For Sale at Auction: 1958 Ferrari 250 in Amelia Island, Florida

Chassis No. 0855 GT
Engine No. 0855 GT (internal no. 0160 C)
Transmission No. 60 C
Differential No. 132 GTC

Period brochures for Ferrari's 250 GT Coupe described the model as "the series-produced vehicle benefitting from the experiences of the race track." Indeed, the lessons of competition were present throughout the 250 GT, particularly its Tipo 128 "short block" Colombo V12 which descended from models like the 125 S and 250 MM sports racers, and which would form the backbone for all future 250 GT models for the succeeding decade.

Yet the operative phrase in Ferrari's marketing material describing these coupes was "series-produced vehicle." Although Pinin Farina designed and built the original 250 GT Coupe prototype in January 1956, its Corso Trapani facility in Turin was already operating at capacity. To accommodate growing demand, new land was acquired in Grugliasco on the outskirts of the city, but the 323,000-square-foot plant remained under construction as late as 1957. In the interim, Ferrari entrusted coachwork to Carrozzeria Boano of Turin, which would build the 1956 Geneva Salon Pinin Farina design, with slight modifications, through 1958, after which production transitioned to the new Grugliasco facility for the truly series-built 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe. After the 1957 models, Mario Boano left his company to work for Fiat, and Carrozzeria Boano was taken over by Luciano Pollo and Ezio Ellena. Therefore, the 1958 Coupes, including the example presented here, were built by a company that carried Ellena's name, but was, in fact, the same company that had built the 1956 and 1957 Coupes.

The years of Pinin Farina and Boano/Ellena collaboration steered Ferrari's road-car design language toward a clean, sophisticated style-moving away from the more unconventional Giovanni Michelotti designs for Vignale. Boano and Ellena Coupes are characterized by their low rooflines, reduced egg-crate grille, and slab sides with an uninterrupted fender line running the length of the entire car before terminating in vertical taillights. For 1958, minor changes included the removal of the vent windows, new quarter marker lights, a two-inch taller roof for increased headroom, and adoption of a standardized shift pattern.

Chassis 0855 GT is a breathtaking example of the Ellena-bodied 250 GT Coupe, and one that clearly illustrates why these early coachbuilt cars have become so prized among knowledgeable Ferrari collectors. According to research compiled by noted marque historian Marcel Massini, 0855 GT was delivered new to Henry Gibson of New York City and, as documented by its factory build sheets, was the only example of its kind specified from new with both available options including a dual brake master cylinder pedal box and vented racing brake drums. The car was later advertised for sale in The New York Times in 1967 and 1971, ultimately passing to MIT student Richard Booth living in Norwalk, Connecticut. By 1974, the car was known to be owned by Mike Curley of Irwin, Pennsylvania, changing hands again later that year to Bradley E. Balles in San Francisco, California. In 1975, 0855 GT found its next long-term caretaker in Candace Daniels of Mountain View, California.

Shortly thereafter, the Ferrari was disassembled and placed into storage with the intention of conducting a full restoration, only to remain there for nearly four decades. In August 2014, Arizona-based collector Eddie Montini learned through a neighborhood friend of an early Ferrari 250 Coupe that had been purchased in the mid-1970s, and then left in storage for decades.

After carefully validating the stampings with Marcel Massini's assistance, Montini and his team set about doing extensive research using period factory photographs and articles, alongside hundreds of reference images of survivor Ellenas, to ensure total factory correctness throughout. Miraculously, the original Colombo V12 (internal no. 0160 C) had reportedly been rebuilt and crated in the early 1970s, allowing the restoration to proceed with an intact, matching-numbers engine at its core. The Colombo V12 engine was subsequently rebuilt along with the matching-numbers gearbox and differential.

With the mechanicals underway, the body was mounted on a rotisserie and attention turned to properly restoring the delicate Ellena coachwork. The exterior was completed in stunning, period-correct Azzurro Metallico neatly complemented by a navy-blue "halo roof." This exterior scheme is beautifully offset by the cabin trimmed in rich red Connolly leather and features model-specific 250 GT seats.

Completed after an estimated 3,500 man-hours, 0855 GT emerged from restoration as one of just 18 known Ellenas retaining its original drivetrain. In 2020, the car was issued Ferrari Classiche certification confirming this authenticity and quickly earned recognition for the quality of its renewal on the concours field. It debuted in 2020 at the 29th Annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, earning a Platinum score along with "Excellence in Class" and "Most Elegant" at the Cavallino Classic Sports Sunday Mar-a-Lago gathering. The following year it was selected for Casa Ferrari at Pebble Beach as part of a Classiche-certified display, and in 2022 it appeared on the 18th Fairway at the 71st Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in the Ferrari Grand Touring Class (M-1). Additional accolades have included Best V12 Ferrari at the Ferrari Club of America Fountain Hills "Concours at the Hills" and Best in Class at the 2023 Arizona Concours d'Elegance.

0855 GT is presented as an exceptional, matching-numbers example of the final truly coachbuilt series-production Ferrari, as Pininfarina became-with only one subsequent exception-the sole outside designer for Ferrari series production cars to date. This supremely elegant and too often overlooked Gran Turismo shares its "short block" Colombo V12 lineage with Ferrari's most accomplished sports racers, as well as coveted competition-oriented road models like the 250 GT Tour de France. For the knowledgeable Ferrari collector, 0855 GT represents an opportunity to acquire a beautifully restored, Classiche certified 250 GT Coupe, offered in an undeniably striking period-correct color presentation. The sale includes its Classiche "Red Book," owner's literature, and beautifully restored tool roll and jack.