Among Ferrari’s Most Beautifully Designed Enzo-Era Road Cars
Classiche Certified Example Finished in Its Factory-Delivered Colors
Restoration Work Performed by Ferrari Classiche Totaling €284,000 in 2017
One of Just 350 Examples Built
Documented by Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini

Coachwork by Scaglietti

Estimate:  €1,250,000 - €1,750,000
Chassis:   4837 GT
Engine:    4837

Debuting in 1962 at Paris, the 250 GT Lusso of 1963–1964 shared a number of styling cues with the outgoing 250 GT SWB Berlinettas of 1960–1963 and heralded a shift in Ferrari’s road models. Designed by Torino’s Pininfarina, it featured masterfully sculpted compound curves and incredibly thin roof pillars that delivered excellent visibility. The Lusso’s sleek and modern body was beautifully rendered by Scaglietti in steel, with the doors, hood, and trunk lid crafted in aluminum.

The Lusso’s chassis and engine were closely related to those employed by the competition-specification 250 GT SWB and 250 GTO. Performance was brilliant, with Road & Track citing 0–88 kph acceleration in eight seconds, and 241 kph flat-out. Famous Lusso owners populated a list of the era’s luminaries, including Battista “Pinin” Farina – the head of the Pininfarina design works that penned the Lusso – as well as Steve McQueen, whose glamorous photo shoot with his Lusso appeared in Esquire magazine in the 1960s. Just 350 of these achingly beautiful performers were built during 1963 and 1964. Today, they remain a tour de force that defies the passage of time.

This stunning Lusso was sold new via S.I.V.A.M. S.r.l., the Ferrari dealer in Bologna, to local resident and noted glass sculptor Renzo Pavanello in October 1963. By the end of the year, Mr. Pavanello had logged nearly 5,000 km. In fact, according to Marcel Massini’s accompanying report, the Lusso was serviced exclusively by the Ferrari Factory’s assistenza facility in Modena in its early years, and had traversed nearly 50,000 km by mid-1966. In 1968, this svelte 250 GT was exported to the US. By the turn of the decade, American Mark Derish is cited as 4837’s owner, followed by Bristol, Connecticut resident Joseph DeMaria in 1974.

Over the next 15 years, the Lusso traded among US collectors who proved equally enthusiastic about repainting it to their taste. By 1984, the car had been refinished in gray, and passed into the ownership of Robert McClenegan of Alabama, who repainted it burgundy. Noted collector and competitive driver Don Orosco of Pebble Beach, California, acquired 4837 from McClenegan in 1992, now refinished in red.

Soon thereafter, Mr. Orosco had a substantial restoration performed on the car in his shop, which included a rebuild of the engine. Late the following year, this Lusso was sold to fellow racer Doug Mockett of Southern California, who would maintain ownership through 1997. In 1999, famed Ferrari authority Kirk F. White brokered the Lusso to the esteemed collector Tom Larsen of Weston, Massachusetts. An enthusiast of the highest caliber, Mr. Larsen would treasure the Ferrari as a centerpiece of his collection of iconic sports and GT cars for 17 years, after which it was acquired by the consignor.

Upon its return to Europe, this Lusso was tendered to the Ferrari Classiche department for restoration work. During the process, 4837 was refinished in its fabulous original color combination of Blu Sera (Evening Blue), with a Pelle Beige (Beige Leather) interior, and invoices on file total €284,000. In 2017, this car was granted Classiche Certification, which denotes that its chassis, engine and gearbox are original to this Lusso. The Red Book accompanies the car, along with a tool roll. This shining 250 GT was completed in time for it to take part in the Ferrari 70th Anniversary celebration in Maranello that same year, and it has since held status as one of the most important cars in its owner’s collection.

Equally at home on a challenging mountain pass or a sophisticated soirée, the refined Ferrari 250 GT Lusso has defied categorization since the model was created, and this Classiche-Certified example stands as a fine representative of its long-admired breed.