Enzo Ferrari may have built his road-going cars purely as a means to fund his racing efforts, but those early grand tourers and sports cars shared much with their track-bred counterparts, not least that fabulous Colombo-designed V12. The early 250 GT models set the stage for a succession of beautifully styled coupes and convertibles and the 275 GTB range offered a superb balance of style and performance that has made it one of the most sought-after classic Ferraris.
The 275 GTB and convertible GTS were introduced in 1964 and were equipped with a 3.3-liter development of the Colombo V12. They were also the first road-going Ferraris to feature fully independent suspension. While mechanically similar, the two models differed greatly in outward appearance, the GTS following a more traditional design language reminiscent of the earlier 250 GT while the GTB had a Pininfarina designed and Scaglietti built body that looked far sportier.
The GTB also received a number of updates through its short three-year production run that the GTS did not receive. Most notable were the addition of a torque tube to relieve driveshaft stresses and a longer nose which helped improve high-speed stability. Both of these changes appeared on 1966-on models. The steel-bodied 1966 maroon example here has these upgrades and comes fitted with triple carbs.
Chassis No. 08603 is one of approximately only 58 275 GTBs from a total run of 442 cars that were so equipped and while it has been through a number of owners through the years as well as a color change to Fly Yellow in the ‘70s, it has since reverted back to its original Rosso Rubino over Nero leather interior. It is a numbers matching car which still has its tool roll and owner’s manual and has recently undergone work totaling $22,000 to ensure that it is even closer to factory specification. It will form part of the stunning classic car line-up at the upcoming RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction which will be taking place between 15-17 August.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
