This car sold for $140,000, including buyer’s premium, at the Bonhams & Brooks Cavallino auction, January 19, 2001.
The Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta “Lusso” production started at approximately the end of the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB (short-wheelbase) production and the Lusso’s production ended at the start of the 275 GTB’s run. The Lusso was to be the last of the 250 series cars, and in its short two-year life, only 350 to 355 examples were built.
The 250 GT/L was powered by a Colombo-designed, 60-degree, 2953-cc (180 cubic inch) V12, producing 250 bhp at 7,000 rpm. This engine was mated to a Ferrari-built four-speed transmission. Overdrive was not offered.
The Lusso has been roundly criticized for not being a strong performer on the road. Indeed, it pales when compared to a lighter 250 SWB, or even with the later 330 GT 2+2. But the Lusso was not just about going fast from point A to point B; it was also about the style in getting there.
Inside, the Lusso is among the most distinctive of production Ferraris. The speedometer and tachometer are set in two large pods in the center of the dash, angled towards the driver’s view, while the oil pressure, fuel and other gauges are in the driver’s direct line of sight between the spokes of the Nardi steering wheel. Other unusual touches (for Ferrari, at least) include a horn button at the end of a stalk within reach of the driver’s fingers, a one-piece seat with no articulation (only forward and back adjustment) and a quilted vinyl covering (echoing the underhood pad in many Ferraris) in the rear parcel area. Many owners found the parcel area a welcome addition, as the spare tire largely fills the trunk.
Few would disagree that the Lusso is a beautiful car. A Pininfarina design with bodies built by Scaglietti, the organic lines flow from front to rear, devoid of most of the styling clichés that age many sports and GT cars from the early ’60s. Practical observers will note that the car also lacks anything but the thinnest suggestion of bumpers, making both the front and rear end of the Lusso extremely vulnerable to the “park by touch” crowd. The construction of the 250GT/L is of steel, with aluminum hood, doors and trunk lid.
In the late ’80s days of “Ferrari Fever,” the Lusso became a half-million dollar automobile. Since the collapse of’91 and a brief stint below the $100,000 mark, the Lusso has settled in the $120,000 to $150,000 area for a strong #2 or weak #1 condition car. Superb examples have been known to bring more, and “story” cars or those needing attention are occasionally found below a hundred grand. To the investor who feels that because the Lusso was a $500,000 car in the past and will be again in the near future, I can only say don’t hold your breath. The Lusso is a satisfying car to drive, and an exhilarating car to look at. The rewards of ownership of a Lusso are best measured in the heart, and not in the wallet.
This particular Lusso was the subject of a top-notch restoration and was therefore a good buy. Spending close to top dollar for a car that promises to be relatively trouble-free in the near future is a better alternative than going bald from the constant headaches that will result from persistent mechanical difficulties that always seem to accompany bargain exotics.—Dave Kinney
