When you own one of the most desirable cars in the world, offers to buy come with the regularity of trains
One of Ferrari’s greatest strengths was its ability to produce highly specialized niche products. The factory’s artisans could tailor an automobile to the needs of an important client and as such, small runs were interspersed among regular models to respond to national and regional markets. Some of the most desirable, beautiful and charismatic Ferraris of all time can be found among these targeted models, Ferraris like the 275 GTS/4 NART Spyder.
The 275 GTB was Ferrari’s successor to the highly successful 250 GT, applying Ferrari’s racing experience with independent suspension and rear-mounted transaxles to a series of road cars. Over the car’s production run, the 275 GTB would be produced in a whole range of specifications, plus the very special 275 GTS/4 NART Spyders.
Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s U.S. distributor, was finely tuned to his market. He appreciated the American love for convertibles and persuaded Pinin Farina to design and Ferrari to produce a convertible version of some of Ferrari’s more popular models. These cars, the 250 California Spyder, 365 California Spyder, and the 275 GTS/4 NART Spyder (named after Chinetti’s North American Racing Team) are some of the most coveted of all Ferraris.
S/N 09437 is the first and by far the most important of the ten NART Spyders. It is one of only two built in alloy and one of four built as a NART Spyder, the other six being built from modified coupe panels. Its history is singular and it is this NART Spyder upon which much of the model’s recognition and reputation is based.
Completed in January 1967, this Ferrari 275 GTS/4 Alloy NART Spyder
was delivered to Chinetti and immediately dispatched to Sebring. It was hastily prepared for the 12-hour race and given to Denise McCluggage and Marianne “Pinkie” Rollo to campaign. In a rather famous result, the pair drove the NART to an impressive second in class, nearly winning its class altogether. This was the only time any NART Spyder competed in a major automobile race.
After the race, a Hollywood movie executive chose 09437 to support Steve McQueen’s lead part in The Thomas Crown Affair. McQueen found the car so satisfying that he ordered one for himself.
But the car’s celebrity was not over yet, as it next went to Road & Track, where it was tested for the December 1967 issue. The car impressed the editors so much that it was chosen as the cover car and featured in an article where it was named “the most satisfying car in the world.”
Chinetti eventually sold the car to Norman Silver of North Carolina. Mr. Silver was a collector of important Ferraris and kept the car nearly 20 years. The car later passed to grocery czar Dano Davis, who had Shelton Ferrari completely restore it including returning it from the dark burgundy color it wore in The Thomas Crown Affair to its original pale yellow. The effort earned S/N 09437 the Best of Show award at the 1987 Ferrari Club of America Annual Meet. It then passed to a German collector, subsequently returning to the U.S. and to owner Bill Bauce in 1993.
The present owner acquired the car in 1996. He carefully preserved its award-winning restoration, making only minor upgrades in the interest of safety. It has since been enjoyed in the 1998 Colorado Grand, 2000 California Classic, 2001 Gauthier Rally, and 2004 Cooper State 1000.
Many historians and connoisseurs recognize this car, with its rich history, beauty and rarity, as one of the most important road-going Ferraris in existence.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 Alloy NART |
| Years Produced: | 1967-68 |
| Number Produced: | 10 |
| Original List Price: | $15,000 |
| SCM Valuation: | $2,000,000-$2,500,000 |
| Tune Up Cost: | $3,000-$3,500 |
| Distributor Caps: | $450, two required |
| Chassis Number Location: | right front chassis rail by top of shock mount, plate on right inner fender |
| Engine Number Location: | right side near starter motor, back of block |
| Club Info: | Ferrari Club of America, P.O. Box 720597, Atlanta, GA 30358 |
| Website: | http://www.ferrariclubofamerica.org |
| Alternatives: | 1960-63 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, 1960-63 Ferrari 250 California Spyder SWB |
| Investment Grade: | A |
This 1967 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 Alloy NART Spyder sold for $3,960,000 at Gooding and Company’s Pebble Beach sale, held August 21, 2005.
In 1981, as I was still getting my toes wet in the Ferrari waters, I was introduced to the car, which at that time was still in its Thomas Crown dark burgundy, a color more flattering to the car than the original and current pale yellow. I had seen it before in Road & Track, and in the movie, and I was mesmerized by its aura. I remember a special megaphone-shaped exhaust tip that not only amplified the sound but gave the car a unique hot rod appearance, in keeping with its bad-boy persona. I was immediately smitten by the car and remain so to this day.
If you won the lottery and decided you had to have a NART Spyder, it might take years before you could buy one. People who own them tend to keep them, and there aren’t many to start with-exactly ten left the factory. One is still with its original owner, and another one stayed with its original owner for decades. Even throwing money at an owner isn’t likely to pry one loose, as when you own one of the most desirable cars in the world, offers to buy come with the regularity of trains. Every new one just establishes the price the next suitor will have to top.
That said, the new owner of this 275 GTS/4 Alloy NART Spyder has got to be quite pleased with himself. The seller, however, might be having some pangs of regret. He is a well-heeled enthusiast with several impressive cars in his garages. I would have thought of him more likely as a buyer, so why he chose to part with this car, one he obviously enjoyed, is somewhat puzzling. I hear that he has bought out a well-known Ferrari repair facility, and perhaps he’s going to add a few more cars to the stable. This sale would certainly finance several new additions.
Still, I can’t imagine letting this car go, as NART Spyder S/N 09437 is one of my two favorite Ferraris (along with Preston Henn’s incredible 275 GTB Speciale).
This was the highest-priced car to sell at a Monterey auction this year, and its $3.96 million sale price puts it on the short list of the most valuable cars to ever sell at auction. I have no doubt the next time this 1967 Alloy NART Spyder sells, if it does, the price will be even higher.
Gooding and Co. devoted nine pages of its impressive catalog to the NART Spyder, presenting wonderful period, current, and anecdotal images illustrating the car. This sale backed up Gooding’s $4.5 million Mormon Meteor Duesenberg, the top dog from last year’s Monterey weekend. So in addition to putting some booty in Gooding’s pocket (after all, the 10% buyer’s premium on a $3.9m car isn’t exactly chump change), no doubt the NART Spyder will help Gooding attract a high-profile contender for next year’s title, as well.
(Steve Ahlgrim of Atlanta, GA, has been actively involved in the Ferrari business since 1978. Historical and descriptive information in this profile courtesy of the auction company.)