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An extremely rare 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS is currently available for auction over at renowned automotive auction house RM Sotheby’s.
First released almost 55 years ago, only 200 units of the elegant Pininfarina-designed convertible were produced — this current one being the 189th example. Carrying a legendary 3.3-L Columbo V12 engine and finished in Verde Pino Metalizzato paint, the car was originally owned by Prince Abdallah Moulay, the brother of King Hassan II of Morocco, who kept it in the royal family until the late ’60s, when it was sold to a French expat in Casablanca. From then, the vintage car would make its way through America to Germany and finally back Stateside again, receiving a restoration in the early 2000s. With a mileage of 60,000 miles, the classic Ferrari is now being offered for $1.6 million USD.
For the vintage car collectors out there, head over to RM Sotheby’s site to learn more about the 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS.
Officially named 250 GT/L Berlinetta, the Lusso is one of the premier members of the 250 series. Ferrari built only 351 units between ‘62 and ‘64, of which the most famous is the ex-Steve McQueen chassis number 4891.
If, however, you’re in the market for a low-mileage Lusso that’s been meticulously maintained and restored over the course of 48 years of single ownership, then chassis number 5183 may be right up your alley. The car is currently headed to the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island auction in March 2020.
Sporting an estimate of $1.3 million to $1.6 million, the Cavallino Rampante bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti is “the final and most developed evolution of the revered 250 GT lineage.” Instantly recognizable thanks to the curvaceous fastback design, the Lusso also features the Tipo 168 U 3.0-liter engine.
Reuben Bemrose, who owns R’s Garage, got a Ferrari 456 GT, removed the V12 and put in a 13B Wankel engine that normally sits under the hood of a Mazda. He debuted the mod at a recent event for rotary engine aficionados, where he won Best Conversion.
With the appearance, he also got more than a fair share of media attention, with the Frankenstein car making headlines around the world. The hubbub was loud enough to get Ferrari’s attention, and from what Bemrose is saying in a new interview with News1, we gather he’d been served a cease and desist. That’s the Ferrari way, after all.
In the same interview, Bemrose explains how he came upon the Ferrari, which would cost upwards of $100,000 with the original engine and in full working order. He paid close to nothing for it, though, as he found it abandoned in a field, with considerable frontal damage and serious damage to the engine. This is how he got the idea to swap the non-working V12 for something a bit more… unusual. He settled for the Wankel.
The transformation cost him $13,000 and two weeks of his time, but since he owns a garage and does this for fun, the latter doesn’t really matter. Asked why he’d slap a rotary engine onto a Ferrari, he smiles and says, “we thought it would be fun.”
As for Ferrari coming after him in court, Bemrose seems convinced he is legally safe, since he’s offering what is probably the fakest of fake apologies to the Prancing Horse, for messing with the car. While decked in official Ferrari merchandise. He does concede that he understands why Ferrari is so protective of the Ferrari brand, so there’s that.
“Obviously they are quite protective of their image, and their brand which I completely understand,” he explains. “I’ve just taken their iconic V-12 out of it and put an iconic New Zealand motor in it. Dear Ferrari, I'm so very sorry, I didn't mean to belittle your brand. Can't you see I just want to be friends?”
Although I looked at a mint and ultra-low mileage (aren't all Italian exotics low mileage) 550 Maranello, it was the maintenance and the costs of parts that turned me away even though I perform it all myself.
Maybe some owners look at "engine-out" cars for basic maintenance as being in an exclusive "club"; I look at that as bad engineering which is why I drive Porsches.
I would love a 355 GTS, but the maintenance... I've read that the trick is to get one someone has already done the major maintenance on and enjoy for a few thousand miles, then resell.
Last edited by civicdrivr; 04-11-2020 at 08:03 AM.
I would love a 355 GTS, but the maintenance... I've read that the trick is to get one someone has already done the major maintenance on and enjoy for a few thousand miles, then resell.
Or buy one you know isn’t going to be a collector car and get a good private mechanic to do it for far less I guess.