To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Monterey
event, 15 - 17 August 2019.
Estimate:
$8,000,000 - $10,000,000
- Sensational late-production example; one of the finest 250 SWBs
extant
- Ferrari Classiche-certified; matching numbers throughout
- Offered with a full set of books and tools
- One of the most celebrated designs to ever come out of
Maranello
- Absolutely stunning factory-authorized restoration
- Refinished in the original color combination of Grigio Argento
over Rosso
- Documented ownership by marque historian Marcel Massini
- 2012 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza award winner
- Ideal for international exhibitions and marque events
The Ferrari 250 GT berlinetta passo corto rightfully holds strong
favor with today's collectors, combining a design and competition
pedigree that is nearly unequaled. The Short-Wheelbase, or SWB, as
it is affectionately known, occupies a unique and important link in
the Ferrari racing lineage as a short-wheelbase evolution of the
uber-successful 250 GT 'Tour de France' berlinetta that dominated
the late 1950s, and a direct precursor to that apogee of
front-engine road-racing development, the 250 GTO. Produced in a
modest batch of 165 cars over three years, the SWB claims rarity
yet was produced in sufficient numbers to allow for discreet
competition and road-going versions, the latter of which were
nearly as powerful as the racing car but were luxuriously trimmed
and bodied in steel.
This sensational late-production lusso example of the celebrated
SWB benefits from a well-documented history and a premium
restoration to factory standards conducted under the supervision of
Ferrari Classiche itself. The 132nd example built, chassis no. 3359
GT, was mounted with a steel body and finished to road-going
specifications, including an interior swathed in Rosso Vaumol
leather and coachwork finished in Grigio Argento, combining for one
of the period's most stunning and elegant color schemes.
As a late-production example, this SWB was equipped with a myriad
of running improvements that appeared during the model's lifespan,
notably including coachwork details like the external fuel-filler
cap, more well-proportioned styling around the windscreen and front
side vent windows, an aggressive vent in the rear of the roof,
elegant teardrop-shaped side-marker lenses, and a redesigned
dashboard and instrument clusters. In addition, the later cars,
such as this example, feature stronger pressure-cast engine blocks
compared to the early engines that are of an older design, with
sandcast blocks that are slightly weaker technology. According to
the research of marque historian Marcel Massini, the SWB's
certificate of origin was issued in early April 1962, after which
it was sold by SEFAC to Giuseppe Chiusolo of Naples, and at the end
of the month the berlinetta was registered as 216600 NA.
After passing through Italian ownership, the berlinetta found its
way in 1973 to Tom Meade, a well-known American Ferrari legend who
resided in Modena. Meade famously eked out a living by brokering
used -car transactions to support his passion.
In May 1973 Meade sold the SWB to Michael Fisher of the United
Kingdom, a race team owner who had entered a March F3 at the 1973
Monaco Grand Prix, to be driven by future Indianapolis 500 winner
Danny Sullivan.
Mr. Fisher assumed ownership of the Ferrari in Milan (where it had
apparently been stored for some time) and then commissioned Meade
to deliver it to Monaco so that Danny Sullivan could take
possession on his behalf. After the Monaco Grand Prix, Sullivan
drove the SWB to Paris upon Mr. Fisher's instructions, meeting the
owner in the French capital. Mr. Fisher drove the car in events at
circuits such as Snetterton and Silverstone once it arrived in the
UK. The owner also occasionally showed the SWB at major races, as
when it was spotted parked at Formula 1's British Grand Prix at
Silverstone in July 1973.
In 1974 Fisher sold the 250 GT to Ted Rowbotham, a Canadian �migr�
living in London, and during 1975 the car was the beneficiary of a
restoration by the British marque specialist David Clarke of
Graypaul Motors. Over the following year, the Ferrari was exported
to the United States and sold to Ronald Jahaaski of Ridgefield,
Connecticut, and by the end of 1976 the car was purchased by Dr.
Terence Clark of Clemson, South Carolina.
In 1979 the SWB was offered by the well-known FAF Motorcars in
Tucker, Georgia, and after passing through Joe Marchetti's garage
in Chicago in 1981, including brief ownership by local resident
Michael Leventhal, the car was acquired by Don Walker's Dallas
Motorsports, of Dallas, Texas. In the late 1980s, Mr. Walker sold
the berlinetta to Marvin Johnson, a trucking magnate also based in
Dallas. In the early 1990s, the Ferrari returned to Europe, passing
through a Swiss dealer. The car was purchased in 1998 by
Jean-Pierre Grave of France, and he drove the car in the Tour de
France Auto retro rally five times in seven years between 1999 and
2005.
In 2009 the well-maintained 250 GT was purchased by the respected
collector Jean-Pierre Slavic of Mies, Switzerland, and he
commissioned a full restoration supervised by Ferrari Classiche.
This top-shelf work included a freshening of the steel coachwork by
the highly esteemed Carrozzeria Autosport (whose proprietors,
Franco Bachelli and Roberto Villa, cut their teeth at Scaglietti),
featuring a refinish in the original factory color combination of
Grigio Argento over Rosso leather. Autofficina Bonini of Cadelbosco
was also retained to conduct much of the work, which reportedly
included nearly $500,000 worth of work, bringing the car to FCA
Platinum-level standards. Following completion of the premium
refurbishment, the SWB was authenticated with a Ferrari Classiche
Red Book that documents the presence of all the major original
mechanical equipment, including the matching-numbers V-12 engine,
the original tipo 539/61 gearbox and tipo 539 rear
differential.
On the strength of the breathtaking restoration, the 250 GT was
accepted and presented at the 2012 Villa d'Este Concorso
d'Eleganza, receiving a class award. Mr. Slavic also drove the SWB
in the 80th Anniversary meeting of the Grand Prix of Montreux in
early September 2014. The car's current owner, a connoisseur and
collector of some of the world's most important Ferraris, has
continued to enjoy and sparingly use 3359 GT, during which time it
has been maintained by the experts at both Motion Products as well
as Brooke Betz in Southern California. A senior specialist at RM
Sotheby's recently had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of
3359 GT and reported it performed as good as it looks, pulling
strong through all the gears, cornering sharply, and doing
everything it should after its exacting restoration.
Many experts believe that the 250 SWB models are currently a great
value compared to their peer the 250 GTO, of which good examples
trade in at several times that of the SWB. The 250 SWB is arguably
the most well-proportioned and attractive berlinetta in Ferrari's
70-year history, and the performance and usability are sought after
among both younger and older generations of collectors.
Documented with a Massini history that illustrates a direct chain
of ownership for most of its 57 years, this exquisite
short-wheelbase 250 GT presents magnificently, rich in details such
as the body-colored dash panel and shining Borrani alloy wire
wheels. The recent restoration by Ferrari's preferred worksho...for
more information please contact the seller.
