Remembering a Unique Ferrari 250 GT

by Wallace Wyss –

I feel like the guy who, before Columbus, saw the mass of America in front of him and passed it by, thinking it was only an island. That’s because, in the 60 years since I discovered Ferraris, I passed up so many that have not only become collector’s items but have sold for millions.

One such car belonged to a jazz musician I met who lived in the Hollywood Hills. There are other Bertone-bodied Ferraris (the only quantity one was the 308GT4) but none had the impact of this one. Maybe it’s because of the “split nose”.

This one rolled out the factory door of Bertone with Giorgetto Giugiaro smiling as at last he had designed a Ferrari. It was SN 3269GT and the date was May of ’62. It was steel bodied and painted Blue Noite Metallizzato/Burgandy.

The picture below shows a very young, and tall, Giugiaro standing next to the wooden buck of this Ferrari 250 GT.

Ferrari 250 GT Bertone Body Buck and Giugiaro

This picture is from Iso Rivolta The Men, The Machines by Winston Goodfellow.

It was displayed at the the Bertone Booth at the Turin Auto Show, and that same year repainted silver gray. In ’65 it was sold to a Torino woman but then acquired by Crepaldi, a famous Ferrari dealer, who sold it to Pete Civati of Redondo Beach.

Around ’67 it was sold to Bill Karp, the jazz drummer. I like to think the throbbing of the Ferrari exhaust inspired his drumming. At the time I met him he had it for sale but wanted $25,000–a princely sum in ’67. Other short wheelbases (not racing ones of course) were a mere $10,000.

Eight years later it was advertised by a British car dealer Brian Classic (is that a name appropriate for a car dealer or what?) but then sold to one of my customers Lorenzo Zambrano, a prominent Mexican car collector (who used to buy my Ferrari brochures when I was selling factory literature). It went from there back to Redondo Beach for a restoration.

Next owner, in ’82, was a well known name in American sports car racing, John Mecom, who started many a racing team. Ironically it looks like he sold it back to Zambrano or maybe just had it on loan.

Then it went to a Texas dealer, Forristals, and from there was shown in the early ’80s at two car shows by the shop that restored it, and then, in the next few years, several more shows including Pebble Beach, where it won a trophy.

It finally went to a major auction put on by Gooding in 2015 where it sold for $16,500,000. which is a far cry from what it was worth when I saw it in the Hollywood Hills.

I could kick myself for not trying to buy it, but I’m just glad I saw it early on. I subsequently met Giugiaro but forgot to express how much this car made me appreciate his work.

Let us know what you think in the Comments.

THE AUTHOR: Fine artist Wallace Wyss specializes in depicting Ferraris. For info. about the work he can be reached at mendoart7@gmail.com

 
 
 
 
 

Art by Wallace Wyss

Car photos by Mike Gulett.

Summary

Article Name

Remembering a Unique Ferrari 250 GT

Description

I subsequently met Giorgetto Giugiaro but forgot to express how much this Ferrari 250 GT made me appreciate his work.

Author

Wallace Wyss