Introduced at the 1964 Geneva Salon and produced for only two years, the opulent 500 Superfast, of which only 36 were made, was at the same time Ferrari’s fastest, most powerful, most expensive and most exclusive road car. Maranello’s flagship and the last of the limited-edition closed Ferraris, the 500 Superfast caught the public imagination in a manner not seen since the creation of the Bugatti Royale.

The Superfast chassis is multitubular and initially used a four-speed/overdrive gearbox. With its distinctive flat sides, the Pininfarina body, surely one of the maestro’s greatest works, showed influence of the earlier Aerodinamico prototype; the wing line, rising gently from the tail before dipping towards the extended nose, giving the sleek Superfast the appearance of being in motion even while at rest. Ferrari’s racing heritage manifested itself in the magnificent, Lampredi-designed five-liter “long block” V12 engine, the largest to power a Ferrari at that time. The competition-derived Tipo 208’s 400 bhp made it the most powerful production engine of its day and was sufficient to propel the Superfast to 175 mph.

After just a few examples had been built, a revised Superfast was made available, the most significant change being the adoption of a five-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox. Twelve such cars appear to have been built, outwardly distinguishable by their three-vent engine bay louvers that replaced the earlier eleven-vent style. As each car was built to order, the common reference to Series I and Series II is somewhat misleading, particularly as some of the earlier cars were built with the five-speed gearbox and the three-vent louvers.

Ordered in left-hand drive form for Continental touring, this car is finished in a very dark green specially ordered by its British owner and has black leather upholstery with matching carpets. Unique features include: lowered and lengthened driver’s seat for its tall owner, special positions for the ashtray and window switches, deletion of the parcel tray and Superfast script, seatbelts, passenger footrest, Blaupunkt Koln radio and electric antenna.

Never restored yet always properly maintained without regard to cost, this one-owner, 12,288-mile example includes other items of great interest to collectors, including the factory warranty book, Italian “Libretto” (log book), last Italian road tax disc and factory tool kit. Almost certainly the finest surviving example of Ferrari’s super exclusive 1960s luxury flagship, 500 Superfast #6043 is an exciting proposition in all respects and a genuinely unique opportunity for the serious collector.

This 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast Review and Buyer's Guide appeared in the March, 2001 Issue of Sports Car Market Magazine.