300 hp, 3,286 cc four-cam V-12 engine, six Weber dual-choke carburetors, five-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension with upper and lower wishbones, coil springs and tubular shock, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 94.5"

• Recent cosmetic freshening and engine overhaul

• Matching-numbers engine

• Well-documented ownership

• One of 330 built

If one were to ask any schoolboy in the 1960s to draw a ‘sports car,’ chances are high the result would look something like the Ferrari 275 GTB. The Pininfarina-designed, Scaglietti-built coupe has the perfect blend of delicate, sensual beauty and brute strength that immediately tells the onlooker this is a vehicle that goes as well as it looks.

The 275 GTB was more than just a sexy face, however. The model incorporated real advancements in specification for Ferrari road cars, with the marque’s first four-wheel independent suspension and five-speed transaxle gearbox. There were three major steps in the development of the 275 GTB, with the earliest cars being equipped with a two-cam V-12 engine and a ‘short nose,’ which was lengthened to improve high-speed stability, giving birth to the 275 GTB ‘long nose.’ A torque tube was added to the specification at the start of 1966, and then in the fall of that year the final evolution arrived with a four-cam version of the 3.3-liter V-12 engine, fitted with dry-sump lubrication and six two-barrel Weber carburetors, rated at a potent 300 hp.

Approximately 330 left the factory in two years of production, and they quickly became sought-after for their capability on the racetrack as well as the road. In fact, they are in a very real sense the last of the true dual-purpose cars from Ferrari, one that could be driven to a circuit, win a prize in competition and driven back home afterward. Despite their performance, they were quite civilized inside, with well-formed seats, wood-trimmed dashboards and power windows standard.

The 275 GTB/4 we have the pleasure of presenting was completed in March 1967 and has an almost seamless record of ownership from new. Noted Belgian importer Jacques Swaters delivered 09721 to its first owner, a Monsieur Desy in Brussels, from his famous Garage Francorchamps. The Ferrari remained in northern Europe through the ’60s, next going into the ownership of a B.L. Story of Frankfurt, Germany. The 275 was imported to the USA in 1970 and has resided with a known sequence of owners ever since, first on the East Coast, then Miami and finally Ontario, Canada. Lorne Liebel acquired the car with indicated mileage of 15,825. In John Winter’s care the car received a restoration in 1994. This work included an engine and transaxle rebuild by Rob Shanahan and Bob Wallace. Also at this time, a new exhaust system was fitted and the interior re-trimmed with new leather upholstery. Mr. Karl “Fritz” Schiffmayer then bought 09721 in 1995. Mr. Schiffmayer, a noted racer who quite famously beat Bob Bondurant while both were driving 289 Cobras, was a man who knew a great deal about fast, capable cars. This 275 GTB/4 quickly became one of his favorites. Following Schiffmayer’s untimely passing, it was eventually acquired by the current noted collector.

Recently, while in the current ownership, it has been freshened cosmetically with new Rosso Corsa paint and mechanically with an engine overhaul performed by Rick Bunkfeldt Vintage Restoration Services of Hartland, Wisconsin. As viewed today, the high quality of the appearance is said to be matched by the exciting driving experience. Few cars excite the senses the way a 1960s Ferrari coupe can. The desirability of 275 GTB/4 and its status as an icon of the marque is undisputed. Chassis 09721 is a Ferrari which not only displays the stunning beauty of this timeless style but begs to be exercised on fast roads where the full dynamic brilliance of a 275 GTB/4 can be realized.