Ferrari Classiche certified
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Coupé
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Chassis no. 1201 GT
Engine no. 1201 GT

By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than 20. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia and Vignale of Turin and Touring of Milan were responsible for bodying many of these but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike.

The introduction of the 250 Europa heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later 'Pininfarina') would be Ferrari's number one choice, bodying no fewer than 48 out of the 53 Europa/Europa GTs built. Pinin Farina's experiments eventually crystallised in a new Ferrari 250 GT road car that was first displayed publicly at the Geneva Salon in March 1956. However, the Torinese carrozzeria was not yet in a position to cope with the increased workload, resulting in production being entrusted to Carrozzeria Boano after Pinin Farina had completed a handful of prototypes.

True series production began with the arrival of Pininfarina's 'notchback' Coupé on the 250 GT chassis, some 353 of which were built between 1958 and 1960 within the sequence '0841' to '2081'. However, the relatively small scale of production meant that cars could still be ordered with subtle variations according to customer choice, as well as enabling a handful of show cars and 'specials' to be constructed on the 250 GT chassis.

A number of important developments occurred during 250 GT production: the original 128C 3.0-litre engine being superseded by the twin-distributor 128D, which in turn was supplanted in 1960 by the outside-plug 128F engine which did away with its predecessor's Siamesed inlets in favour of six separate ports. More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance. Despite this, original survivors are relatively few, as many have been modified and converted into replicas of more exotic Ferraris such as the 250 GTO, Testarossa, etc.

According to the accompanying Massini Report, chassis number '1201GT' was delivered to the United States Ferrari importer Chinetti Motors of New York City and sold new to one M Weinmann, a local resident. The car's original exterior colour was Rosso Bordeaux. At some time during the 1960s the Ferrari passed into the hands of a Ms Tosteson, a resident of Massachusetts. Sold again in 1987, the car was acquired by one A Macioce of Boston. It returned to Italy in 1990, passing into the important private collection belonging to Mr G Prevosti, owner of some very important motor cars. Fastidious about presenting his collection's cars in perfect condition, Mr Prevosti commissioned a major restoration for this Ferrari, which was fully restored over a three-year period by Carrozzeria Bottini in Italy, in the process of which it was beautifully refinished in Grigio Ferro while the interior was re-trimmed in red leather.

In 2007 the Ferrari was sold at auction and the new owner took it to Italauto Garage in Holland to be mechanically overhauled. Described as in concours condition, this superb matching-numbers Ferrari 250 GT comes with a FIVA passport, Belgian registration papers, and the all-important Ferrari Classiche certification.