Highly Original, Unrestored 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS under the hammer at Pebble Beach

Highly Original, Unrestored 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS under the hammer at Pebble Beach

Coachwork by Pininfarina
Estimate: $1,700,000 - $2,000,000
Chassis: 08621
Engine: 08621

Largely Original, Well-Preserved Example in Distinctive Color Scheme
Late-Production GTS; the 198th of Only 200 Built
Retained by the First Owner for Almost Four Decades
Three Private Caretakers and 42,000 Miles from New
Documented with Factory Build Sheets, Original Purchase Invoices, Import Paperwork, Correspondence, and Service Records

3,286 CC SOHC V-12 Engine
Three Weber 40 DCZ/6 Carburetors
260 BHP at 7,000 RPM
5-Speed Manual Transaxle
4-Wheel Hydraulic Disc Brakes
4-Wheel Independent Suspension

PROVENANCE
John Brooks, Torrington, Connecticut (acquired new in 1966 via Luigi Chinetti Motors)
Gerald Lettieri, Rocky Hill, Connecticut (acquired in 2005)
Current Owner (acquired in 2014)

EXHIBITED
Hartford Concorso Ferrari, Hartford, Connecticut, June 2005
Hartford Concorso Ferrari, Hartford, Connecticut, June 2009
Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Greenwich, Connecticut, June 2012 (Best Italian Sports Car, 1960–1969)
2015 Cavallino Classic, Palm Beach, Florida, January 2015
FCA International Concours d’Elegance, Monterey, California, August 2015 (Platinum and Gold Awards)
2017 Cavallino Classic, Palm Beach, Florida, January 2017

THIS CAR
At the Paris Auto Show in October 1964, Ferrari introduced a replacement for its long-running 250 GT series. Featuring a 3.3-liter V-12, the new 275 was offered in berlinetta and spider body styles, but the two coachwork designs dramatically differed. While the Scaglietti-built berlinetta was considered a dual-purpose road racer, and looked the part with exaggerated haunches and curves, the elegant Pininfarina-built spider was executed with more conservative lines, featuring handsome fender strakes and a truncated tail. In combination with a luxuriously appointed interior, the 275 GTS exuded the sophisticated elegance requisite of an open Ferrari grand tourer.

Just 200 examples of the spider were built through early 1966, making the model much rarer than its berlinetta counterpart, of which over 450 were produced. As spiders were frequently used with zeal, few examples have survived in original condition. The scarcity of pure, unrestored examples is part of what makes this wonderfully preserved 275 GTS so desirable.

Chassis 08621 benefits from a superb provenance: just three private caretakers from new, with almost four decades spent in the hands of its original owner, John Brooks of Torrington, Connecticut, a principal of the Brooks Bank and Trust Company. This is the 198th example of 200 cars built, and was finished in Nero (black) paint with Bianco (white) leatherette interior upholstery and contrasting red carpets. After the certificate of origin was issued in May 1966, the Ferrari was shipped from Livorno, Italy, to New York aboard the SS Maria Costa.

Delivered to Mr. Brooks in August 1966, the beautiful GTS remained in his possession until 2005, totaling 39 years of single custody. The well-preserved Ferrari was then sold to collector Gerald Lettieri, the co-founder of Automobilia Auctions, of nearby Rocky Hill, Connecticut. During his ownership, Lettieri displayed the spider twice at the FCA Hartford Concorso Ferrari, once in 2005 and again in 2009, and the car also won Best Italian Sports Car (1960–1969) at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in June 2012.

In 2014, the 275 GTS was sold to the current owner, a Midwest collector with a stable of fine Italian thoroughbreds. After registering the car in Illinois with plates reading “66 GTS,” he continued to present it at Ferrari events, including the 2015 Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida. At the FCA International Concours d’Elegance in Monterey in August 2015, the spider won a Platinum Award for preservation and a Gold Award for condition, and the car returned to the Cavallino Classic in January 2017.

Currently displaying approximately 42,140 miles, chassis 08621 has never received any significant restoration work and, as such, retains an overwhelming degree of originality. The soft top, boot, interior upholstery, carpeting, glass, chrome, and much of the paint is believed by the consignor to be original, as are most of the mechanical elements, including the matching-numbers engine.

Since 2014, the 275 GTS has been maintained and serviced by the well-known Continental AutoSports, a longtime factory-authorized Ferrari dealer near Chicago. In the current owner’s care, the car benefited from mechanical sorting, a rebuild of the transaxle, radiator, and exhaust, and the installation of period-correct Michelin XWX tires.

In addition to its fantastic provenance and uncommon originality, 08621 benefits from a wealth of documentation, including factory build sheets, original invoices from Ferrari and Luigi Chinetti Motors, an original warranty card, correspondence between the first owner and the factory, original import paperwork, early service records, a history report by Marcel Massini, and invoices from the more recent work performed by Continental AutoSports.

Accompanied by original manuals in their leather pouch, as well as a proper tool kit and jack, this modestly used and highly original 275 GTS is a brilliant example of Maranello’s elegant mid-1960s spider. It would be ideal for any collector, particularly preservationists and discerning Ferrari enthusiasts.

Gooding & Company Inc
Auction Location:
Pebble Beach Equestrian Center
Corner of Stevenson Dr. and Portola Rd.

Viewing:
Wednesday, August 1610:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday, August 179:00am - 6:00pm
Friday, August 189:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday, August 199:00am - 5:00pm

Auction:
Friday, August 186:00pm
Saturday, August 1911:00am

Admittance - $40, admits one to all events
Catalogue - $100, admits two to all events
Cash or credit card only.
Children under 12 free.


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