THE 275 GTB ALLOY

By the mid-1960s, it seemed as if Ferrari could do no wrong. With their competition cars emerging successful at nearly every major race on the calendar and their road cars attracting more and more customers every year, the company had handily cemented its reputation within the history of the automobile, and each new car that exited the factory gates in Maranello seemed to be better than the last. Ferrari’s 275 GTB was a clear evolution of the 250 GT SWB and the 250 GT/L Lusso. It was introduced at the 1964 Paris Auto Show to replace the aging 250 series of grand touring cars, and it marked the beginning of another fantastic series of V-12-powered berlinettas.

At the time, the 275 was the most advanced road going Ferrari ever produced, as it utilized a 3.3-liter version of the classic Colombo V-12. In an effort to improve handling, the overall height of the engine was reduced to achieve a lower center of gravity, and the 275 GTB was the first car from the marque to boast a four-wheel independent suspension and a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle gearbox, helping it to achieve a better weight distribution at the same time.

The car proved to be better in every way than the cars it replaced, as it boasted all of the performance that the iconic SWB offered but was still just as luxurious as the Lusso. The 275 GTB produced 280 horsepower and was capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in just over six seconds, leading to a top speed of 160 mph. The long-nose construction on the later cars also helped eliminate the undesirable high-speed lift characteristics of the early variants, further increasing the already flexible nature of the car. Its combination of incredible performance with enough space for a weekend’s worth of luggage for two clearly made this a dual-purpose grand touring car and the perfect choice for the well-heeled individual looking to win races, drive across Europe, or both. As such, customers had free reign to outfit their cars as they saw fit, leading to some cars leaving the factory outfitted with racing in mind, while other were outfitted primarily for comfort and touring.

Of course, the most desirable option was alloy bodywork. Some of Ferrari’s most competitive competition cars were bodied in aluminum, including the 250 GTO and competition versions of the 250 SWB. This option was considerably lighter than the normal steel bodywork and was often selected by clients looking to race their new cars, as the use of aluminum allowed them to shed a few unnecessary pounds and therefore increase their car’s performance. While the design of the car was penned by Pininfarina, the bodies were hand-beaten by Scaglietti’s craftsman in Modena. By the time production switched over to the more powerful 275 GTB/4, only a handful of aluminum-bodied examples had been produced, cementing their desirability for years to come.

CURRENT OWNERSHIP FOR 40 YEARS

The example offered here, chassis number 08069, was manufactured in 1965 by Ferrari. It was a long-nose 275 GTB with alloy bodywork and triple Weber carburetors, and it was finished in Argento Metallizzato (106-E-1) over full Nero (VM 8500) leather seats, according to noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. It was subsequently delivered new to Ferrari’s official dealership in Milan, M. Gastone Crepaldi S.a.s. Later that year, Crepaldi sold the car to its first private owner, a Mr. Zaniboni, who was residing in Italy. Sometime thereafter, Zaniboni sold the car to its second Italian owner, a Mr. Ghisa, another Italian citizen who was living in the city of Trieste.

It is believed that this 275 GTB was exported from Italy to the United States sometime in the early 1970s and was then subsequently purchased by Ronald DeLorenzo, of Youngstown, Ohio. DeLorenzo listed the car for sale in the July 1974 issue of Road & Track magazine. The advertisement notes that it was still wearing its silver and black interior, with 31,000 kilometers on the odometer, and it further mentioned that DeLorenzo was the car’s only owner in the United States. After seeing the advertisement, the car’s current owner contacted DeLorenzo and purchased it for $6,700. Since then, the car has remained in the state of Ohio, with the same caretaker, a well-regarded collector and enthusiast of Italian cars, for the past forty years, all but nine years of the car’s entire life.

In his ownership, the car saw frequent use, and the odometer currently shows just over 59,000 original kilometers from new, as documented by titles from its current ownership and the ad from Road & Track. The car is remarkably well preserved, with its only deviation from its original configuration being a single repaint in red by Joe Piscazzi in Akron, Ohio, early on in his ownership. Over the course of the next 40 years, the car was driven and shown around its adopted home of Ohio and occasionally at larger shows in the Northeast United States, including at the Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance and the Ferrari Club of America’s annual meet at Watkins Glen in 1990. Utmost care was always taken by the current owner to preserve the remarkably original condition of the car, and as a result, it shows very well and has simply never needed to be restored. The interior and seats remain in excellent original condition, with a charming, slight patina that is only achieved through years of careful use and is impossible to recreate. Furthermore, it is important to note that the car is still accompanied by its original owner’s pouch and manuals and its original complete tool roll. Following a recent light cosmetic and mechanical service earlier this summer, the 275 GTB is ready for whatever is next owner has in store, be it concours events, driving events, or long-distance cruising, just as its manufacturers intended.

The alloy-bodied 275 GTBs are considered by many to be the most desirable variant of the 275 GTB, as they hold a close link to Ferraris competition cars, and they are also one of the rarest, as fewer than 60 road versions were built. Chassis 08069 is a wonderful example of a highly original alloy-bodied 275 GTB, and it is being offered today by its current custodian for the first time in 40 years. Even though 275 GTBs have become more desirable to collectors in recent years, alloy-bodied examples have always been in high demand, and they rarely come up for sale, especially ones that have been in single ownership for four decades. Considering its highly original condition and wonderful provenance, chassis 08069 would make a spectacular addition to a collection of cars bearing the Cavallino Rampante, and it would undoubtedly be nearly impossible for one to find an alloy-bodied 275 GTB in such beautifully preserved condition coming from long-term ownership. The owner, who historically followed the Ferrari mystique, recalls Scaglietti’s own description of the 275 GTB as “the ultimate creation” of Ferrari’s Gran Turismo. “I can’t disagree,” said the current owner. And neither can we.