To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Arizona event, 17 - 18
January 2019.
Estimate:
$11,000,000 - $13,000,000
- One-off custom, built exclusively for Lilian, Princess of
R�thy, the royal lady of Belgium
- Retains its matching-numbers engine and gearbox
- Displayed at the Ferrari 50th Anniversary meet, Cavallino
Classic, and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
- Comprehensive restoration completed in 1997
- Current long-term 20-year ownership
- Exquisite example of a unique coachbuilt Ferrari prepared for
royalty
BUILT FOR ROYALTY
Despite the fact that Ferrari utilized numerous carrozzerias during
its first decade of production, early Maranello bodywork was
usually determined by the factory rather than by the pre-war
practice of selling rolling chassis to customers who then
handpicked their preferred coachbuilder, a la Rolls-Royce and
Bugatti. But certain preferred clients still retained input into
their Ferrari's final appearance, and accordingly some very special
one-offs were built during this period for customers on the par of
the Aga Khan and Gianni Agnelli.
One such client was the Princess Lilian de R�thy, a Belgian
commoner who became entwined in the house of Saxe-Colburg and
Gotha, the country's royal family. Princess Lilian was born as
Marie-Lilien Baels, the daughter of a prominent lawyer and
industrialist, and in 1939 she was hired as a governess to the
three children of King Leopold III, who was a widower following the
Queen's untimely death in 1935.
In what must have been a fairy-tale romance shadowed by the clouds
of war, Miss Baels became a personal favorite of the King, but the
family's life was soon thrown into upheaval by the onset of World
War II. Leopold was head of the Belgian armed forces and was forced
to capitulate in the face of the German blitzkrieg (holding out
long enough, however, to contribute to the now legendary salvation
of the British forces stranded at Dunkirk). In 1941, while the
royal family remained prisoners in their homeland, the King married
Miss Baels in a private religious ceremony, and she was titled the
Princess Lilian de R�thy (the title of queen was not permitted
under the circumstances of her non-royal lineage).
Upon the resumption of civilian life after the war, King Leopold
once again began to indulge his love for sports and luxury cars,
and in 1953 he acquired a Pinin Farina-bodied Ferrari 342 America
(chassis no. 0234 AL), which the princess undoubtedly drove, as
well. The royal couple's importance as preferred Maranello
customers increased over the years, taking a big step with the
King's 1955 purchase of chassis no. 0488 AM, the last of eight 375
Plus examples built, and the only one finished as a road car with
Pinin Farina cabriolet coachwork.
From the admiration later expressed in his book My Great Joys, it
was clear that Enzo Ferrari held King Leopold in high esteem: "He
seemed to me to be a man who would have made a good engineer, a man
gifted in technique and who bitterly regretted not ever having been
able to follow his inclination. . . . At the wheel, I found him
courageous and able to confront danger with resolution and
skill."
The relationship between Il Commendatore and Princess de R�thy was
truly sealed, however, during the 1955 racing season, when Pirelli
unceremoniously announced that it would no longer provide tires to
Ferrari. As Ferrari's racing budget was not funneled from road car
sales, but rather depended on materials from sponsoring suppliers,
the withdrawal of the tire company in mid-season was nothing short
of disastrous. To Enzo Ferrari's great fortune, he happened to
mention the scenario to Princess Lilian and she quickly made an
inquiry with the Belgian tire company Englebert, which began
sending fresh rubber to Maranello that very night. The relationship
proved to be quite fruitful, as Englebert tires eventually came to
be mounted on a great many of the era's important competition
Ferraris.
Given the Princess's facilitation of a fresh tire supplier for the
Scuderia, it was only appropriate that upon ordering a Ferrari
coupe in early 1957 she was afforded something truly unique. The
series coachbuild of Ferrari 250 GT coupes was at that time
contracted to Carrozzeria Boano, so it was a singular choice to
dispatch her car to Pinin Farina for one-off coupe coachwork, but
the royal couple clearly had a predilection for the designer's
work.
THE PRINCESS' SPECIALE
Chassis no. 0751 GT was the second of three Ferrari Speciales that
the Princess eventually acquired. In early September the type 508 C
chassis arrived at Pinin Farina's workshop, and the coachbuilder
soon crafted a distinctive body that employed elements of
concurrent Ferrari designs while presaging the forthcoming
series-built Pinin Farina coupe. The Speciale's long nose featured
covered headlamps like the 250 GT Tour de France racing berlinettas
of the time, while the front fenders were notable for large chromed
and louvered vents, reminiscent of those found on the California
Spider. Further, bumperettes, nose, and hood scoop treatments
borrowed touches from the recently released Series I cabriolets.
The coupe's overall proportions and stance, particularly the rear
glass and fender treatment, would soon be integrated on the
series-based 250 GT Pinin Farina coupes that went into production
by the year's end.
Finished in Grigio Fumo Max Meyer and trimmed with naturale
Connolly Vaumol leather, the one-off coupe was delivered to the
Princess de R�thy at her Waterloo home in January 1958, and
registered with Belgian diplomatic tags. Nearly 10 years later the
Princess ordered a third coachbuilt Ferrari based on a 330 GTC, and
in consequence she sought to bequeath the 250 GT Speciale to a
worthy successor.
As part of her charitable work around the country Princess de R�thy
sponsored a cardio-vascular specialty hospital, and on one
particular visit to the establishment she met a visiting American
surgeon named Michael De Bakey. Dr. De Bakey's brother Ernest
(another doctor who received much more attention a decade later for
performing surgery on the Shah of Iran) happened to be visiting as
well, and when it became known that all three were Ferrari
enthusiasts, the Princess insisted that Dr. Ernest De Bakey accept
the 250 GT Coupe Speciale from her as a gift.
Despite Dr. De Bakey's attempt to politely refuse the gift, he
found a bill of lading waiting for him upon return to his home in
Mobile, Alabama, and by the end of 1967 the Ferrari was unloaded at
port in New Orleans from the freighter Witmarsum, as depicted by a
period photograph. In 1968, the doctor sold the 250 GT to Dr. John
Ochsner, the founder of an eponymous clinic in New Orleans, and he
modified the wheels to 15-in. units, and installed disc brakes.
In 1970, the Pinin Farina coupe was acquired by the well-known
dealer and collector Kirk White of Philadelphia, and by the end of
the year he sold the car to John Delamater of Indianapolis. Briefly
passing to Ken Hutchinson of Tower Lake, Illinois, the Speciale was
re-acquired by Delamater, who then began a restoration in
conjunction with Alan Powell of Mishawaka, Indiana.
In July 1973, the Ferrari was sold to Norman Silver, the owner of
Silver Craft Furniture, at which point the body remained unpainted
and the engine required some work. Shortly thereafter, Silver sold
it to Powell in January 1974, and he in turn sold it three years
later to John Wilson Clinard of Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Mr. Clinard's ensuing seven years of ownership marked an upturn in
the car's fortun...for more information please contact the seller.
