Photos courtesy RM Sotheby’s
What does another record sale say about the broader Enzo-era market?
Ferrari achieved incredible heights during the 1950s and 1960s with its 250 GT platform, experiencing remarkable success in sports-car competition with models such as the Tour de France, Testa Rossa and GTO. Alongside these wondrous racing machines, Maranello built a magnificent line of roadgoing 250 GT models that came to define the peak of engineering and style.
Among the competition-oriented GT models, the 250 GT California Spider is particularly celebrated. The initial long-wheelbase version found immediate racing success, taking a class win in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1959 and finishing 5th overall in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a few months later.
According to the research of marque expert Marcel Massini, chassis number 2955GT is the 26th example built. Configured with covered headlamps, orange signal lamps in a low position on the front wings, and no bumper brackets, the Ferrari was finished in Bianco Saratoga paint over an interior of Nero Vaumol leather by Connolly. Upon completing assembly in September 1961, the 250 GT was delivered to Auto Becker, the famed German importer based in Düsseldorf. Auto Becker then immediately presented the car on its stand at the 40th Annual IAA Frankfurt Motor Show, where the car established its identity as one of Ferrari’s important period show cars.
In 2019 the current owner commissioned a second restoration by Dino Cognolato’s highly respected shop in Vigonza, Italy. In addition to a complete mechanical overhaul, the Spider was treated to a refinish in the current elegant color combination of Blu Scuro paint over a Rosso leather interior, with the addition of a silver hard top. Following the completion of the restoration in 2022, the Ferrari was exhibited at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, a strong endorsement of the car’s overall importance and quality.
Displaying 2,447 post-restoration kilometers at the time of cataloging, and certified by Ferrari Classiche to be a matching-numbers example, chassis number 2955GT is primed for additional high-level exhibition at major concours d’elegance and marque events, or it may be enjoyed for its splendid driving qualities. Noteworthy for being a show car at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, this short-wheelbase California Spider would make a crowning addition to even the most accomplished collections.
(Introductory description courtesy of RM Sotheby’s.)
