Next month one of the most collectible, desirable and rare Ferrari models ever made will go on sale. It will be the first time the car has been available on the open market for public purchase in over 50 years.
The 1961 SWB California Spider 250 GT is an extremely scarce and iconic automobile — only 56 were ever produced.
The open top 250 GT was developed in the late 1950s specifically for the North American market after Ferrari’s top U.S. dealers, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, urged the company to make a dual-purpose model — one suitable for commuting, but one that could also race. The result was the California Spider 250 GT.
With coachwork designed by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, a lightweight folding top, racing seats and swept back windscreen, the California Spider was a successful competition car, achieving a 5th Place finish at Le Mans.
In 1960 a second generation California Spider, the SWB, was produced after a redesign intended to create greater continuity with design elements of the new Ferrari Berlinetta.
Carrozzeria Scaglietti remodelled the SWB coachwork, sculpting a more dynamic, muscular and sporting aesthetic.
A luxurious interior was introduced — stitched leather, wool carpeting, and new seats better suited for longer journeys.
The SWB up for sale features covered headlight treatment, a detail that Scaglietti applied to only 37 of the 56 SWB California Spiders models that were ever built.
Typical of the late production SWB models, it features a Tipo 168/61 engine, three Weber 40 DCL 6 carburetors, Abarth Lusso exhaust system, white-faced Veglia instruments, and polished Borrani wire wheels wearing Pirelli Cinturato tires.
The auction estimate price is $16 million – $18 million.
