The Remarkable 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso

The 250GT Lusso is widely regarded as one of the most elegant and timeless cars ever designed by Pininfarina and bodied by Scaglietti. Introduced in 1962, it was Ferrari’s latest intermediate model, a vehicle to bridge the gap between competition racers and luxuriously appointed 2+2 coupés. Much like the track machines, it featured the latest thinking in the aerodynamics world – most pertinently, a Kamm-style tail. Such a dramatic cut-off had been proven to improve airflow away from the car, helping to improve high-speed stability.

Although the exterior design was forward thinking, Ferrari stuck to proven mechanicals, such as a live rear axle matched to double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs, while large oval tubes formed its ladder-frame chassis.

The Colombo V12 continued to serve, despite getting on for being 15 years old by the time of the 250GT Lusso’s introduction. However, it was certainly potent; in road trim the car produced around 250bhp, and with some competition tweaks this could be upped to more than 300bhp. Those road-car drivers seeking a little more forza were able to call upon the Prancing Horse itself to fit bigger valves and larger carburettors along with reprofiled camshafts.

However, the car wasn’t designed simply to be a hot rod with Italian seasoning; as befits the Lusso name, Ferrari’s engineers had carefully provided more interior space for refined cruising, by moving the engine forward in the chassis to allow owners to stretch out a bit more. Just 351 examples were built between 1963 and late 1964, and this car, chassis 4785/GT, is one of just 22 UK right-hand-drive versions.

I took these pics at Concours of Elegance 2023 and had the chance to learn about it’s history. It was supplied new to FB Garvey, a client of Rowntree’s Garage Ltd, although it was ordered via Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s Maranello Concessionaires in blue over beige.

The 250GT would arrive in Bournemouth in October 1963, and was first registered in the UK on October 9, with the numberplate 888 FPY. A few days later it was collected by a salesman from Rowntree’s Garage, and it was subsequently picked up by Mr Garvey on the weekend of October 19.

In 1972, the 250GT was sold to Malcolm Clarke of BMW dealership fame by David Cottingham (before the formation of DK Engineering), and today the car remains in the care of his children Alistair, Ed and Harriet. The car has covered just 23,822 miles in its life and has never been ‘fully restored’ – its condition is testament to this.