Introduced alongside the 275 GTB at the 1964 Paris Auto Salon, the 275 GTS was a clean, muscular convertible, bodied in steel, with alloy doors, bonnet, and hood lid by Pininfarina. The interior was upholstered in luxurious hides, for a sporting grand touring character. Under the hood could be found the latest Colombo V-12, a 3.3-litre unit redlining at 7,000 rpm and developing 260 brake horsepower, good for 0–100 km/h in just under 7 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph. The car’s production life was brief and brilliant, with just 200 examples produced in a mere two years.

The 275 GTS offered here is presented in Oro Chiaro with Nero Franzi interior and equipped with factory fog lamps, exactly as it was when delivered by German importers, Auto Becker, to its original owner in the Augsburg area. It was offered for sale locally in November 1967, and by the early 1970s, it was in the hands of British enthusiasts, first Adrian D. Hall, of London, and later H. Richard Chew, a British diplomat who took the car with him to his station near Washington, D.C. Accordingly, it was advertised in Virginia in 1976 and sold to Robert Taylor, of California, prior to its return to Italy in 1980. Following ownership by Bruno Bagnoli, of Livorno, this well-travelled Ferrari made its way to England with Martin Lange, of Guildford, Surrey, and then it came into the care of a well-known collector and a historic racer, Julia and Francesco Baldanza, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

In its current British ownership, the car has been entrusted to the well-known Ferrari specialists at GTO Engineering for a full service, with documented receipts on file, for mechanical work totalling over £15,000. A further £10,000 was invested in March 2012 with SMDG, also documented. Since then, 07189 has undergone a bare metal repaint in its original colour, for which photos and invoices are available with the car’s file. The interior was also retrimmed by Luppi, who is known as one of the finest upholsterers of classic Ferraris. All chrome work has been replated, and the suspension arms were removed and powder-coated. The result is a faultless 275 GTS, one of the finest yet seen and in its original, period-correct, and very attractive colour combination. The icing on the cake is its recent Ferrari Classiche certification, a testament to the car’s outstanding authenticity.

A delightful combination of grand touring luxury and Italian brawn, this superb spider would be as much a thrill to drive today as it was in 1965.