THE 330 GTC

In late 1964, an unusual gap developed in Ferrari’s luxury model line, as the last of the 250 GT Lusso examples were completed. With only the über-exclusive 500 Superfast in production, Maranello lacked a civilized mid-range grand tourer that had no designs on racing. Passionate devotees of the Lusso were duly rewarded in March 1966, when Ferrari used the Geneva Salon to introduce the 330 GTC, a new luxury grand touring coupe that successfully integrated aspects of several other models in the Maranello stable.

Aesthetically, the 330 GTC’s body combined the front end of the 400 Superamerica with the tapered tail of the 275 GTS Convertible. These features bookended a brand-new canopy design that had generous glass sections and slender A-pillars, imbuing sophistication. Mechanically, despite being defined as a luxurious road car, the GTC was engineered with substantial gravitas and rode on the same chassis as the race-ready 275 GTB Berlinetta.

Into this proven chassis, Ferrari dropped the enlarged four-liter Colombo V-12 that had recently been introduced in the 330 GT 2+2. Unlike the 2+2 though, the GTC employed a rear transaxle, which gave the model a sporting character becoming of its exquisite shape, and luxurious interior appointments, including standard power windows and leather upholstery.

By the time the model was supplanted in 1968, the 330 GTC had been produced in a modest quantity of just 598 examples. Along with being increasingly prized in recent years for its handsome Pininfarina design and stout mechanicals, the GTC has come to be regarded as the last of the great vintage Ferrari grand touring coupes.

A NART MECHANIC’S FERRARI

The current owner of this 330 GTC was trained as a mechanic at the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, afterwards moving to the U.S. to work for Luigi Chinetti in 1964. Chinetti assigned him to his famous NART team, with which he went to Sebring, Daytona, and Bridgehampton that year, bumping shoulders with Pedro Rodriguez, Phil Hill, Bob Grossman, and other legendary figures. He eventually moved to San Francisco and went to work for the dealer there, Charlie Rezzaghi, in 1966.

In 1977 the owner bought a Ferrari for himself, purchasing this car from its owner John Ramsey, a musician. Inspection notes that the car, chassis no. 8883, was the 28th 330 GTC produced, making it one of the earliest known survivors. It had originally been delivered to a Sig. DiGianni of Italy, later being exported to the U.S. Interestingly, while Ferrari historians record the car’s original color scheme as Verde Chiaro over Beige, the owner notes that the car has been finished in its current blue hue as long as he has known it, and that in decades of working on the car, he has never found any trace of green paint – indicating that it may have been, in fact, delivered in this color.

The car was last shown publicly at the 1984 International Ferrari Concours d’Elegance in Carmel, after which it was placed in its owner’s garage. There it has remained since, unseen and not offered for public sale until its availability today. It remains unrestored, still on its old-style California “pink slip” title, and is being offered today with its original, numbers-matching engine, fresh out of its long rest in San Francisco. The owner has used his talents one final time to return it to running condition, though further inspection and work will be necessary prior to any extended road use. Offered with a set of Ferrari tools, it is presented as a basis for further freshening, or the best possible beginning for a full, concours-quality restoration.

The tale that it has to tell is hard to beat.