For Sale at Auction: 1964 Ferrari 250 in Monterey, California

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.