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1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L – Bella Figura

“Bella figura” is Italian for “beautiful figure.” Winston Goodfellow uses the phrase in the title of the section of his book, “Ferrari – Road and Racing,” on the 250 GT/L, aka Berlinetta Lusso. Preston Lerner, in his book “Speed Read – Ferrari,” says about the 250 GT/L, “The reason it’s remembered so fondly is because it is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever built. No, check that. It is one of the most beautiful cars ever built.” “One” of the most beautiful? What else would be running for that title? Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, certainly; Jaguar E-Type, for sure; Cobra Daytona Coupe, hmmm.

All have potential, but none can match the beauty of the Lusso. One reason that it is “the” most beautiful is because it has stood the test of time – it is as desirable in 2019 as it was in 1963. The Berlinetta Lusso creates a level of lust in the hearts of car aficionados that is matched by no other automobile. It is a work of art. And we haven’t even gotten to the “luxury” part – “Lusso” means “luxury” in Italian.

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Casey M. Annis is the Founder and Editor of Vintage Road & Racecar magazine, as well as Editor of Alfa Owner, The Oily Rag and BMW Ultimate Classic magazines. He founded Parabolica Publishing in 1997 after a career in neurobiology. Along with his passion for automobiles, Casey is a long distance open-ocean paddleboard racer who’s competed over 10 times in the 32-mile Catalina to Manhattan Beach race and the 32-mile Molokai to Oahu race. Casey still contributes and writes about the world of vintage road and racecars and edits and curates the content for this website.
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