Update: The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti sold for $17,055,000.

One of the first (and most important) examples of a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider is the stand out car among 206 on offer at RM Sotheby’s upcoming flagship auction, part of Monterey Car Week.

Origin of the California Spider

After the success of the 250 GT in the early 1950s - including racing success with the LWB “Tour de France” and 250 TR models - Ferrari wanted to achieve even more. California-based importer and distributor for Ferrari on the West Coast, John von Neuman, proposed an idea for a car that could be driven to the track, raced in, and then driven back home. The California Spider was born, with Sergio Scaglietti - the man responsible for the Tour de France Berlinetta’s chassis - heading the coachwork design and build. The car did its talking on track at the end of the 1950s, taking a class win at Sebring in 1959 and finishing 5th overall at Le Mans a few months after.

Just 50 LWB California Spiders were created before Ferrari went one step further, introducing a new variant on its 2,400-millimeter short-wheelbase platform. With a wider track, Koni adjustable shock absorbers, four-wheel disc brakes and a highly developed V12, the SWB California Spider was an upgrade from its predecessor. Famous names from Hollywood and the French Riviera queued up to buy it, including James Coburn, Alain Delon, Brigitte Bardot and Johny Hallyday. In 2008, Delon’s midnight blue Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder SWB sold for €7 million at a Sotheby’s auction to become one of the most expensive classic cars in history.

Chassis number 1795 GT

This particular example offered for sale in Monterey, chassis number 1795 GT, was one of the first 56 SWB California Spiders produced and was selected by Ferrari as part of its display at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show. It is fitted with an iconic competition specific Tipo 168 V-12 engine, with covered headlights and a factory removable hardtop roof among its other features. When the car was showcased in Geneva, it initially had a red interior, however, this was changed to black when the car returned to Maranello. It then made its way back to Geneva to the home of its first owner, British racing driver John Gordon Bennett.

Racing experience and long term ownership

Bennett was a figure widely known for racing in mainly American East Coast competitions for Briggs Cunningham and also raced for the team at Le Mans in 1954. According to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, Bennett didn’t race chassis 1795 GT himself, although it was driven in the Scuderia Hanseat International Sports Car Driving School at the Nürburgring by either Jivko Stoikovitch or Roland Marmoud, in September 1960.

The car was bought by Ferrari racer and dealer Bob Grossman of New York in 1963, who kept it for 12 years before selling it to Chandler Kibbee of Sheridan, Wyoming. In 1978, after three years in Kibbee’s stable, it was purchased by its longest owner Michael Alessandro of Pasadena, California. Alessandro started by dispensing with the yellow New York “CK 68” registration and attaching a special “1ST SWB” numberplate. Over the subsequent decades, chassis 1795 GT appeared in multiple events along the West Coast of America, including concours d’elegance on Rodeo Drive and Concorso Italiano at Monterey.

It was displayed at the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1997 as part of a 50 Year Ferrari exhibit and featured in the September 2005 edition of Playboy magazine.

Current Ownership

In 2008, the car was sold to its fifth and current owner, forming part of his distinguished private collection. It was subsequently exhibited at events including Retro Classic Stuttgart 2009 and Techno Classica Essen 2010, and also taken on track at the Nürburgring in 2008 and Le Mans Classic in 2014. Chassis 1795 GT is presented in its first delivery colours and, included in the sale, is a Ferrari Classiche Red Book which verifies the retention of its original engine, gearbox and drivetrain. It has never been publicly offered for sale until now.

How much is it expected to sell for?

Sotheby’s has predicted an estimated sale price of between $16,000,000 - $18,000,000, the highest of all 206 lots at the Monterey auction. The current world record for a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider was achieved in 2015 when an example previously belonging to Alain Delon sold at a Paris auction for €16.3 million.

When is the auction?

Previews of all the lots will take place on the 14th of August, with auctions spread across the next three days between the 15th and 17th.

Watch ‘The Stunning Ferrari 250 SWB Revival - GTO Engineering’ on the Driven YouTube Channel.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: RM Sotheby’s