For Sale at Auction: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB in Carmel, California

Chassis No. 10765
Engine No. 10765 (Internal No. 2012)
Transmission No. 689 I/R

When Ferrari presented the 275 GTB/4 at the Paris Salon in October 1966, it did so almost exactly two years after the 275 GTB had made its own debut at the same show. The earlier car had been the first touring Ferrari with independent rear suspension and a transaxle layout; the new Berlinetta pushed even further, becoming the first road-going Ferrari powered by a four-overhead-camshaft engine. Externally the two cars were near-identical, and only a raised center section on the hood hinted at the change underneath.

The raised hood made room for the Type 226 engine, a 3.3-liter Colombo V12 derived directly from the units that had powered the 275 P2 and 330 P2 sports-racers of the 1965 season. The Type 226 retained the bore and stroke of the earlier Type 213 but gained extensively revised cylinder heads, each carrying twin camshafts that acted directly on the valves in place of the two-cam engine's rocker arms. Dry-sump lubrication, previously seen only on the 275 GTB Competizione, was adopted for the road car, and the separate oil reservoir raised usable capacity from ten liters to more than sixteen. Fed by six Weber 40 DCN 17 carburetors, output rose to 300 horsepower at 8,000 rpm.

The chassis, now designated Type 596, was revised to suit. The engine, driveshaft tube, and transaxle were assembled as a single rigid unit mounted at four points, an evolution of the arrangement introduced on the 330 GTC earlier that year. The driveshaft was encased in a torque tube, tying engine and transaxle together to eliminate the alignment problems that could arise with a shaft turning at engine speed. The suspension retained unequal-length A-arms front and rear, disc brakes, and the five-speed transaxle that had made the 275 the first road-going Ferrari with fully independent rear suspension.

The result was a car that married genuine competition engineering to everyday grand touring civility. Writing in l'Auto-Journal in January 1967, rising F1 star Jean-Pierre Beltoise judged it first and foremost a serious and comfortable gran turismo that nonetheless kept the response and handling of a competition car, calling it one of the finest automobiles of its era-a verdict he supported with an account of covering the 75 kilometers between the Porte d'Orleans and Nemours at an average exceeding 195 km/h, in complete comfort and while carrying on conversation.

Just 330 examples of the 275 GTB/4 were built before production ended, marking the four-cam as one of the most exclusive and coveted road-going Ferraris of its era, and among that already exclusive company, chassis number 10765 occupies rarer ground still as one of only ten finished in Nocciola Metallizzato (106-M-27). Chassis 10765 is accompanied by a report prepared by marque historian Marcel Massini, which records that it was dispatched to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in September 1967 and completed by the factory that December. Built to French specification, it left Maranello in left-hand drive with yellow headlights and instruments calibrated in kilometers, the 28th of just 32 examples originally sold through Franco Britannic Autos in Paris. Per Massini, the car was delivered new in January 1968 to its first owner, a Monsieur Verrecchia of Paris, and was raced at the Autodrome of Linas-Montlhery in 1970 before being repainted red and, later, exported to the United States.

Chassis 10765 was subsequently advertised in the Ferrari Market Letter in June 1987, described as a one-owner car showing 62,000 kilometers, and by the early 1990s, the car had joined the celebrated Monterey collection of Don Orosco. In his ownership, 10765 was comprehensively restored by Scott Grundfor of Arroyo Grande, California, finished in red over beige leather. In November 2009 the car was awarded Ferrari Classiche "Red Book" certification, confirming that it retains its original engine, transaxle, and factory-specification equipment-evidence of a fully matching-numbers car of uncommon mechanical originality.

Chassis 10765 was acquired by the consignor about a decade and a half ago-a successful Southern California-based professional racing driver and prominent motorsports aficionado-drawn to the exceptional 275 GTB/4 which he describes in his own words as the perfect blend of one of the most beautiful car designs ever, mated to astounding performance and exceptional balance. His ownership tenure includes appearances at the Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance in 2014 and the Rodeo Drive Concours d'Elegance in 2019.

More recently, 10765 has benefited from extensive mechanical and cosmetic attention by respected California specialists. Invoices on file from Rex Nguyen Restorations document a thorough recommissioning, encompassing a full annual fluid and filter service, refinishing of the Campagnolo alloy wheels with new chrome center discs, exhaust work with NOS ANSA tips, and a rebuilt steering box. Further specialist work carried out included rebuilds of the electric and mechanical fuel pumps and a specialist carbon-cleaning service performed on the valves and intake, while a compression test recorded consistent readings across all twelve cylinders. Most significantly, the car was returned to its original Nocciola Metallizzato by RFL Fabrications, reversing the earlier non-original red repaint, with interior work including new trunk carpet and reconditioned seats. Today just 74,074 kilometers (approximately 46,000 miles) are recorded on the odometer at the time of cataloging, a figure assumed to be the original mileage from new, perfectly matching the authentic feel of 10765.

To encounter a 275 GTB/4 is to meet one of the most sporting and sought-after Ferraris of the Enzo era-the fully evolved, four-cam expression of Pininfarina's timeless Berlinetta. To encounter one wearing its original Nocciola Metallizzato, one of only ten so finished from new, is rarer still. Matching-numbers, Classiche-certified, and presented in its factory livery, 10765 offers the incomparable 275 GTB/4 experience, with a four-cam V12 that comes alive at speed, torque-tube drivetrain balance, and the long-legged performance to excel on premier open-road events such as the Copperstate 1000 or one of the many Ferrari-organized driving tours.