Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 4201 GT
Engine No. 4201
The 250 GTE 2+2, Ferrari's first true four-seat series production
model, was built upon earlier specially-ordered Ferraris that
occasionally featured small seats behind the driver and front
passenger in the early 1950s. The challenge of adapting the 250 GT
Coupe's existing 102.4-inch wheelbase and lengthy twelve-cylinder
engine to accept four passengers was no small feat, and involved
extending the body 12 inches, relocating the fuel tank, and moving
the engine forward eight inches. Masterfully executed by Ferrari
and Pininfarina, this had little impact on the typically superb
Ferrari driving experience, with Road and Track writing, "Anyone
can drive and enjoy the experience; the connoisseur who can afford
one shouldn't have anything else."
Between 1960 and 1963, Ferrari produced a total of 953 examples of
the GTE 2+2 across three model variants, culminating in the Series
III unveiled at the 1963 Geneva Salon. This ultimate evolution
boasted a host of refinements, both aesthetic and mechanical, that
elevated an already exceptional grand tourer to new heights of
sophistication and performance. The fog lamps now artfully flanked
the iconic Ferrari grille, while at the rear, the previous sextet
of taillights was elegantly consolidated into two combination
units. The cabin now featured sumptuously redesigned seats and a
dashboard incorporating new air vents. Mechanically, the rear
suspension received the addition of coil springs incorporated with
the shock absorbers, and the Borrani wheels were widened. Under the
hood, new cylinder heads accommodated larger valves and a higher
compression ratio, a combination that promised to unleash even more
of the thoroughbred 3.0-liter V12's potential.
Completed on 1 February 1963, as a left-hand drive, European-market
example, this is the 694th Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 of the 954-car total
production, and the 43rd of the Series III cars built. The car was
originally finished in the elegant shade of Nero (18656 S Italver)
over an Arancia (VM 3104) Connolly leather interior and equipped
with black-faced instruments calibrated in kilometers, Pirelli
tires on Borrani wire wheels, and an Abarth exhaust system.
According to research conducted by renowned Ferrari historian
Marcel Massini, chassis number 4201 GT was originally ordered by
Giuseppe Bellini of Prato, Italy on 15 December 1962, with a sales
price confirmed at 5,750,000 Italian Lire. The car's assembly was
meticulously recorded in factory documentation, with the
transmission completed on 27 January 1963 by mechanic Bellentani,
the rear axle on 30 January by mechanic Sghedoni, and the engine on
31 January by mechanic Bondi, all under the supervision of foreman
Amos Franchini. The engine was dyno tested on 1 February 1963 by
mechanic Giocci before installation, overseen by engineer Taddei.
This date marks the official factory completion, with the car
leaving the assembly line on 4 February 1963.
After a pre-delivery inspection at the Ferrari Factory Assistenza
Clienti in Modena, showing 826 kilometers on the odometer, the car
was delivered to the official dealer Garage La Rotonda near
Florence, Italy, in April 1963. The Ferrari changed hands multiple
times in its early years, passing from Bellini to Renato Nocentini
of Florence, then to Gastone Limarilli of Montebelluno, and
subsequently to Javier Bueno of Fiesole, all within the first year
of its life. The car's history becomes less clear after 1971 when
its Italian road registration was cancelled, reportedly due to
"demolizione" (demolition), a term often used when a car was
actually exported. It resurfaced in January 1987 under the
ownership of Taddeo Del Vasto in Sesto Fiorentino, before being
exported to the United States.
In 1990, chassis number 4201 GT found its most famous owner in
David Michael Letterman, the host of The Late Show. Under
Letterman's ownership, the car made an appearance at the 2nd Annual
Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in February 1993, where it was
reportedly awarded 2nd in Class. At some point during Letterman's
ownership, the car underwent a cosmetic restoration to its current
dark blue exterior over orange leather interior, departing from its
original Nero and Arancia color scheme. Importantly, it retains its
original, matching-numbers engine, as confirmed by Marcel Massini's
detailed history report.
Acquired by the current owner in 2023, this exceptional,
matching-numbers example of Ferrari's first 2+2 grand tourer is
certainly one of the best documented and finest available examples
of this desirable model. Chassis number 4201 GT combines the allure
of celebrity ownership and the rarity of a well-documented, late
production Series III 250 GTE into an unrepeatable opportunity for
discerning Ferraristi.
