Intended for a different customer and style of driving than Ferrari’s other open-top offering, the 250 GT California spider, the 250 GT cabriolet was not intended to channel the emotions and driving style of Ferrari’s thoroughbred racers. This was a true gentleman’s Ferrari designed for high-speed touring in comfort. With the performance one would expect from Maranello’s finest, the 250 GT Cabriolet gave no concessions to luxury and was exquisitely trimmed and appointed to please Ferrari’s demanding clientele. With a spacious boot that could hold more than enough luggage for two for a long-weekend trip, this was the ideal touring car for the California coast or the South of France.

A second-series cabriolet was first debuted at the 1959 Paris Motor Show and showcased a number of stylistic and mechanical updates over its predecessor. Visually, these cars featured open headlamps with a slightly more rounded nose and rear fenders with elongated tail-lamp lenses. Slightly more interior space was added to provide both the driver and passenger with more comfort, and the trunk was made slightly larger as well.

With the 250 GT Cabriolet Series II, Ferrari took the opportunity not only to upgrade the car’s looks, but also to improve the overall driving experience. Now fitted with all-wheel disc brakes, Ferrari installed its latest iteration of the Colombo V-12 engine, designated Tipo 128F. The spark plugs were relocated to the V-12’s outside surfaces (rather than in between the V as in prior iterations), and the coil-valve springs were substituted for hairpins. This new architecture allowed for more head studs per cylinder and non-siamesed porting. This resulted in a better breathing engine with improved torque and reliability. To boot, the 128F also facilitated far easier and quicker changing of the plugs, to the enduring relief of both mechanics and owners alike. By the end of production in mid-1962, 200 examples of the 250 GT Cabriolet Series II had been constructed, far outselling the first series of 250 GT cabriolets.

THE COCA-COLA CABRIOLET

The 53rd second series cabriolet produced, chassis no. 2007 GT was completed on 10 July 1960, finished in Oro Longchamps (Max Meyer 16288) over Connolly Naturale leather and vinyl upholstery. It was originally delivered through Luigi Chinetti Motors of Greenwich, Connecticut, to a Mr. Shapiro, who soon traded it back. It was then resold to Arthur L. Montgomery, the CEO of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia, and a well-known sports car enthusiast who acquired several Ferraris and a Duesenberg in this same period.

Later in the 1960s the car was sold through a Georgia dealer to Jerry Farguahar, who passed it to John W. Finley of Alpharetta in 1971. Finley had the cabriolet restored to its present appearance, in Rosso Corsa with tan leather upholstery, by Skip McCabe Automotive of Mundelein, Illinois. After the completion of the work in 1996, the car was purchased for its current owner’s collection and has been kept there since.

The car presents very nicely today, with only minor patina to its restoration; even the finishes under the hood are clean and presentable, with little to no use evident, and the dashboard and interior are both virtually fresh. Underneath is clean and beautiful, with even the exhaust hangers shining! The cabriolet shows 47,736 miles on the odometer, consistent with its last noted reading in Finley’s ownership. It is offered with an empty tool bag, hammer, and jack, as well as a reprinted owner’s manual, and the correct Borrani wire wheel spare in the trunk.

This is an eminently attractive 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, ideal for continued preservation and enjoyment, or to return to its stunning original livery.