In late 1964, an unusual gap developed in Ferrari's luxury model line, as the last of the 250 GT Lusso examples were completed. With only the über-exclusive 500 Superfast in production, Maranello lacked a civilized mid-range grand tourer that had no designs on racing. Passionate devotees of the Lusso were duly rewarded in March 1966, when Ferrari used the Geneva Salon to introduce the 330 GTC, a new luxury grand touring coupe that successfully integrated aspects of several other models in the Maranello stable.

Aesthetically, the 330 GTC's body combined the front end of the 400 Superamerica with the tapered tail of the 275 GTS. These features bookended a brand-new canopy design that had generous glass sections and slender A-pillars, imbuing sophistication. Mechanically, despite being defined as a luxurious road car, the GTC was engineered with substantial gravitas and rode on the same chassis as the race-ready 275 GTB.

Into this proven chassis, Ferrari dropped the enlarged four-liter Colombo V-12 that had recently been introduced in the 330 GT 2+2. Unlike the 2+2 though, the GTC employed a rear transaxle, which gave the model a sporting character becoming of its exquisite shape, and luxurious interior appointments, including standard power windows and leather upholstery.

By the time the model was supplanted in 1968, the 330 GTC had been produced in a modest quantity of just 598 examples. Along with being increasingly prized in recent years for its handsome Pininfarina design and stout mechanicals, the GTC has come to be regarded as the last of the great vintage Ferrari grand touring coupes.

CHASSIS NO. 9535

This car was originally completed in February 1967, finished in Equivalente Rosso Cordoba over Beige leather, with instruments in kilometers and factory air conditioning. It was supplied the following month to a Galluzzi of Milan, who, postulates historian Marcel Massini, may have been Vladimiro Galluzzi, the former gentleman racer known for his exploits in a Zagato-bodied 250 GT.

The car was subsequently exported to the U.S., where in 1970 it was owned by Jay Riskind of Winnetka, Illinois, who had it refinished by Chicago craftsman George Sebastian in red with a black interior and new carpeting, as well as a Blaupunkt AM/FM radio; at this time the speedometer converted to MPH. Riskind advertised the car for several years, finally selling it in 1976 to Jeffrey G. Provo, who passed it in December 1979 to Edward J. Sutherland of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, a well-known enthusiast and collector. Mr. Sutherland maintained the car well into the late 1990s. It was eventually sold in 2004 to the current owners in the Midwest, with whom it has remained since.

The car still wears its Sebastian Rosso Corsa, in overall well-presented condition, with the black leather interior having a fine patina of age and use about it that makes it quite inviting for a road trip; at the time of cataloguing it had recorded 70,177 miles. It retains its factory air conditioning and is accompanied by an original 330 GTC handbook and a small notebook of service records kept by the fastidious Mr. Sutherland, as well as a partial tool set, jack, and knock-off hammers.

An excellent 330 GTC for further freshening and driving enjoyment, this car is, quite simply, as exciting as it appears.