The first true production four-passenger car from Ferrari was the 250 GTE 2+2, which was a gorgeous Pininfarina-designed car that handled beautifully and had the excellent balance of its two-seat predecessors. The first of these cars was used by the Clerk of the Course at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans, resulting in the car being introduced to the world at a race at which Ferrari took six of the first seven places.

After three years of tremendous success, towards the end of 1963, the 250 GTE was replaced with an improved model, which was powered by the new four-litre Colombo V-12. It was improved with revised combustion chambers and wider-spaced bores, and it was estimated to produce a conservative 300 brake horsepower. Aside from this engine, the new model shared the same chassis and was virtually identical in outward appearance to the 250 GTE 2+2. Following Ferrari’s practice of naming an engine for the displacement of a single cylinder, the new model was dubbed the 330 America 2+2, which was also a nod to its intended market.

Only 50 of these cars were produced, with the car offered here, chassis number 5109, being the 47th. Records of Swiss Ferrari historian Marcel Massini chronicle it as having been originally finished in Red over Tan and being dispatched to Luigi Chinetti Motors of New York City in the spring of 1964. In June of that year, it was sold by Chinetti to its original owner, John R. Bond.

Mr Bond had originally joined Road & Track, the prominent American motoring magazine, early in its life, in 1948, as an associate editor. He rose through the ranks, saved the magazine from extinction in the early 1950s, and continued to guide it for over four decades as its editor, owner, and publisher. John R. Bond was known for his vigorous, strongly held, and often controversial opinions, and for 40 years, he was one of the most important voices in American motoring journalism. As someone who was exposed to so many of the world’s greatest automobiles, it is telling that for his everyday transportation—a car for which he, himself, paid—he chose a 330 America 2+2.

The car remained in the Bond family stable until 1976, being driven over 16,000 miles during that time. After a dozen years, he sold the Ferrari to Arthur Montgomery, of Atlanta, Georgia. Mr Montgomery was a prominent executive at Coca-Cola and an avid automobile enthusiast, and in addition to this Ferrari, his stable also included such illustrious vehicles as a Duesenberg Model J.

After being advertised for sale by legendary racing driver Charlie Kemp’s International Motorcars in 1978, and also by Harley Cluxton III in AutoWeek in August 1981, the car was sold in November 1989 to Howard Leendertsen, of Bellevue, Washington. It remained with Leendertsen until 1998, when it was sold to Donald J. Roose, of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who prepared the car for historic events.

Roose sold the Ferrari in April 2005 to Andrew Flanigan, of Santa Barbara, California. It was later acquired by the present owner, who returned it to its original specifications, which included applying the paint colours that were selected at the factory in 1964, as well as the original colour interior, which was re-trimmed by Tappezzeria Luppi earlier this year. It is equipped with its original Becker Europa radio and chrome wire wheels, as well as RJS racing belts, which add a sporting touch to the Parchment interior. Its five-speed gearbox is also a desirable upgrade.

The 330 America 2+2 is one of the rarest Ferraris of its era and examples are very seldom offered for sale, but unlike many, this particular car has the added benefit of long-term enthusiast ownership by one of motoring’s most prominent and outspoken voices.