1961 Ferrari 250 PF Cabriolet |
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 By 1961, Ferrari was taking road cars very seriously and production was running at a rate of nearly one a day. The 250 GT, in both LWB and SWB forms therefore became the first 'production' Ferrari. With the company's policy of developing models 'on the run', it meant that hardly any two cars were identical and improvements were made all the time. In effect, the 250 GT chassis had become the common ground on which all coachbuilders fought for prominence, and Pininfarina emerged the clear winner. Customers had voted and thereafter Pininfarina became Ferrari's first choice and made an incalculable contribution to the Ferrari legend. The 1st Series PF Cabriolets were produced from 1957 to 59, with only 40 built. The 2nd Series was far more successful, with 200 built between 1959-62. While having a powerful 3-liter Ferrari engine, the PF Cabriolets were really elegant touring cars that gave the wealthy enthusiasts of the time a stylish way to drive to summer resorts. Most of the 250 PF cabriolets were exported to America, but European buyers included the French literary sensation, Francoise Sagan, and the most glamorous couple in the world, Roger Vadim and Brigitte Bardot. SCM Analysis
Finished in red with black upholstery and hood, and supplied with Swiss papers, this is a very attractively priced open Ferrari . The car described here sold for $48,248 including commissions at the Brooks Europe Auction held in Geneva on March 15, 1999. A typical price for a good Series Two is somewhere in the low $100,000 range. A sale price listed at well under half the usual price makes one wonder, what's wrong with this picture? The restyling of the front and rear bodywork isn't explained in a way that would make it more valuable. If the car had been a special order for an important Ferrari customer we could expect the car to sell for a figure in excess of a standard-bodied Cabriolet. The car is presumed to have post-delivery modifications; this can mean that a later owner wanted a different look or that the bodywork was restyled after a crash. Either way, the provenance and origins of the subsequent bodywork aren't documented in a way that increases a buyer's comfort zone. To return the car to original appearance would be expensive to recreate in steel and totally incorrect in alloy. This particular car might appeal only to someone who likes the car as-is and has no illusions of resurrecting the coachwork to the original specs. Still, with all the caveats, this car still seems cheap enough for an open 250 with sometimes hard-to-get Swiss papers.-Michael Duffey |