Enzo Ferrari’s passion may have been racing cars, but by 1950, he had begun to accept that exclusive road cars were needed to finance the company’s growing competition efforts. Early Ferraris for the street were built in very small numbers, usually to special customer order, with no attempt made at standardization. A significant change occurred in 1954, when the Pinin Farina-designed 250 GT Europa debuted in Paris. It was Ferrari’s first true “production” model and would form the foundation for all future Ferrari 250 models. These included the second series, again designed by Pinin Farina.

At the time of the second series’ unveiling, Pinin Farina was in the process of building a new, much larger production facility and did not yet have the space to build the larger quantities of cars that Ferrari was requesting. Accordingly, the design they created was handed over to Carrozzeria Boano, headed by one of Pinin Farina’s designers, Mario Felice Boano. Boano proceeded to build 67 cars, which had slight styling alterations from the five cars that Pinin Farina had already built, the most notable being a lower wing line. When Boano’s namesake moved to Fiat in 1957, Ezio Ellena, his son-in-law, took over production, now under the banner of Carrozzeria Ellena. Ellena, too, made minor cosmetic changes, in particular a raised roofline, prompting the use of the terms “Low Roof” for Boano bodies and “High Roof” for the Ellenas.

The Boano Coupe offered here was completed in April 1957 and, according to the report by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, a copy of which is on file, it was delivered to a Guatemalan Consulate, most probably for staff use. While little is currently known of its preceding history, in 1969 the Ferrari was purchased from British dealer Brian Classic by Robert L. Youngdahl, owner and founder of Concrete Forms Engineers in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a resident of nearby Prior Lake. Mr. Youngdahl was a well-known gentleman racing driver, who most actively drove a variety of fascinating cars at tracks both in Minnesota and near his winter home in Florida. Known for his prowess on the track, he drove this particular 250 GT at the Brainerd SCCA 100 Miles at the former Donnybrooke Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota, on June 16, 1978. The car is believed to have remained in Mr. Youngdahl’s ownership for many years; certainly, he got his money’s worth out of the Ferrari, having paid only $1,900 US for it in 1969.

The car was acquired by its present owner from Mr. Youngdahl’s estate as a rust-free original car that had never been previously restored. The paint was carefully stripped, revealing a body underneath that was in very good condition. It was refinished properly by the Italian craftsmen of Cremonini Carrozzeria, using correct colors for the model. In the course of the body-off, nut-and-bolt restoration of this car to its original condition, the electrical system was replaced by Gatta and the upholstery by Luppi, both of them renowned classic Ferrari experts from Modena.

This iconic and extremely special Ferrari is freshly completed and in wonderful condition throughout. It benefits from a long-term ownership by a renowned and caring enthusiast and from a recent exhaustive restoration that has returned this beautiful Boano Coupe to its former splendor.