Chassis Number: 09079
In July 1966, the Ferrari factory received an order from SAVAF for a 275 GTB Competizione, later specified to be chassis 09079. Late in the specialty model’s limited run, the car was the penultimate example of the thinly aluminum-skinned competition GTB, making it the second-to-last GT car ever produced by Maranello’s factory competition department.
Factory records indicate the Tipo 213 competition engine was completed on September 8, 1966, with dynamometer testing occurring a day later. Trimmed with a light gray headliner, blue cloth seat upholstery with matching leather paneling, and complementary blue carpets, the rare GTB/C was finished in Rosso Chiaro paint, paving the way for the famous white-striped Scuderia Filipinetti livery. The car also featured right-hand-drive steering, in the tradition of Maranello’s great racing sports cars.
At Le Mans in June 1967, three cars wore the Scuderia Filipinetti livery: Muller’s 412 P, a GT40, and Spoerry and Steinemann in number 28, the brand-new 275 GTB Competizione chassis 09079. Competing mainly against Porsche 911s and Corvettes in the GT Class, the 275 GTB/C was a very well-sorted model, featuring Ferrari’s typical evolution of refinements and improvements during a two-year production period.
With the car’s minor bugs long since ironed out, 09079 promised to be reliable if not burningly fast. Over the course of the 24-hour endurance race, in fact, the car proved to be far more consistent than the litany of prototypes that retired early.
With a strategy of steady, unwavering progress, Spoerry and Steinemann patiently pushed the GTB/C up through the ranks, passing some cars while watching numerous others drop out of the race. By Sunday morning, they had entered the top 10, with a commanding lead over the other GT cars. After some minor brake problems forced a brief pit stop, the 275 settled into 11th place overall, a position it would hold until the checkered flag waved after the 24th hour.
