A competition Ferrari with a great race history will headline the Bonhams Scottsdale 2015 auction, to be held Thursday, January 15th at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
On offer at Bonhams’ 4th annual Scottsdale auction, the 1966 Ferrari 275 Gran Turismo Berlinetta (GTB) Competizione Scaglietti won its class at the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hours, 1969 Spa-Francorchamps 1000KM and 1969 Imola 500KM under Scuderia Filipinetti. The 11th of twelve built, chassis number 09079 was delivered new to race team owner Georges Filipinetti of Geneva, Switzerland. Its pre-sale estimate is available upon request.
Competing three times consecutively at Le Mans, in 1967, 1968 and 1969, the Ferrari 275 GTB Comp won the GT class its first year with Filipinetti team drivers Rico Steinmann and Dieter Spörry. Then in 1969, the only time it raced Spa-Francorchamps, it won that GT class with Filipinetti team drivers Jacques Rey and Edgar Berney, and then went on to win its class at Imola.
Launched in 1966, this new GT-class Ferrari designed for competition was built around a completely new chassis specific to this model. It was lighter and stronger than the chassis of the standard 275, was fitted with reinforced wheel hubs and wider than standard wheels, and given twin saddle-mounted alloy fuel tanks with quick-access exterior fuel and oil filler caps. Additionally, it was wrapped in an ultra-thin alloy body thereby reducing weight even further.
The engine was also new, with a Tipo 213 Competition motor developed from the Ferrari factory team racer campaigned the previous year. The new 3.3-liter, V12 engine with fully dry sump benefited from a long list of uprated factory modifications. And the strategic placement of this engine – lower and farther back – provided even more advantage with its nearly perfect weight distribution.
After its tenure with Filipinetti, car 09079 found a home with several American collections during the 1970s and ’80s. Then in 1985 its body was damaged in a garage fire but the engine, drive train and chassis were all unharmed. The car was shipped to Italy where its bodywork was restored to factory specifications by marque experts Carrozzeria Brandoli, after which it received its red book certification from Ferrari Classiche confirming its matching-numbers engine, chassis, suspension and transaxle.
Since then, this Ferrari 275 GTB has won several honors at shows and events, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and has participated in Le Mans Classic, Silverstone Classic and Tour Auto. Recently, it was one of 60 Ferraris selected to represent the 60th anniversary of Ferrari in Beverly Hills.
The 2015 Bonhams Scottsdale sale will be held January 15 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information and to see the 275 GTB Comp in motion, visit Bonhams.com/video/17789.
[Source: Bonhams; photos: Pawel Litwinski]
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