Creating a replacement for the hugely successful 250 series of Ferraris was a daunting task for the engineers at Maranello. As the 250 series was highly successful both in the showroom and on the track, it effectively etched Ferrari’s name into the automotive history books. With numerous wins at Le Mans, the Tour de France, Sebring, and Daytona, the 250 LWB TdF, the 250 SWB, the 250 LM, and the 250 GTO were the gold standard of sports car racing, all designed and engineered under the same roof no less, and now Ferrari needed to top their own series of world-beating sports cars with something even more extraordinary.
In terms of improving on the competition pedigree of its predecessor, the 275 standard platform proved to be an excellent starting point. It possessed a nearly perfect weight distribution, which was largely thanks to an engine that was mounted low and further back on the chassis than usual and a counter-balance by a new five-speed transaxle. It also boasted a fully independent suspension both in the front and rear, as well as servo-assisted disc brakes.
For 1965, Ferrari constructed three lightweight GTB Competizione Speciales, which were graced with 250 LM dry-sump racing engines in order to try the model’s hand in competition. Whilst the Scuderia only managed a 2nd in class finish at the Nürburgring, following a DNF at the Targa Florio with 06885, Ecurie Francorchamps campaigned the very same car (chassis 06885) at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it placed an amazing 1st in class and an even more monumental 3rd overall, which was an incredible result for a GT car duelling with sport prototypes. It was this success that encouraged Enzo Ferrari to develop the car further for the 1966 season.
Building on their results from the 1965 season, Ferrari launched a new model in the GT class for the 1966 season. The car, dubbed the 275 GTB Berlinetta Competizione, or 275 GTB/C for short, was designed around a completely new chassis, which was specifically designed for this model. The chassis, designated Tipo 590A by the factory, boasted reinforced wheel hubs, and it was lighter and stronger than the standard 275 chassis. Ferrari also chose to fit an outside oil-filler cap on the top of the passenger-side front wing, allowing for access to the oil tank. The Borrani reinforced wire wheels were 7×15 in the front and 7.5×15 in the back, specific to the GTB/C, and they were shod with Dunlop Racing tyres; whereas, the standard 275 was fitted with 14-inch wheels.
At the heart of the 275 GTB/C was the new Tipo 213/Comp. engine, which was developed from a Works car that campaigned in 1965. The engine block itself received extra reinforcement in the form of external ribs, and the casings of the sump, timing chain, cam cover, and bell housing were built in Elektron, much like the other Ferrari competizione models. Other improvements included higher-lift camshafts, reinforced pistons, special valves, and a special crankshaft. The GTB/C was also graced with dry-sump lubrication, allowing the engine to sit lower in the chassis in an effort to further reduce the car’s centre of gravity.
When homologation papers were filed, Ferrari somehow neglected to mention to the FIA that the 275 GTB had a six-carburettor option, so the GTB/C was homologated for a three-carburettor manifold only. In order to make up for this mistake, a trio of larger, specific 40 DFI3 units was used, which helped the motor yield 275 brake horsepower at 7,700 rpm. The GTB/C also lacked rigid torque tubes; however, an exposed driveline meant less weight and facilitated quick repair, if needed, during a race, especially on the clutch.
Of course, the car needed a body that was just as beautiful on the outside as its mechanical components on the inside, and the design of the 275 GTB won just as many hearts as it did races. Pininfarina came through with another breath-taking design that was in turn gorgeously executed by the craftsmen at Scaglietti. With a short rear deck, long, shark-like nose, and wider than the standard road cars, the 275 GTB/C’s bodywork was just as elegant as it was imposing, and it looked at home tearing down the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans or sitting in front of the Hotel de Paris. Extremely thin aluminium bodywork was utilised for the GTB/C to shave an extra few grams of weight, and Ferrari designers chose not to carry over the three vents and outside filler cap from the 7,000 series cars.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C – Profile Continued
According to noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, this 275 GTB/C began its life in the summer of 1966. The chassis, bearing number 09067, was sent to Scaglietti’s facilities in Modena at the end of May, and the engine was assembled and dyno-tested by Ferrari at the end of July, providing 272 brake horsepower at 7,700 rpm. Ferrari issued a Certificate of Origin for the car on 16 August, and it was listed as sold by Ferrari S.p.A. on that same day to its first owner, not a racing team such as N.A.R.T. or Maranello Concessioniare, but a private company, Editoriale Il Borgo di Luciano Conti e C. S.a.s., of Milan. The car was then registered for road use under a Bologna license plate, BO 279382. It was retained under this ownership for less than a year before it was sold in March 1967 to Enrico Tronconi, of Milan, and re-registered under Milanese license MI F 52914.
Also strange for a competition-specification model, 09067 would not see action on the race track until it fell into the hands of its third owner, Vito Figlioli of Milan, in 1969. The car saw its first competitive outing at the hands of a man named Marchesi at the Colle San Eusebio Hill Climb. A picture of the car in the event was featured in the 1968-1969-1970 Ferrari Yearbook, in the section “The Privateers Who Win”.
In 1973, the car left Figlioli’s ownership and was purchased by Dr Paul Schouwenburg, of Amsterdam. For the next 22 years, the car remained in the Netherlands, in the hands of Cees Fokke Bosch from 1975 to 1985, and then it was purchased by Nico Koel in 1985. Koel also kept the car in his ownership for 10 years, before selling it to its current custodian in 1995. At that time, chassis number 09067 was registered in the United Kingdom.
It has seen frequent use in the form of vintage tours and rallies, including numerous outings on the Tour de France Automobile, Tour Auto. In addition, it made an appearance at the 40th anniversary of the Ferrari 250 GTO reunion in 2002 and attended the 275 Anniversary Tour in 2004.
This 275 GTB/C has been serviced by Chris Holly and his team of Ferrari specialists at The Light Car Company, who have continuously maintained the car since it was purchased by the current owner, and it recently underwent a full service, preparing it for the anticipation of more use with its next custodian. Chassis 09067 is finished in its original colour combination of Rosso Chiaro over the original Nero leather interior, and it has clearly seen careful preservation and care for its entire life. Attesting to its mechanical originality, it has also received Classiche certification.
Like most racing cars, many 275 GTB/Cs were subject to hard use and abuse at the hands of their original owners, with few surviving their early racing careers unscathed. As this example did not see frequent race use in its early days, it has undoubtedly become one of the most original 275 GTB/Cs in existence. As it still retains its original colour combination, interior, drivetrain, and character that accompanied the car when it was sold new, this GTB/C would surely be welcome at concours lawns around the world. It would also unquestionably be welcomed back on the Tour Auto and would remain eligible for similar events.
Amongst the hierarchy of alloy-bodied GT Ferraris, such as the 250 Tour de France, the 250 SWB Competizione, and the 250 GTO, the GTB/C sits near the top of the pyramid for obvious performance and rarity reasons. Offered here is a wonderfully pure example of those token few.
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This 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C by Scaglietti chassis 09067, a fully matching-numbers example with Ferrari Classiche certification, is offered for sale at the upcoming RM Auctions Monaco sale, scheduled for May 10, 2014 in Monaco. It is expected to sell for €4,300,000 to €5,000,000.
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C – Photo Gallery
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[Source: RM Auctions; Photo Credit: Tom Wood ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions]
