To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
€1,700,000 - €1,900,000
- Offered from the Richoz Collection, acquired in 2004
- Delivered new to Switzerland, where it has remained from
new
- One of about 80 alloy-bodied, long-nose 275 GTBs produced
Please note that this lot will need to be collected from Montreux,
Switzerland.
The mid-1960s was a wonderful time for Ferrari. On the track,
Ferrari was doing better than ever. Of course, this translated
quite well into sales, and Ferrari seemed to be attracting more new
customers each year. Every new model that was released was always
considered to be the pinnacle of sports car engineering and design,
until an even more ground-breaking model would replace it in a few
years. Following in the footsteps of the fabled 250-series, the 275
GTB would prove to be the beginning of another fantastic series of
sports cars, one that would be considered one of the finest
automobiles to ever leave the factory gates when Enzo was in charge
of the company.
Under the bonnet was a 3.3-litre V-12 which was similar to the unit
found in the ground-breaking 250 LM racer, and this would be the
first road-going Ferrari to feature a four-wheel independent
suspension and a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle gearbox, which
helped to improve the car's weight distribution. This new
dual-purpose sports car was truly a jack of all trades. Its
performance, coupled with a luxurious interior with a spacious
boot, made the 275 GTB one of the greatest dual-purpose Ferraris
ever built, as it was a car that was equally suitable for road or
competition use and one that was ideal for the individual looking
to use the car in both respects.
The most desirable option available from the factory for the 275
GTB was alloy bodywork. Aluminium bodies were symbolic of a direct
link to Ferrari's competition cars, as some of Ferrari's most
important and successful racers, including the 250 GTO and
competition variants of the 250 SWB, wore alloy bodies. Due to
their lightweight nature, the alloy body gave the 275 an edge in
performance, and clients looking to race their cars often opted for
the alloy body, as opposed to the heavier steel body, as they were
considered to be more exciting to drive than their steel-bodied
counterparts overall. These cars were designed by Pininfarina, and
both the aluminium and steel bodies were hand-beaten at
Scaglietti's facilities in Modena. As production of the original
275 GTB phased out in favour of the 275 GTB/4, only a handful of
aluminium-bodied examples left the factory, and these examples
would always be considered the creme de la creme of road-going 275
GTBs for their closer ties to Ferrari's competition cars.
Produced in January 1966, this aluminum-bodied 275 GTB was fitted
with three carburetors full leather seats, power windows, and CV
joints, being amongst the last cars equipped as such before
production switched to torque tubes. Painted Rosso Rubino
(106-R-12), and trimmed in Nero (VM 8500), chassis number 08193 was
shipped the following month, to the official Ferrari dealer
Italauto SA in Lausanne, and it was subsequently purchased by a Mr.
Mensiur of Fribourg in March. The car would remain with Mensuier
until December 1966 when he left the country and the 275 GTB was
subsequently sold to Michele Niquille of Bulle, Switzerland.
Niquille kept 08193 for just under three years and sold the car to
Pierre Deruaz of Choulez, Switzerland. Remaining with Deruaz
through 1974, it was sold in February of that year to William
Hofer, who was residing in Geneva. Ferrari historian Marcel Massini
notes that in 1980, the car developed an engine problem around
90,000 km, and Hofer's son who was an apprentice at a mechanical
school in Geneva, overhauled the engine using parts supplied from
Ferrari of Geneva. It is worth noting that the engine was likely
replaced at this time, as the current engine bearing internal
engine number 784/64 that was originally fitted to another275 GTB
alloy chassis no. 07899, has been restamped to "08193". Please note
that RM Sotheby's are attempting to locate the original engine for
chassis number 08193, please contact an RM Sotheby's Car Specialist
for further information.
Hofer retained his 275 GTB until 1988 when it was bought by a Mr.
Badel and Mr. Gilloz, who had the car cosmetically overhauled and
repainted in its current shade of red. Roughly a year later, they
sold the car to Marco Gabriele Baciocchi, a real estate investor
and classic car collector based in Switzerland. In 1996, Baciocchi
went bankrupt and his twenty-car collection was confiscated and
subsequently sold off on behalf of his creditors to Rene M�ller of
Gy, Switzerland.
In 2004, M�ller sold chassis number 08193 to Edgar Richoz, and it
has remained as the crown-jewel in his collection ever since. In
his ownership, the car has been driven just over 3,000 kilometers
and has been very well preserved. It should be noted that the body
number is present on many components including the bumpers, hinges,
and under the seats, and the car retains its original transmission.
Importantly, the car is accompanied by a set of books and tools, a
comprehensive history file which includes pictures of the car
finished in Rosso Rubino, and photographs of the car being
repainted in bare metal to its current shade of red, copies of
previous registration documents, as well as a preliminary list of
work needed to be done in order to attain Ferrari Classiche
certification.
A car perhaps as good to drive as it is stunning to behold, a 275
GTB is a truly landmark Ferrari and one of the marque's most
beloved models. This example would surely be an excellent basis for
a restoration or could be driven and enjoyed in its current
condition.To view this car and others currently consigned to this
auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/0420.