Unveiled at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hands of the course marshal, then officially at the Paris Salon that October, the 250 GTE was one of the most successful Ferraris of its era. It was based largely on the chassis of the revered 250 GT LWB “Tour de France,” with a 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter Colombo V-12 and four-speed manual transmission with overdrive moved eight inches forward. New bodywork with a raised roofline provided interior space for a small rear seat. The design would be produced over four years and three series, with, of course, the initial Series I being the purest of design.

The 238th 250 GTE built, chassis number 2889 was completed in October 1961 and sold that November to NIS-Film SpA, a film production company in Rome, for the use of its president, one Mr. Bertolli. It would enjoy several other Italian owners until 1972, when it was exported to the United States and sold to Robert J. Trier of Seattle, Washington. Mr. Trier passed the car in 1975 to Redge H. Martin of Portland, Oregon.

In 1988 the Ferrari returned across the Atlantic and was purchased by British collector Stuart Anderson, who apparently intended it for his fiancée at the time. It was then acquired in 1993 by Ernest Fleischer of Richmond, the first of several collectors in British Columbia, Canada, who enjoyed the car over the next decade, finished in dark red with black interior. During this time, it was featured with actor Robert Culp in an episode of Viper, a short-lived, now cult-classic television series co-starring a Dodge Viper-based urban assault vehicle. In 2002, 2889 was sold to a prominent British Ferrari connoisseur, and as a favored longtime “driver” in his collection, in 2014 was driven in the “Le 250 Tornano a Casa” tour from Le Mans to Maranello.

Following its sale from its British ownership in 2015, 2889 underwent a restoration, with the bodywork performed by the noted Italian firm Carrozzeria Sport Cars and the drivetrain, including the numbers-matching engine, rebuilt and interior restored by Garuti and Maeili, respectively. As part of this work the body was refinished in the wonderfully elegant shade, Grigio Conchiglia, as was used on many 250 GTOs in-period, while upholstery was fitted in a marvelous, seldom-seen Connolly shade of blue-green, VM 3087. These colors are very similar to the originally specified 1961 livery, Grigio Medio Metallizzato over Blu, but with a subtle tweaking very well-suited to modern tastes that ensures that the car will stand out on virtually any field.

Still in very fine condition throughout, the Ferrari is accompanied by a Marcel Massini history report, build and ownership information from other historians, and a rather sizeable file of invoices and receipts from previous caretakers. Almost certainly one of the best-restored and nicest available examples of this desirable model, it is well-suited to the collection of any connoisseur of Maranello’s finest.