Is there a car that better embodies the glamour and romance of the Italian 1960s Gran Turismo than the Ferrari 275 GTB? Its Pininfarina-designed Scaglietti-built fastback body, with its smiley nose and shark-like gills, is sensuous and pure, devoid of any unnecessary clutter.

For us, it’s an objet d’art – one with a soul-stirring 12-cylinder engine and delectable open-gate gearshift, which can whisk you away to a sun-dappled parallel universe that encapsulates the 1960s Dolce Vita era in one stab of the deliciously long throttle pedal.

It’s miraculous how the slightly reclined position of the dainty driver’s seat coupled with the enveloping wraparound dashboard and windscreen helps to make the 275 GTB feel so diminutive.

Throw a commanding V12 producing 300HP, oodles of on-tap torque and steering which treads the line between light and direct into the mix, and you’ve got a genuinely quick Gran Turismo with an impressive breadth of real-world ability. Loping along the motorways of Europe? No sweat. Attacking the alpine road leading to your chalet high in the mountains? Good luck wiping the smile off your face.

There’s an inherent peppiness to the 275 GTB, though not so much to compromise its GT credentials. The large wooden-rimmed steering wheel feels so alive, wriggling in your palms and communicating exactly what the front wheels are doing.

Once warm, the legendary open-gate gearshift is every bit as satisfying as you would imagine, so long as you’re decisive and smooth with your inputs. That said, the intoxicatingly linear torque from the four-cam V12 and long travel of the throttle pedal means you needn’t worry too much about changing down in order to pass other cars. Did we mention the noise? It’s sensational – an aural symphony of power and soul.

One of only 248 ‘Short-Nose’ 275 GTBs produced, chassis number 07629 left the Ferrari factory on 20 July 1965, destined for its first owner, one Paolo Mariani from Rome. Judging by its specification, Signor Mariani was a gentlemen of distinguished taste.

The car was finished in Rosso Rubino, a gorgeous darker shade of red, with a contrasting Beige Connolly leather interior. While the optional electric windows and ZF limited-slip differential are desirable, it's the fabulous magnesium Campagnolo ‘Starburst’ wheels that crown the car’s overall aesthetic. We think they lend Pininfarina’s sensational design a more modern, forward-thinking aura.

In 1969, chassis number 07629 made a starring appearance in the Italian film Un Detective, which was directed by Romolo Guerrieri and starred Adolfo Celi, Franco Nero and Florinda Bolkan. By this point the 275 has been refinished in Giallo Fly and fitted with a chrome front-bumper surround.

The Ferrari clearly made an impression, because it was acquired shortly afterwards by the German model Ines Kummernuss Lunardi, who lived in Parma with her fashion-photographer husband Giovanni Lunardi. Ines’ most famous series of photographs were shot in Saigon in 1973, when she embedded with the Vietnamese military towards the end of the Vietnam War for Grazia.

In 1969, chassis number 07629 made a starring appearance in the Italian film Un Detective, which was directed by Romolo Guerrieri and starred Adolfo Celi, Franco Nero and Florinda Bolkan. 

In 1969, chassis number 07629 made a starring appearance in the Italian film Un Detective, which was directed by Romolo Guerrieri and starred Adolfo Celi, Franco Nero and Florinda Bolkan. By this point the 275 has been refinished in Giallo Fly and fitted with a chrome front-bumper surround.

The Ferrari clearly made an impression, because it was acquired shortly afterwards by the German model Ines Kummernuss Lunardi, who lived in Parma with her fashion-photographer husband Giovanni Lunardi. Ines’ most famous series of photographs were shot in Saigon in 1973, when she embedded with the Vietnamese military towards the end of the Vietnam War for Grazia.

In 1977 this 275 was exported to the United States of America, where it was subsequently advertised for sale in the Los Angeles Times, described as being painted red with a ‘fresh’ black leather interior. A copy of the advert can be found in the car’s generous history file. A decade later chassis 07629 wound up in the collection of Kenji Sasamoto in Japan, though the car would return to California to be restored by European Auto Restoration Inc. in Costa Mesa.

Upon completion of the project, Sasamoto exhibited this Ferrari in the Forza Ferrari Concours d’Elegance held during the 15th Annual Ferrari Club of Japan Meeting at Suzuka in 1993, where the car was duly awarded a second-in-class trophy. Chassis 07629 returned to the West Coast of America in the mid-Noughties, where it remained right up until 2023, when its penultimate owner sadly passed away.

In recent months, this Ferrari was sent to Dugan Enterprises in California for an extensive mechanical restoration. Totalling over 175,000 US dollars, as evidenced by the myriad accompanying invoices, the lion’s share of the work concerned the engine. After the V12 was removed from the chassis, it was entirely disassembled and inspected. New piston rings were fitted, in addition to the gaskets and seals. Once carefully rebuilt, the unit was subjected to compression and leak-down tests. Needless to say, it’s in rude health and running beautifully smoothly.

Virtually all chassis 07629’s mechanical componentry was rebuilt and/or serviced. Take the brakes, for example, which were overhauled on all four corners, and the suspension, which included the rebuild of the dampers. The rear transaxle and differential were comprehensively rebuilt. Aesthetically, a number of small trim issues were addressed, such as the chrome headlight surrounds, which were replaced, and various pieces of interior trim. Crucially, chassis 07629 has been refinished in its original and incredibly elegant shade of Rosso Rubino.

Retaining its matching-numbers chassis and engine and accompanied by a tool roll and five spare Borrani wire wheels, chassis number 07629 is a wonderful example of the 275 GTB, one of Ferrari’s most revered Gran Turismos. The authenticity and quality of the car today stands as a testament to the extraordinary restoration undertaken in the late 1980s. You really would think it was restored five years ago – not over three decades ago. Its documented provenance, as confirmed by the leading Ferrari expert Marcel Massini in his accompanying report, is the proverbial cherry on the cake.

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