1 month ago
35
A Ferrari 330 GT said to the legendary Enzo Ferrari's daily driver is up for sale in the United States.
An ultra-rare prototype Ferrari reportedly owned by Enzo Ferrari – the legendary Italian racer who started the iconic car maker – has been listed for sale in the US on Facebook Marketplace.
The 1962 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 prototype was advertised on Facebook Marketplace by the owner of Wild About Cars Garage, a car dealer based in Seattle, Washington – and it is said to be the personal car of the company founder.
Chassis 4805 is said to be the first of four prototype 330 GT 2+2s produced, and – given it was once reportedly owned by Enzo Ferrari – is listed at $US865,000 ($AU1.3 million), more than double the value of most other cars of its kind listed and sold in 2024.
It’s even more than one of the highest recorded prices for a 330 GT 2+2, with a 1967 Series II selling for $US737,000 ($AU1.14 million) at RM Sotheby’s in 2016.
RM Sotheby’s was also where the highest price was paid for one of the Italian car maker’s cars, when a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO went for $US51.7 million ($AU80.4 million) in 2023.
The ex-Enzo 330 GT was fully restored at a documented cost of $US285,000 ($AU443,000), finished in its original Light Ivory paintwork with classic knock-off wire wheels, black leather upholstery and classic three-spoke wood-rimmed steering wheel.
Built in August 1962, the prototype is said to have been the template for 1099 production 330 GT 2+2s built between 1963 and 1967, and used in press and promotional material before being shipped from Italy to the United States in 1964.
The 330 GT 2+2 was introduced as a replacement for the Ferrari 250 series, with GT meaning ‘Grand Tourer’ and the 2+2 referring to its four-seat cabin, even though the body was a two-door coupe.
This was a departure from most previous Ferraris – even if the very first Ferrari road car, the 1948 166 Inter, was available as a 2+2 – with Enzo famously reluctant to produce road cars, only doing so to fund his true passion, motor racing.
Yet according to Ferrari – which currently has a ‘Driven by Enzo’ exhibit at its Maranello, Italy museum – the founder grew a particular fondness for four-seat road cars after adopting a 1960 250 GT 2+2 as his personal car.
The 250 GT 2+2 was the first Ferrari four-seater produced in considerable numbers (for a Ferrari that is), and the 330 GT followed with a new exterior – both designed by the famous Italian company Pininfarina.
The new look brought a distinctive quad-headlight front end – replaced with a twin-lamp nose from 1965 – while the 330 also featured the new ‘Type 209’ 4.0-litre Colombo V12.
The larger 60-degree single-overhead-cam (SOHC) V12 featured triple Weber carburettors, with power sent to the 15-inch diameter rear wheels through a four-speed manual gearbox.
The bigger V12 gave the 330 more power than the 250 – 221kW up from 176kW – while the 245km/h top speed was also 15km/h faster.
It was last sold in 2018 for an undisclosed sum after being advertised for $US500,000 ($AU780,000).
Enzo Ferrari died in Modena, Italy – where he was born 90 years earlier – a little more than 12 months after the now legendary 201mph (324km/h) Ferrari F40 supercar was unveiled.
