“Any 275 GTB is something special, but one in the gorgeous Verde Medio color is absolutely outstanding. . .fortunately the current owner finally decided to bring it back to its original green. The best possible decision. He has enjoyed the 275 GTB now for almost twenty years and it clearly is the jewel of his wonderful collection.”

— Marcel Massini

Unveiled at the 1964 Paris Motor Show, the Ferrari 275 GTB was the latest in the company’s long and distinguished line of high-performance berlinettas. Evolved from the preceding 250 GT series and influenced by Scuderia Ferrari’s contemporary prototype sports racing cars, the 275 GTB introduced several important mechanical innovations. Four-wheel, fully independent suspension was a first for a Ferrari production car, and a new five-speed, rear-mounted transaxle improved weight distribution and made for a more spacious cockpit. Powered by a 3.3-liter V-12 engine, the 275 GTB was capable of extraordinary performance and was among the fastest road cars of the era, with a top speed approaching 150 mph.

Over a period of two years, Ferrari built just 453 examples of the original two-cam 275 GTB, before introducing the revised GTB/4 at the Paris Motor Show in October 1966. According to the research of Ferrari historian Dyke Ridgley – whose authoritative 275 GTB production list was published by Cavallino magazine – Carrozzeria Scaglietti built just 205 examples of the two-cam 275 GTB in the desirable long-nose body style, which was introduced approximately halfway through the model’s production and was characterized by a revised front-end treatment, larger rear window, and external trunk hinges.

Another significant improvement to the 275 GTB was the development of a torque-tube driveshaft, which replaced both the original solid propshaft and improved CV joint arrangement, becoming the standard configuration for all Ferrari models equipped with a rear-mounted transaxle. Introduced late in production, from chassis 08305, the vastly improved torque-tube arrangement appears in just 107 examples.

The 275 GTB presented here, chassis 08545, is among this highly sought-after and exclusive group of Ferraris.

Completed in May 1966, this 275 GTB was, according to the research of Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, one of only three such examples originally finished in the striking color of Verde Medio (Medium Green, Salchi code 106-G-29). Trimmed with full beige Connolly leather upholstery and equipped with three Weber carburetors, instrumentation in kilometers, and Campagnolo cast-alloy wheels, the new Ferrari was originally shipped to Verona, Italy, and retailed through local concessionaire Dino Ravasio & Figli.

The Ferrari’s original owner, Giorgio Grosoli, registered it in Padua as “PD 162119” and drove it nearly 47,000 km in a little over a year. Between 1967 and 1971, the 275 GTB passed through three subsequent Italian owners, all located in Rome, before being exported to the US. Upon its arrival in California, the Ferrari was sold by Los Angeles-based sports car dealer Modena Motors to Fred Carpenter. He owned the car for a brief period and then sold it, in April 1972, to David C. Harper, an engineer living in San Diego.

Throughout Mr. Harper’s 30-plus years of ownership, the Ferrari was finished in traditional Italian racing red and was registered on the vanity plates reading “66 GTB2,” which it retains today. As an active member of the Ferrari Owners Club, he displayed the 275 GTB at numerous events throughout California, including the Tribute to Ferrari gathering at the 1984 Monterey Historic Automobile Races.

In fall 2005, Mr. Harper decided to part with his beloved 275 GTB and, almost immediately, it found an appreciative new home with the current owner, a fellow San Diego resident with a stable of fine European GTs.

The current owner, a true enthusiast who drives all his cars as they were intended, wasted no time in putting the 275 GTB to good use. In 2006, he shipped the car to Italy to participate in the Historic Targa Florio 100th Anniversary event in Sicily. He returned in 2009, and placed the highest of any non-Italian club member entrant. Following this event, 08545 was driven throughout Italy, over the Alps, and back into Maranello, returning to the factory for the first time in over four decades. Meanwhile, in the US, the Ferrari took part in several long-distance rallies: the Texas 1000, Copperstate 1000, Going to the Sun, and Northwest Passage. It was always driven from Southern California to each event and then back – a truly remarkable testament to the high-performance touring qualities of a 275 GTB.

In 2012, the current owner decided to embark on a new chapter with 08545 and drove it across the country to Greenville, South Carolina, where it was painstakingly restored by GTM & Son, an exotic car specialist with decades of experience repairing and restoring classic Ferraris in their previous role as an authorized dealership and service center in Belgium.

According to the consignor, the goal of this project was to restore 08545 “the way it left the factory.” The decision was therefore made to strip the bodywork to bare metal and return it to its rare, original Verde Medio livery, with dark beige leather upholstery and light beige carpeting. Photos and records on file confirm that every aspect of the Ferrari was addressed during restoration, including rebuilding and dyno-testing the engine, as well as attention to the transaxle, suspension, and brakes, among the various mechanical and electrical systems. Even the smallest details, like the correct SPACEM exhaust, Scaglietti headlamp cover bugs, and Italian license plates, appear as they should.

Soon after the restoration was completed in 2013, the 275 GTB was certified by the Ferrari Classiche Department. The accompanying Certificato di Autenticità and Red Book confirm that 08545 retains its original chassis, bodywork, engine (internal no. 1272/64), transaxle (internal no. 633), and other significant components.

Since the restoration’s completion 10 years ago, this Ferrari has earned some of the most coveted and meaningful awards on the concours circuit. Accolades include four Platinum awards won at Concorso Italiano, Cavallino Classic, Concorso Ferrari in Pasadena, California, and, most recently, at the 2016 Ferrari Club of America National Meet. Other notable honors include the Ferrari Cup and Chief Class Judges Award at Concours on the Avenue, Best Ferrari and the Honorary Judges Award at the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance, and the FCA’s prestigious Trofeo Gran Turismo, awarded to the outstanding pre-1975 Ferrari regularly driven.

Not only does 08545 present today in beautiful, show-quality condition throughout, it is reported to be well sorted mechanically, having been driven approximately 35,000 miles since 2005. Consistent with its outstanding presentation, the 275 GTB is accompanied by proper accessories – owner’s folio, handbooks, tool roll, and jack – as well as its Ferrari Classiche Red Book and copies of the factory spare parts catalog, body parts catalog, and workshop manual.

The extensive supporting documentation file contains a report by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, copies of the factory build sheets and Italian ACI registration records, a FIVA Identity Card (dated May 2009), the original 1972 Bill of Sale between Fred Carpenter and David C. Harper, restoration records, photographs, invoices, and correspondence.

The most refined variant of a beloved and iconic model, the long-nose, torque-tube 275 GTB is among the most sought-after sports cars of the 1960s. Of the 107 built, few compare with 08545, which possesses a brilliant, rarely seen factory color scheme and ironclad provenance, with just two Southern California enthusiast owners for the past 50 years. Consider then its superb restoration, extensive documentation, and roster of major concours awards, and you have one of the finest, most compelling Ferrari road cars imaginable.