The last generation of the original Ferrari super-coupes was the aptly named Superfast, produced between 1964 and 1966. Featuring updated Pininfarina coachwork with a dart-like tapered nose, gracefully rounded tail, and glassy European greenhouse, it encompassed a highly developed version of the original Ferrari Colombo V-12, now displacing five liters and producing 395 hp, an output that was utterly remarkable for the era. The car’s top speed was 175 mph, a figure that could be achieved quite readily and with no particular special treatment on the part of the driver.

Superfasts were quite scarce; just 37 of the cars were produced, and they were sold to a select “who’s who” of the world’s wealthiest persons, including Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, Barbara Hutton, and John von Neumann.

Chassis no. 8459 SF was the 33rd Superfast built and the eighth of 12 Series II cars, and the seventh of eight Superfasts built with right-hand drive. It was fitted with factory air conditioning and power windows, a five-speed transmission, and some truly unusual features, including three air ducts to the front fenders, no rear seats (giving it decidedly sporting pretensions), and a rear window wiper.

The car’s order was placed by the famed London agents Maranello Concessioniares Ltd. in 1965, and it was completed the following March. Colonel Ronnie Hoare (himself a 500 Superfast owner) delivered it on 2 April to Jack S. Durlacher, as, amazingly, his second new Superfast; the first had been rejected due to poor paint, resulting in the delivery of this one to his improved specifications. Son of a prominent Irish golfer and a broker on the London Stock Exchange, Durlacher was well known in the sports car community at the time, serving as a financial partner and backer in the legendary Rob Walker’s racing team. In his ownership the Ferrari was registered as MPJ 5D.

In November 1976 the car was advertised in Thoroughbred & Classic Cars by Nigel Dawes of Worcestershire, England. Restored in 1981 by Terry Hoyle Engineering, in the correct and original Blu Chiaro over Naturale leather, it remained in England for the rest of the century, including 15 years with the Manoukian Brothers, who acquired the car in 1992 and kept it until 2007. It was then purchased for the collection of the present owner, with whom it has remained since.

The car’s restoration has held up well, although there are some signs of use, including some minor dents in the nose and a chip on one headlight. Its color scheme, which, as mentioned, is the original used in 1966, and was utilized on only three of the 500 Superfasts, is still highly attractive, with a wonderful period flavor. Further, the car is still fitted with the original engine, and is offered with a partial tool roll.

A fastidious new owner should be quite pleased, and it would be a superb choice for high-speed driving through the countryside, just as Mr. Durlacher would have enjoyed it in his jaunts between racing circuits in the mid-1960s. It is fast, powerful, and beautiful, and is, quite simply, the ultimate roadgoing Ferrari of its age.