Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 5695
Engine No. 5695
Transmission No. 318
Differential No. 323
Beginning in the mid-fifties and lasting through the early sixties,
Ferrari's front-engined three-liter V12 platform was the definitive
layout for elegant, high-performance road racers. Spanning 15
models, the 250 series is widely considered to be the pinnacle of
Enzo Ferrari's mechanical horses, and as such they dominated the
upscale market in Europe and North America. The 250 GT Berlinetta
Passo Corto, or SWB (Short Wheel Base), introduced in 1959,
epitomized the dual-purpose road racer formula and was a mainstay
on the world's racing circuits, available in lightweight
competition specification or "Lusso" (Luxury) road trim. The
legendary competition-focused 250 GTO followed in 1962, aimed at a
clientele whose emphasis was firmly on racing. With their
competition needs met, Ferrari's wealthy customers sought a
secondary, grand touring-oriented car for road use, rendering the
dual-purpose SWB somewhat obsolete.
Its successor appeared in the form of the 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta
at the 1962 Paris Salon, dressed in arguably one of the most
arrestingly beautiful Pininfarina designs of all time. A thrilling
work of art from every angle, its masterful shape flowed from a
low-slung nose and curvaceous front wings into an airy and delicate
canopy punctuated by a graceful Kamm tail. Decorating these perfect
proportions were exquisite hand-crafted details from its
competition-inspired egg crate grille and mesh hood intake, to its
chrome three-piece front bumper and jack point covers. The Lusso's
positioning as an up-market luxury model was ensured by its plush,
leather-swathed interior featuring deep bucket seats and a
capacious luggage platform with leather retention straps and a
quilted cover panel.
Despite being intended as a supremely elegant tourer, the Lusso's
sporting nature was undeniable thanks to its all-aluminum 3.0-liter
short-block V12 engine breathing through three twin-choke Weber 36
DCS carburetors and producing 240-horsepower. Positioned further
forward than in its stablemates for optimal cabin space, the
compact powerplant was the final and most refined iteration of the
Gioacchino Colombo-designed 'Tipo 168' engine - one of the most
significant and universally celebrated engines ever to leave
Maranello. Other components analogous to the fabled 250 GTO
included four-wheel disc brakes, Koni shock absorbers, rear Watts
linkage, and knock-off Borrani wire wheels.
Documented by Marcel Massini as the 313th example of the 350 250 GT
Lusso Berlinettas built, chassis number 5695 was completed as a
left-hand drive European-market car and finished from the factory
in the exceedingly rare Grigio Fumo (Smoke Gray) with a Pelle Bleu
(Blue Leather) interior, making 5695 the sole Lusso completed in
this color configuration. The factory invoice and delivery notice,
digital copies of which are on file and available for review, show
that Jacques Swaters' famous Garage Francorchamps was invoiced the
amount of $7,500 on 9 July 1964, and took delivery of the Lusso
five days later on 14 July 1964. Although the original buyer's name
remains unknown, they are said to have specially ordered a metallic
blue car and refused to accept delivery of the Grigio Fumo-finished
chassis 5695 unless it was repainted blue. The Massini report on
file confirms that the brand-new Ferrari was, therefore, repainted
in metallic blue by Garage Francorchamps at the behest of its
original owner. An image of the car pictured in Belgium wearing its
metallic blue livery is amongst the album of digital images on
file.
Two years later, the car was traded in at Garage Francorchamps and
was ultimately purchased by American expatriate, Mike A. Dunn, who
in 1969 relocated with the Lusso to Newark, California. Dunn
subsequently sold 5695 in 1972 to a commercial airline pilot, Larry
Poksay of Marin County, California. After refinishing it in a light
metallic gray, the Poksays enjoyed and carefully preserved the car
for nearly three decades, ultimately listing it for sale in a March
2000 issue of the Ferrari Market Letter. The consignor, a lifelong
Ferraristi and admirer of the 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta, realized his
dream of owning one when he responded to the advertisement and
purchased 5695 from Poksay. In August of that year, he exhibited
the Lusso at the Concorso Italiano, winning the Ferrari Club of
America's Best Unrestored Ferrari preservation award - a testament
to the car's high degree of originality prior to its
restoration.
In 2007, what began as preparation for a repaint developed into the
complete disassembly and comprehensive multi-year restoration of
chassis 5695, resulting in one of the finest restored examples of
the model one might ever hope to encounter. Mechanically, the
specialists at Patrick Ottis Company in Berkeley, California were
entrusted with conducting a complete rebuild of the
numbers-matching engine and transmission. The paintwork was
completed by Frank Zucchi Restoration in its factory shade of
Grigio Fumo, brightwork by Sherm's Custom Plating, and the Pelle
Bleu leather to factory-correct specification by skilled
upholsterer Michael Boloyan of Berkeley, California, using the
intact, original interior as samples. An exhaustive digital photo
album documents the immensely detailed restoration. Since its
completion in 2022, chassis 5695 was issued a Ferrari Classiche Red
Book certifying that the body, chassis, engine, transmission, and
differential, as well as other components, are recognized by
Ferrari to be original to the car.
Boasting a known chain of ownership, including two long-term
collectors and California-based owners since 1969, and still
wearing its original black California license plates fitted to the
car when it arrived in the US, this outstanding 250 GT Lusso
Berlinetta is offered with just over 68,000 original kilometers at
the time of cataloging. The Lusso represents Ferrari's final and
most luxurious model in the legendary 250 GT road car series, and
this exquisitely-restored, numbers-matching example presents a rare
opportunity for Ferrari devotees to acquire and enjoy one of
Maranello's most iconic berlinettas.