240 bhp, 2,953 cc single-overhead camshaft V-12 engine, four-speed manual gearbox, front double wishbone suspension and semi-elliptic leaf spring and solid axle rear suspension, four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 102.25"

- Legendary Ferrari Colombo V-12 power with timeless Pinin Farina styling

- Series I example with inside-plug engine and drum brakes

The first of the legendary Ferrari 250 GTs was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon in 1955. By 1956, Scaglietti, who had been building Ferrari’s racing car bodies for several years, undertook construction of the lightweight Pinin Farina-designed production cars, of which the 1956 250 GT was the first. Scaglietti, as much a sculptor as a coachbuilder, may be credited with much of this model’s aesthetic appeal, softening some of Pinin Farina’s more emphatic lines to create a deft and cohesive design. Meanwhile, Carrozzeria Boano produced a notchback-style coupe, the later high-roof designs of which were designated “Ellena.”

Built through 1960, the 250 GT Coupe came to replace this angular notchback Ellena model and was both designed and produced entirely by Pinin Farina at their new Grugliasco plant. Elegant yet understated in design, the car became Ferrari’s most commercially successful model. Notable design cues included a particularly long bonnet with chrome-trimmed headlights slightly set back into the wings. The rear of the car was a stylish yet conventional Pinin Farina design, housing a simple light cluster, while the interior, devoid of three-quarter windows, felt very much like a cabriolet fitted with a hardtop. Much attention was given to sound insulation with plush leather and extensive carpeting used throughout. A fresh-air heating system and twin-disc clutch were also introduced for the whole series in 1959.

Not to be underestimated by virtue of its design, the 250 GT Coupe was a performer through and through. The car was fitted with the standard Colombo-designed 2,953 cc V-12 engine, which, as always, was nothing short of a detuned competition powerplant. Fitted with three twin-choke Weber downdraft carburetors, compression was typically set around 8.8:1 with output reaching 240 hp at 7,000 rpm. With a top speed of 240 km/h, the 250 GT Coupe could reach 100 km/h in less than seven seconds. It was one of the fastest GT cars available, even beating offerings from Aston Martin, Jaguar and Maserati.

The 250 GT Coupe we have the pleasure of offering here, a Series I example with an inside-plug engine and drum brakes, was completed in August 1959 and, according to a handwritten factory listing, delivered new to the German importer Auto Becker in Düsseldorf. Pinin Farina records indicate the car was delivered to Luigi Chinetti Motors in Greenwich, Connecticut the same year. Between 1974 and 1975, the Ferrari Owners Club USA membership directories show the car as being owned by Brian A. Johnston of North Vancouver, British Columbia.

In the 1980s, the 250 GT was acquired out of Canada and brought to England before undergoing a full nut-and-bolt restoration. The Ferrari was refinished in red with a tan interior, as evidenced by photographs of the restoration process. Following its completion, the car was shown at the Concours at Brocket Hall in England, where it won its class. Later the car returned to the United States where a previous owner had the engine and gearbox rebuilt by Foreign Cars Italia about ten years ago. The car is reported to be in presentable condition throughout and is driven only sparingly by the vendor.

The 250 GT PF Coupe is a superb grand touring Ferrari. It offers the same V-12 performance as its fellow 250 GT models, with particularly elegant coachwork – and within a much more modest price range.