There is perhaps no better archetype of a Ferrari model than the 275 GTB/4. As one of the last Prancing Horses manufactured in the vintage era, preceding the wholesale shift to mid-rear engine placement, the GTB/4 was the product of all the lessons learned since the company’s 1947 inception. Like the greatest Ferraris that preceded it, the model was defined as a grand touring berlinetta: a closed-body dual-use GT car that could be driven to the track and raced before being gently driven back home.

Introduced in 1964, the original 275 GTB was the first roadgoing Ferrari to be equipped with four-wheel independent suspension, and the first to employ a weight-saving transaxle, which also improved weight distribution. When the GTB/4 iteration arrived two years later, it boasted dual-cam valve actuation for each cylinder bank, making it the first four-cam road car from Maranello’s stable. This prodigy of mechanical performance was clothed in coachwork designed by Pininfarina and built by racing car carrozzeria Scaglietti, featuring a long hood and fastback rear end that were obviously developed from the legendary 250 GTO.

The prodigious GTB/4 soon became quite popular with the celebrity jet set, enjoying ownership by such luminaries as Miles Davis, Clint Eastwood, and the King of Cool, himself, Steve McQueen. After a 2014 test drive of the ex-McQueen car, the inimitable Top Gear wrote:

“Deep in Ferrari’s DNA is a love of normal aspiration, a chemical and mechanical process best enjoyed across 12 cylinders. The 275’s 300 bhp might seem slightly ‘meh’ by modern standards, but I swear you can feel every single one of them saddling up and charging off. There’s no step or software manipulation here, just a smooth, linear, thrilling sense of flow.

“The faster you go, the better it gets.”

A 275 GTB/4 IN FRANCE

Benefitting from 43 years of care by a handful of French owners, followed by a more recent round of restorative work by one of Italy’s most respected Ferrari specialists, this modestly driven 275 GTB/4 is undoubtedly one of the most striking examples to be encountered. According to the combined research of marque expert Marcel Massini and French motoring historian Marc Rabineau, chassis number 10427 was specified for the French market with instruments in kilometers and yellow headlamp lenses; and finished in Argento paint over a Nero leather interior, including full leather seats.

Distributed through the official French importer Franco-Britannic Autos in Paris, the Ferrari was delivered in November 1967 to its first owner, a Parisian gentleman by the name of Chassedieu. Over the next 43 years, the 275 passed through a short chain of four additional French caretakers before being offered in July 2010.

The GTB/4 was acquired then by a dedicated collector based in Greece, and he reportedly commissioned a cosmetic refinish in the current livery of midnight blue over cream, with Daniele Turrisi in Bergamo, Italy handling the coachwork restoration, while Tappezzeria Luppi in Modena was entrusted to reupholster the interior. Following this freshening the owner applied for certification by Ferrari Classiche, and in May 2012 a Red Book and corresponding Certificate of Authenticity were issued that confirm the continued presence of the matching-numbers chassis, engine, gearbox, and coachwork. Shortly thereafter the berlinetta was sold to the CEO of a premium Swiss watch manufacturer who undertook further restoration work by Garage Alberto Donati in Corseaux, Switzerland.

In October 2013 the Ferrari was acquired by the Dare to Dream Collection. The car has continued to benefit from fastidious upkeep during its 11 years of stewardship, most notably undergoing service to the radiator, a conversion to electronic ignition, and the mounting of new Michelin XWX tires. In 2022 the GTB/4 was taken to Italy for enjoyment on a Ferrari 275 Tour through Tuscany, for which the car was serviced and prepared by the highly respected marque specialist Autofficina Bonini Carlo in Reggio Emilia.

It should be noted that chassis number 10427 is a late 275 example that features the quintessential, and most highly-developed configuration—a long-nose, four-cam car equipped with the desirable vibration-free torque-tube drive shaft. Continuing to present beautifully in midnight blue over cream, and accompanied by manuals in their pouch and a reproduction tool roll, this 275 GTB/4 is ideally prepared for further touring enjoyment. Or, it may be presented at Ferrari gatherings and concours d’elegance, offering the most highly distilled essence of Maranello’s great berlinetta tradition.