A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione joins the list of headline consignments for the RM Sotheby’s Villa d’Este 2015 auction, to be staged 23rd May at Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como, Italy. Chassis 1953 GT will be offered as one of the stars lot at RM Sotheby’s biennial auction held during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Chassis 1953 GT is the 20th of 164 GT SWB Berlinetta Competiziones built and is one of 45 aluminium-bodied competition lightweights produced in 1960. Bodied by Pinin Farina, the SWB Competizione is powered by the Colombo-designed V-12 engine that produces circa 280bhp. The 250 SWB was introduced to the public in 1959 as the successor to the similarly successful 250 GT LWB ‘Tour de France’, but boasted a revised chassis, shortened by 200 mm and featuring disc brakes as standard. Available in either left or right-hand drive, with either lightweight aluminium bodywork or the standard steel bodywork, and the option of an uprated engine, the newly introduced 250 SWB offered the best of all possible worlds, depending on how the customer intended to use the car.
1953 GT was supplied new with an uprated engine and graced with the aluminium coachwork. Interestingly, the car was not subject to the perils of motorsport in its early days, rather it was delivered new to Cesare Marchi, a Florence-based doctor, who wanted the car for road use only. It remained in Italy up until 1972, when it was sold to a California owner before passing on to a number of other North American-based enthusiasts. Fully restored in the early 1990s by Motion Products, 1953 GT was presented at a number of Concours events in the US before being purchased by a Japan-based collector, where it resided for the next 10 years. Purchased by its current owner in 2011, the car was prepared to the highest standards and has since been campaigned at a handful of historic races, including the Silverstone Classic, Donington Historics, Goodwood Revival, Goodwood Members’ Meeting and Spa Classic (Estimate available upon request).
Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Sotheby’s Europe, said, “There are a handful of truly iconic cars that auction houses highly desire to bring to market, and the Ferrari 250 SWB Berlinetta is one of them. This car is unique for not having been raced in period, but that is something which has really contributed to the preservation and integrity of its original chassis and aluminium bodywork. This will undoubtedly be one of the major cars to be offered at any auction during 2015.”
In addition to the previously announced 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta by Touring, other notable entries at RM’s 2015 Villa Erba sale include:
- 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet PF Series II, chassis 2125 GT, one of 200 produced, full matching-numbers (Est. €1.400.000 – €2.000.000);
- 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sport Lightweight, chassis 9113600649, freshly restored, two-owner from new, still fitted with its original engine (Est. €950.000 – €1.350.000);
- 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone, chassis 4827, fully matching-numbers, one of the final examples of the Miura P400 S produced, showing less than 30,000 kilometres from new (Est. €900.000 – €1.400.000);
- 1955 Austin-Healey 100S, chassis AHS-3707, presented in white over blue with early Californian SCCA racing history, well-documented example (Est. €900.000 – €1.100.000); and,
- 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, chassis 829AR0 001571, a Stradale variant in original pistachio green, largely unrestored, low-mileage example (Est. €300.000 – €400.000).
For more information on RM Sotheby’s sale during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este or to view a frequently updated list of entries, call +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or visit www.rmauctions.com.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s]
