of the 200 which left Ferrari’s workshops from 1964–1966. Supplied to Ferrari’s importer in New York, Luigi Chinetti, it was finished at the time in yellow with black leather upholstery and, very unusually, was equipped with a hardtop, as is still the case today. Between 1965 and 1989 it had several American owners.

In 1989, it was bought by Alexander S. Andreadis, of Greek nationality but a resident of London; he had the car shipped there and registered it as NME 75C. He used it for 25 years before selling it in 2013 to the well-known English specialist Daniel Donovan, of DD Classics, based at Kew, in Surrey. In October 2013, while Donovan’s firm had begun a restoration of the car prior to sale, it caught the attention of a friend and adviser to the current owner at an upholstery workshop near London. He inspected the car and sent the chassis, engine and gearbox numbers to Ferrari Classiche in Italy to be checked. They confirmed that the parts were original, and in November 2013, Staffan Wittmark purchased the car.

It was then sent to Toni Auto, at Maranello, for a full restoration. Toni Auto took care of all the mechanical work (engine, transmission, suspension, brakes and steering), while the body was handed over to the Brandoli workshop in Montua, whose skilled work on other cars in his collection the owner had already experienced. The paintwork was undertaken by the specialist Cremonini in Modena and the upholstery entrusted to Interno Auto Maieli in Mantua, both of whom also had a worldwide reputation for their work restoring classic cars, and in particular Ferraris. In 2014 and 2015, the body and hardtop were stripped to bare metal and then repainted in gunmetal grey metallic, the mechanical parts stripped down and rebuilt, and the upholstery restored with Connolly red leather. During the restoration, the car’s owner and his representative carried out regular visits to ensure that the work was done to a high standard, which their contacts made a point of honour to respect.

In its very elegant colour, this Ferrari 275 GTS is in immaculate condition and conforms perfectly to its original mechanical specification, complete with its rare hardtop. Like the other cars in the W Collection, it comes with an extensive history file, its Ferrari Classiche certification and a book specially produced to describe its history and restoration.