1968 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupé
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Pininfarina
Registration no. Not registered in the UK
Chassis no. 11265
Engine no. 11265

Over thirty years ago, the American magazine 'Car & Driver' magazine declared one of the great truths of the classic and collectible car movement by stating: "At the top - at the absolute top - in the automotive enthusiasts' hierarchy of the cars of the world, there is only one. Ferrari." Their article then asked, rhetorically: "Is there really any question?". Today, as then, the answer, survives unchanged. And the car that prompted that American eulogy? It was the Ferrari 330 GTC.

Intended to fill a gap in Ferrari's line-up between the four-seat 330 GT 2+2 and the roadworthy racer 275 GTB, the two-seat 330 GTC made its public at the Geneva Salon de l'Automobile exhibition in March 1966, and it was essentially a closed version of the 275 GTS. Pininfarina's sober and discreet coachwork styling combined elements of the latter at the rear, with touches of the 500 Superfast at the front.

Few would disagree with 'Car & Driver's opinion that the result was most handsome: "The GTC is a tasteful blend of the mean-and-low look of Ferrari competition GT cars, with the elegance of super-luxury street Ferraris of the past. Detail work, finish, panel fit, every aspect is superlative...".

The 330 GTC's capacious engine bay accommodated the 4.0-litre, 300bhp version of Ferrari's familiar, two-cam, 60-degree V12, as used in the 330GT 2+2. The short (94.5-inch wheelbase) chassis followed Ferrari's established practice of tying together sturdy oval-section main tubes in a steel frame, while the suspension was independent all round by means of wishbones and coil springs. First introduced on a road-going Ferrari (the 275 GTB) in 1964, the rear
suspension incorporated the five-speed gearbox in a transaxle, an arrangement that created a better balanced car and one that gave its driver, "...the wonderful sense of knowing just exactly what's going on between one's posterior and the pave".

Much development work had concentrated on the reduction of noise levels in the cabin, which was luxuriously equipped in the best Gran Turismo manner: leather seats, electric windows and heated rear screen were standard; radio, air conditioning and Borrani wire wheels the options. With a top speed in excess of 250km/h – 155mph - excellent ride comfort and sure-footed handling, Ferrari could justifiably claim their 330 GTC to be the finest of high-speed conveyances for two people and their luggage.

This example of the 330 GTC was completed new in April 1968 and sold to its first owner, a Signor Benedetti, resident in Rome, Italy, during summer that year. It was registered in Rome in January 1969 under the licence plate serial 'Roma D 68263'. In 1973 it was sold to its second owners, the Fratelli Fontana SpA company of the Piazza Bruno Buozzi in Terni. On July 11, 1973, it was re-registered 'TR 99410', and its original plates have survived in the documentation file accompanying the car today.

On March 16, 1976, the car was inherited from Signor Gualtieri by his widow, Signora Luciana Lausi, his son Gianni and daughter Elisabetta, all of Terni. Later that month they sold this GTC to Signora Marisa La Gatta also of Terni, from whom it would be acquired later in that decade by Fabrizio Violati's Bellancauto SpA company, domiciled at the Villa della Conciliazione, Rome.

The car subsequently became yet another of the exhibits within his Collezione Maranello Rosso exhibitions halls in the Republic of San Marino, from which it was entrusted to Bonhams for sale by auction this past July. This is a handsome example of its type and it is offered here with matching chassis/engine numbers and direct from very long-term museum display. We therefore recommend expert
inspection and careful re-commissioning before a new owner might consider using the car in earnest.

Please note this vehicle is subject to import tax should it remain in the EU.