PROVENANCE
Renato Stefani di Canegina, Viterbo, Italy (acquired new in November 1961 via Malagò)
Marisa D’Orazio, Italy (acquired in 1965)
Clark Hobart Record, California (acquired circa 1973)
Maurice Harlaux, Belgium (acquired in 1987)
Private Collector, Bergamo, Italy (acquired after October 31, 1999)
Current Owner (acquired from the above)

EXHIBITED
FF40 Ferrari Francorchamps International Concours d’Elegance, Brussels, Belgium, September 1992

LITERATURE
Hilary A. Raab Jr., Ferrari Serial Numbers Part I, chassis no. listed, p. 33
Stanley Nowak, Ferrari: Forty Years on the Road, chassis no. listed

THIS CAR
The brilliant 250 V-12 series remains the cornerstone of Ferrari’s enduring success, with its many variations setting the company’s engineering and stylistic direction, and forming the basis for countless racing victories during the 1950s and 1960s. As greater emphasis on road-car sales was required to help fund the Scuderia’s various racing commitments, Ferrari’s 250 GT series led the charge.

Launched at the 1959 Paris Salon, the elegant 250 GT Series II Cabriolet was essentially an open-air version of the 250 PF Coupe already in production, and it succeeded the 250 GT Series I Cabriolet as Ferrari’s primary open road car. An unqualified masterpiece with performance rivaling the Scaglietti-built 250 LWB California Spider, the 250 GT Series II Cabriolet was more comfortable, luxurious, and instantly historic as the first commercially successful production convertible Ferrari offered. Nonetheless, the Series II Cabriolet was highly exclusive and rare, numbering just 200 in all.

Mechanically, both the 250 GT PF Cabriolet and Coupe were considerably improved over their predecessors with their updated Colombo-derived, 3.0-liter V-12 engine delivering 240 bhp. Race-bred stopping power was achieved with four-wheel disc brakes and 16" Borrani wire wheels were standard. At once elegant and capable, the Series II Cabriolet’s performance included impressive acceleration and a top speed approaching 140 mph.

Numbered 2533 GT, this example is documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini as the 127th second-series 250 Pinin Farina Cabriolet built. Following delivery of the chassis to Pinin Farina in Turin on February 28, 1961, its handsome coachwork was completed on June 28th. Back at Ferrari that September, 2533 GT was fitted with its gearbox, rear axle, and engine. Following completion, the vehicle was sent to Malagò, the Rome-based Ferrari dealer, and finished in Grigio Conchiglia (Shell Grey) over Blu (Blue) leather. Two months later, 2533 GT was purchased by its first owner, Renato Stefani di Canegina, a resident of Viterbo, on the outskirts of Rome.

The next recorded owner of 2533 GT was Italian resident Marisa D’Orazio, who acquired it in 1965. Subsequently, the Ferrari was exported to the US, where its next known owner was Clark Hobart Record of California. During the mid-1980s, 2533 GT returned to Europe in the ownership of a Swiss collector for whom the car was partially restored, including an exterior refinish in red and an interior retrim in cream leather. Soon after, 2533 GT was advertised for sale in the March 1987 edition of German magazine Motor Klassik with a factory hardtop painted red and Borrani wire wheels.

Maurice Harlaux of Belgium purchased the 250 GT in 1987 and retained it for approximately 10 years. It was occasionally shown at European events by Jean-Pierre Fostier, most notably in September 1992 at the FF40 Ferrari Francorchamps International Concours d’Elegance in Brussels. In December 1998, 2533 GT was acquired by an owner residing in the Netherlands, through whom it soon passed to an Italian Ferrari collector. The vehicle received Ferrari Classiche certification in early 2013 just before it was acquired by the consignor and shipped to California.

As now offered, 2533 GT has just emerged from a complete restoration to its factory-original color combination, including a bare-metal repaint, fully restored brightwork, a re-trimmed interior, a new convertible top, restoration of the hardtop, plus rebuilding of the Ferrari engine and transmission. Automobile Club d’Italia paperwork and the Ferrari Classiche Red Book accompany this outstanding vehicle. With collector attention firmly and rightly placed on the 250 GT Series II Cabriolet for its many virtues in today’s vibrant classic Ferrari market, this car offers a truly rare opportunity to acquire a factory-certified example, presented in its rare and outstanding factory-specified color combination with both tops.