1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, Coachwork by Pinin Farina

1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet
Coachwork by Pinin Farina
Chassis no. 2039GT
Engine no. 2039GT
2,953cc SOHC V-12 Engine
Triple Weber Dual-Choke Carburetors
240bhp at 7,000rpm
4-Speed Manual Transmission with Overdrive
Independent Front Suspension - Live Rear Axle
4-Wheel Disc Brakes

*Exceptional example in factory color
*Participant in multiple Concours events
*Ferrari Classiche Certified, FCA Platinum award winner
*Documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini

THE 250 GT SERIES II CABRIOLET

By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as essential to the company's ongoing stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, was of critical importance, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than twenty cars. The Europa was superseded by the 250 GT in 1954, the latter featuring a lighter and more compact Colombo-designed 3-liter V12 in place of its predecessor's bulkier Lampredi unit. The power output of the single-overhead-camshaft all-aluminum engine was 220bhp at 7,000rpm. Shorter in the wheelbase (by 200mm) than the Europa, the 250 GT chassis followed Ferrari's established practice, being a multi-tubular frame tied together by oval main tubes, though the independent front suspension now employed coil springs instead of the previous transverse leaf type. A four-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox transmitted power to the live rear axle, while hydraulic drums all round looked after braking. Four-wheel disc brakes arrived late in 1959 and a four-speed-plus-overdrive gearbox arrived the following year.

Multiple carrozzerie offered different body styles on the 250 GT chassis, with Scaglietti and Pinin Farina producing elegant open-top Spider and Cabriolet models. Exhibited at the 1957 Geneva Salon, the latter's first 250 GT Cabriolet was snapped up by Ferrari works driver Peter Collins, who later had the car converted to disc brakes. After a handful of alternative versions had been built, series production began in July 1957, around 40 Series I Pinin Farina Cabriolets being completed before the introduction of the Series II in 1959.

Effectively an open-top version of the Pinin Farina-built 250 GT Coupé, whose chassis and mechanics it shared, the Series II Cabriolet was built alongside its closed sibling until 1962. The overall design followed that of the Coupé, with short nose and long rear overhang, while a more-vertical windscreen provided greater headroom in the generously sized cockpit. As well as the aforementioned improvements to brakes and transmission, the Series II cars benefited from the latest, 240bhp V12 with outside spark plugs, coil valve springs, and twelve-port cylinder heads. The 250 GT was the most successful Ferrari of its time with production of all types exceeding 900 units, of which 202 were Series II Cabriolets.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This stunning 1960 250 GT Cabriolet Series II, finished in Grigio Fumo over rich Rossa vinyl and leather, is the 58th example produced. Delivered to Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in Turin on June 6, 1960, the chassis 2039GT was completed on August 12th and delivered the next month to Baron Emmanuel "Toulo" De Graffenried's Italauto SA dealership in Lausanne, Switzerland. The cabriolet was fitted with a matching, optional factory hardtop and equipped from new with instrumentation in miles. Not long for Europe, 2039GT was soon sent to Ferrari of California to begin its life in American.

The first known owner was Charles Kern of Ayer, Massachusetts, who is understood by the Massini report to have owned the car in the 1970s. On April 18, 1975, William Freeman of nearby Ashburnham, Massachusetts acquired the car and owned it for just over three years before selling it to another nearby Bay Stater, Gerald Martel of Fitchburg, on August 29, 1978. At the time of Mr. Martel's purchase, the car was still recorded to be in its original color. 2039GT finally left New England when it was purchase by James and Rita Condon on July 13, 1985. Noted at the time that the car was now red over red, the Condons were enthusiastic owners who drove the Ferrari from northern Massachusetts to their home in Chicago, meticulously maintained the car—with the extensive records from their ownership, such as a mechanical rebuild by Motorkraft, still accompanying the car—and kept the car for nearly two decades. In July of 2004, the Ferrari finally changed hands to Scott Gibbons of Boulder, Colorado. Gibbons's ownership tenure was brief however, as the Ferrari soon found its way into the collection of Richard Powers in 2005.

A coffee grower and exporter, Powers had the car shipped to his Costa Rican restoration shop, Auto Clasico De Costa Rica, on November 12, 2005 for a total, body off restoration that was documented in a photo album and CD that are still with the car. Completed in 2006, Powers sold the car to Mike Leahy of Idaho from whom the current owner acquired the car, following a pre-purchase inspection by noted Ferrari restorer Patrick Ottis, in August of 2007. While still in California, the droptop was displayed and judged at the 2007 Concosro Italiano.

Using the score sheet from Concorso and other future events as a guide, a multi-year process of improvement was begun to take the Ferrari to the next level. Sent to Horsepower Enterprises in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the car was stripped to bare metal and repainted in the original Grigio Fumo the trim was correctly replated, the interior was redone as correctly as possible in Beige, and the mechanical details on the car were corrected. Shown at the May 2008 Reading Concours d'Elegance, the Ferrari won the Tazio Nuvolari Award for Best Honored Model. Next came a showing at the 2009 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance followed by a thorough judging at the 2010 Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach. Winning Gold at Cavallino, and scoring a color spread in issue #103 of Forza magazine in August 2010, 2039GT went back to Horsepower Enterprises for further refinement and tuning based on the results of the previous show judging.

The hard work and meticulous attention to detail paid off. 2011 proved to be a watershed year for the car with it achieving recognition both from Ferrari, in the form of official Ferrari Classiche certification and accompanying Red Book, and the studious judges at Cavallino who, after evaluating 2039GT at the 2011 Cavallino Classic, gave the car the Platinum Award in its class.

Sparingly used and carefully maintained since, this Series II has lived comfortably in a climate controlled garage for the past seven years since its big win. Documented by numerous service records going back to the 1980s, copies of its original Ferrari build sheets, its Massini report, its Ferrari Classiche Red Book, and accompanied by its original factory hard top and reproduction tool roll, it still shows beautifully today. This lovely example of Pinin Farina's classic Cabriolet is ready for further concours showings or touring.