1961 Ferrari 250 SWB

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on November 14, 2012, every weekend we’ll be diving into our archives to bring you some of the gold you might have missed from our early days.

John’s garage has been home to some of the finest pedigrees. We look back at one of his favorite specimens the 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB.

Enjoy some photos of this iconic car.

Q: What is the car’s year, make, and model?
A: It’s a 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB.

Q: What so special about this Ferrari?
A: It was damaged early in its life was sent back to the factory for repair. There it was given a unique front end with covered head lamps. When the car was damaged a second time, the front end was put back to more or less the original.

Q: Why did you let the car go?
A: It became too much of an adventure to drive, because the car drew too much attention. I found myself driving down San Vicente Boulevard on an early Sunday morning, and I would have to slow or stop because drivers would be staring at the car and accidentally steering into the lane in which I was driving. It was time.

Q: What’s the car’s most unique attribute?
A: The motor would run dead cold. I would have to work to get both oil and water temperature up. The car was a beast.

Q: What was the best compliment somebody paid the car?
A: That the exhaust sound was infectious.

Q: Do you know where the car is today?
A: The car is going to the Ferrari factory for a nuts and bolt restoration.   

Q: When you sold the car, were you worried about what would happen to it?
A: I feared that the car would no longer be a driver but would become a trailer queen.