In 1957, Ferrari’s leading U.S. dealers, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, impressed upon the factory the need for a simple, dual-purpose 250 GT Spider — a car that could be used to commute during the week and then raced with success on the weekend.
As a result, Ferrari produced the California Spider, a high-performance 250 GT with striking coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. The California Spider was aimed at a very specific segment of Ferrari’s American clientele: young, well-heeled enthusiasts who wanted a stylish, thoroughbred sports car that was equally at home on road or track.
According to the research of historians Marcel Massini and Jean Sage, 3099GT was one of several new models displayed on Luigi Chinetti’s stand at the 1962 New York International Auto Show. Following its show duties, 3099GT was shipped to the West Coast and delivered to John von Neumann’s Ferrari Representatives of California, located in the heart of Hollywood. While little is known regarding the California Spider’s earliest ownership history, it remained in the Los Angeles area and was eventually acquired by an enthusiast named John Lane. By the late 1960s, it had been repainted in a deep burgundy color and retrimmed with black leather upholstery.
Around 1970, the Ferrari slid into a curb, damaging a wheel, brake rotor, pedal box, left front suspension and exhaust, but leaving no mark on the bodywork, nor did it harm any of the chassis or drivetrain. Ferrari enthusiasts Charles Betz and Fred Peters spotted 3099GT around 1970 at an auto-parts recycler. According to Betz, the California Spider appeared to be in fine, lightly used condition, only noting its damaged wheel and brake rotor upon closer inspection. Betz and Peters politely inquired about the Ferrari each time they visited the recycler. Finally, in October 1972, they caught the yard’s owner in a selling mood.
Once in Betz and Peters’ ownership, 3099GT was promptly repaired and stored among their growing collection of cars, sharing their garage with the prototype 250 Testa Rossa, a Tour de France berlinetta, and an SWB berlinetta. By the early 2000s, Betz and Peters decided the time had finally come to return 3099GT to its original splendor. The decision was made to restore the California Spider to concours standards. In 2007, the California Spider was inspected by the Ferrari Classiche Department and granted full Ferrari Classiche certification in June 2008. In 2010, the Ferrari earned a First in Class award at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and most recently, at the 2020 Cavallino Classic, it won the 250 GT SWB California Cup.
These magnificent 250 GT SWB California Spiders are mechanical objects of exceptional beauty and sophistication. The opportunity to acquire a Ferrari Classiche-certified, covered-headlight example with a fascinating provenance, and brilliant, singular color scheme may well be the chance of a lifetime.
