Claiming significant in-period ownership provenance that has more recently given way to a stellar concours exhibition record, this striking 1966 Ferrari 500 Superfast is a typically ravishing example of Ferrari’s mid-1960s flagship touring machine. According to the research of marque authority Marcel Massini, chassis number 8565SF is the 34th of 36 total examples built, though numerically it is the ninth of 12 second-series examples, and the fourth-from-last car built. Entering Pininfarina’s Turin plant in November 1965, the car was appointed with air conditioning, power windows and power steering, and it was finished in Blu Sera paint over an interior upholstered in Grigio Vaumol leather from Connolly.
Later in 2006, chassis 8565SF was treated to a comprehensive refurbishment by the highly respected Paul Russell and Company in Essex, MA. On the back of this work, the Superfast was presented at Amelia Island in March 2007, winning the prestigious Amelia Award.
When offered at RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey sale in August 2010, the Ferrari had reportedly accrued no more than 400 miles. Acquired by the consignor later that year, the Superfast has been driven little since, spending most of the past 12 years in climate-controlled storage. In preparation for the current offering, the car has recently undergone a light freshening to accommodate basic operational condition. It should be noted that the paintwork has considerably aged since the 2006 restoration and in some areas displays lifting and crazing. It is also important to note that the car retains mechanical stampings that indicate the continued presence of the matching-numbers chassis and the rare type 208 engine.
Still beguiling in its dark blue-over-Cognac interior, this handsome 500 Superfast continues to display the benefits of the expert restoration by Paul Russell, offering further exhibition on finer concours fields.
