Lot 343

Monaco 2012

1968 Ferrari 330 GTS

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€851,200 EUR | Sold

Monaco | Monaco, Monaco

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Chassis No.
11071
Engine No.
11217
Addendum: Please note that this vehicle is eligible for import into the UK at a reduced rate of 5% VAT.

300 bhp, 3,967cc single overhead camshaft V-12 engine, triple Weber carburettors, five-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 2,400 mm (94.5")

• One of only 100 spyders produced

• The second of only two cars originally finished in Acapulco Blue

• Ferrari Classiche certification

• 2007 Ferrari factory restoration

• Documented history by Marcel Massini

• Exhibited at Concorso Italiano and the Quail Motorsports Gathering

• Just four owners over 42 years

• Low mileage example with fresh service

Of all of the Ferrari road cars designed by Pininfarina, perhaps none so brilliantly exude late-1960s jet age chic like the 330 coupés and spyders. Introduced at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, the 330 GTC coupé combined the tapered tail section of the 275 GTS with a front end reminiscent of the range-topping 500 Superfast, resulting in a Ferrari of pronounced elegance that many Maranello enthusiasts regarded as the true successor to the revered 250 Lusso. With the appearance of the 330 GTS Spyder at the Paris Motor Show later that year, Pininfarina successfully retained all of the coupé’s sophistication whilst ratcheting up the sporting character of the design, as the removal of the roofline emphasized the 330’s athletic cockpit-central stance. Increasingly prized for its rarity and timeless styling, the 330 GTS was produced in a quantity of just 100 examples between 1966 and 1968.

According to the research of Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, this beautiful 330 GTS is the second of only two such cars originally finished in ‘Bleu Acapulco’, the very popular Shelby Cobra colour. A European specification car, 11071 was sold through Jacques Swaters’ renowned Garage Francorchamps in Brussels, Belgium, to a resident of nearby Antwerp. After being traded back to Garage Francorchamps, this Ferrari was purchased in 1973 by W. Peter Gorrell, who eventually exported it to Toronto, Canada. Mr Gorrell clearly held the sporty 330 Spyder in high esteem, as he retained possession for almost 30 years, during which time the car accrued less than 65,000 kilometres (40,365 miles).

By 1996, records indicate that the car had been fitted with a replacement motor, a correct Type 209/66 engine sourced from a concurrent 330 GTC.

This Ferrari was purchased in 2000 by Mauricio “Tazio” De Nicolo, a collector in Saratoga, California. Mr De Nicolo went on to display his exceptional spyder with great pride at the Vintage Ferrari Concours, held at the 2002 Concorso Italiano in Carmel, California. By the mid-2000s, the car’s benchmark originality began to require some degree of freshening, so Mr De Nicolo chose a full restoration, performed by some of the marque’s finest craftsmen. Brian Hoyt’s esteemed Perfect Reflections in Hayward, California, was entrusted to refinish the exterior to its original colour of Acapulco Blue, faithfully replicating the striking and rare paintwork. In an effort to restore the car as authentically as possible, Mr De Nicolo entrusted mechanical considerations to the Ferrari factory itself, which supervised a rotisserie restoration conducted by Maranello’s finest craftsmen. An impressive file of documentation features numerous photographs of the completed car at the Ferrari factory, including at the Classiche workshops, at the famous main gates, at Fiorano and significantly, in a group photo with the restoration team lead by Jean Todt.

On the basis of the accuracy and high-quality standard of the work completed, in November 2007, this car was authenticated by the factory with the desirable Ferrari Classiche certification. Nine months later, this lovely car débuted to stunning effect at the sixth annual Quail Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, California, a fitting venue for the rare and beautiful spyder. Sold in late 2010 to a Switzerland-based collector, this breathtaking 330 GTS continues to display approximately 66,000 kilometres on its odometer. It is a beautifully detailed and mechanically potent example that has been restored by some of the most qualified artisans and technicians in Italy and the United States. Complete with a documented history that includes just four owners over a 42-year period, this exceptional 330 GTS is also accompanied by its Ferrari Classiche ‘Red Book’, original leather bound manuals, a complete tool roll and rare dealer brochures.

It is offered with a fresh service from René Wagner’s Fast Lane in Zurich. It remains a correctly restored and mildly driven example of one of Ferrari’s most handsome V-12 spyder road cars, one that would crown the finest collections of 1960s European sports cars.