To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Open Roads, Fall event, 11
- 20 November 2020.
Estimate:
$625,000 - $675,000
- The 49th of 150 365 GTC examples produced
- Documented chain of ownership, exhibition, and restoration
- Ferrari Classiche certified in 2016; retains original axles,
engine and gearbox
- Accompanied by history file, Ferrari Classiche Red Book,
invoices, and reports from marque experts Marcel Massini and
others
Brian Laban, in his book, Ferrari, said of the 365 GTC, "In Ferrari
terms, the 365 GTC was something of a wallflower, in production for
barely a year, with only 150 examples made, and seen by many
enthusiasts as boringly conservative. But those who know better
cite it as one of the finest all-rounders that Maranello ever
built."
Pininfarina designed and built the 365 GTC's steel body, which
blended the general design of the 275 GTS and 330 GTC with a nose
resembling that of the 400 Superamerica and 500 Superfast. The
wheelbase remained at 94.5 inches, and the Kamm-like ducktail
rear-end was duplicated with its split two-element chromed bumper
bars. The main difference was the venting of the engine compartment
with hood slats instead of fender louvers, as on the 330 GTS.
The big news, however, was under the hood. The 365 GTC was equipped
with a 320-horsepower, 4.4-liter Colombo V-12, as powered the 365
GT 2+2 introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in late 1967. Fitted with
a single-overhead camshaft, two valves per cylinder, and three
Weber carburetors, it offered more low-end torque and stronger
acceleration, all the while maintaining the superb road manners of
the 330 GTC. The block was slightly longer, with wider bore spacing
and bigger bores, and a bit deeper to accommodate a longer stroke,
all of which added up to yield a 20-horsepower gain to 320 and an
increase to 267 foot-pounds of torque. The 29 May 1969 issue of
Autocar published a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds and a quarter-mile
time of 14.5 seconds at 99.0 mph, along with a top speed of 151
mph-certainly impressive figures for the day.
Production of the 365 GTC was limited to just 150 units, perhaps
caused by its arrival late in 1968-at about the same time as the
rather high-profile 365 GTB/4 Daytona. However, rarity of numbers
only adds to a car's desirability and exclusivity among collectors,
and the 365 GTC is certainly no exception to that rule.
CHASSIS NUMBER 12141
The car offered here, chassis number 12141, was completed by the
factory on 31 January 1969 and had been delivered new to Motor
S.a.s. di Carla Allegretti e C, the famous official Ferrari dealer
in Bologna, by the end of February. The 49th 365 GTC example built,
it was thereafter road registered by original owner Paolo Pisa as
"BO 369249" in Bologna and was regularly serviced and maintained
during his several years of ownership by the Ferrari factory
Assistenza Clienti in Modena.
In 1975, the car was brought to the United States by Michael
Lederman of New York City, a former Ferrari and Porsche dealer in
Northern Italy, and former sales manager of the official Southern
California Ferrari dealer Ogner Motor Cars. Mr. Lederman sold his
365 GTC in 1980 to the renowned Porsche and Ferrari collector, John
Magenheimer of Westport, Connecticut. It subsequently spent five
years in the ownership of John R. Musumeci in Belle Harbor, New
York.
In the late 1980s, chassis number 12141 was purchased by Edward
Jacoby of Pleasantville, New York. In Mr. Jacoby's ownership, the
car was presented at the 27th Annual FCA National Meeting at
Watkins Glen, placing 3rd in Class, and at the 28th Annual FCA
National Meeting at Tyson's Corner, placing 2nd in Class. By 1995,
it had passed to Jeffrey Mamorsky of Greenwich, Connecticut-an avid
Ferrari collector and regular participant in collector car hobby
events. Mamorsky's tenure with chassis 12141 would prove brief, as
Michael Zappa of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania purchased the car from
him by January of 1996. Zappa reportedly exercised 12141 regularly,
and to great enjoyment, for several years.
Such fastidious care was continued under the tenure of the next
owner, Andrew Baker, who purchased the car from Zappa in 2001 and
had it restored by Allen Bishop, well-known and highly regarded
Ferrari restorer, author, and Pebble Beach Concours judge. After
the car was acquired in 2009 by Joshua Lewis of Fairfield,
Connecticut, the well-known Automotive Restorations Inc. of
Stratford continued the restoration work, including completely
disassembling the car, beautifully restoring and refinishing all of
its components, and properly reupholstering and re-carpeting the
interior to the period-correct shade of Pelle Biege.
Of course, 12141's esteemed and careful chain of ownership
continued to the following owner, who in 2015 sent the car to the
finest Ferrari shops in Modena, Italy-further ensuring that it
would present to the highest standards. Highly regarded Ferrari
mechanics at Garuti Giuseppe performed a complete overhaul of the
engine and gearbox, testing the performance to confirm that both
would perform at optimal levels thereafter. The paintwork, in its
original color of Rosso Cina (20.456 S), was highly detailed by
Carrozzeria Auto Sport of Bastiglia, while additional work was
undertaken to fit this chassis with period-correct replacement
headlamps, correctly adjust the suspension, and wiring systems, and
other extensive sorting completed by these specialists through
January 2016.
Acquired by the consignor in 2016, chassis 12141 has been driven
about 1,060 kilometers (~660 miles) during the course of his
custodianship. This desirable and attractive Classiche-certified
365 GTC is now offered for sale accompanied by a history file,
Ferrari Classiche Red Book, maintenance and restoration invoices,
and reports from marque experts Marcel Massini and others.To view
this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please
visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/0620.