1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe

I don’t recall any stories of Porfirio Rubirosa romancing the lady of the week in his PF coupe, and there is little competition history

by John Apen

When the 250 GT Europa was launched at the 1954 Paris Salon, it was described as the first series production car for Ferrari. The 3-liter cars were in production for 10 years. The 250 series encompassed a whole range of models catering to everyone from wealthy gentlemen to ambitious racing drivers. The 250 Pinin Farina Coupe introduced at the 1958 Paris show replaced the 250 Europa, also a Pinin Farina design.

The coupe was a milestone for Ferrari. Using proven 250 GT components, all 353 Coupes were bodied by Pinin Farina at its new Turin manufacturing facility. The combination of competition-derived engines and chassis with quality bodies made the coupe Ferrari’s best seller by 1959.

This car, #1617, was delivered in September 1961 as the 241st built.

It has had four owners, and in 2004, the car competed in the Liege-Rome Rally. It currently shows 44,000 miles, and when inspected by a Christie’s specialist, the bodywork was straight with...