From the tight and technical street circuit of Monte Carlo to the screaming straights of Monza and Le Mans, Enzo Ferrari’s blood-red sportscars dominated the world of motorsport in the 1950s. Perhaps more than any other manufacturer, Ferrari’s reputation was forged in the white heat of competition. Ultimately, it would be the development of Maranello’s road cars that would turn the Prancing Horse into a global superpower.

Away from the circuit, Ferrari soon became a favourite of the jet set thanks to its accomplished V-12-powered gran turismos—cars as comfortable galloping across continents as they were thundering along the Mulsanne Straight. No model played a more significant role in that evolution than the stunning 275 GTB, which combined a technologically advanced drivetrain—comprising a five-speed transaxle and fully independent suspension—with achingly beautiful Scaglietti coachwork.

The most desirable iteration of the 275 arrived two years later in 1966. The 275 GTB/4 may have been visually similar to the later versions of its predecessor, but its name gave a hint at what lay beneath that beautifully sculpted long-nose bonnet; at its heart sat a vastly improved version of Gioacchino Colombo’s short-block 3.3-litre V-12, which sported no fewer than four overhead camshafts, competition-derived dry-sump lubrication, and six insatiable Weber 40 DCN carburettors.

The 275 GTB/4 holds a special place in Maranello history—and not just for its impeccable road manners, remarkable levels of performance, and celebrated position as one of the most beautiful roadgoing Ferraris to ever wear a Cavallino badge. It also represented the end of a golden era for the firm, as the final iteration of classic front-engined V-12 grand tourers before the elegant, organic lines of the 1960s made way for the more brutalist 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’. The successor car featured completely different styling that marked a transition to 1970s aesthetics. Only 330 examples of the 275 GTB/4 were built before the model was discontinued in 1968, adding a degree of rarity to the revered Ferrari.

The example presented here, chassis number 10217, is offered from storied ownership befitting its near-six decades since first passing through the gates of the hallowed Ferrari factory. Marked as complete in July 1967, the 275 GTB/4 was finished in the classic Ferrari colour pairing of Rosso Chiaro over a Nero Connolly leather interior—a timeless combination that the car retains today. The car was destined for the United States, with the factory invoice, numbered #1591/67, issued to Luigi Chinetti Motors in New York. The dealership duly sold the Ferrari to its first private owner, Mr Nelson Faerber of Naples, Florida. The New York-based Chinetti dealership bought the Ferrari back from Mr Faerber in February 1974, then sold it to Harley Cluxton’s Grand Touring Cars, Inc concern in an inter-dealer trade in May 1974.

Period photos on file, sourced courtesy of the Cluxton family, capture chassis 10217 outside the GTC dealership in period. Copies of period documents on file record the transaction between the two Ferrari dealers. GTC wasted no time in finding a buyer for chassis 10217. By the following month, in June 1974, the Ferrari had been sold to its next owner, Dr Jules A Slunicko, a physician and surgeon residing in Ralston, Nebraska. Remarkably, Dr Slunicko paid $11,000 for the 275 GBT/4 and put forward a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, chassis 0732, then valued at $17,000 for the deal, as part of the exchange. In Nebraska, the 275 GTB/4 wore the personalised registration “BUZZ”. Further correspondence between GTC and Dr Slunicko, once more sourced with thanks to the Cluxton family, can be viewed on file. By April 1983, Dr Slunicko had acquired a Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, preferred for daily driving, and wrote to GTC to enquire about selling the 275 GBT/4. Around the same time, chassis 10217 can be seen in classified listings placed by Dr Slunicko in the Ferrari Market Letter.

Subsequent history recorded by Ferrari marque expert Marcel Massini notes ownership around 1986 by Adnan Elassad, a computer scientist from Saddle River, New Jersey, while in December of the same year the car was traded by Stan Zagorski of Mount Trempor, New York to the California-based European Auto Sales Inc. At this point the Ferrari had bonnet louvres added and its bumpers were removed. Shortly afterwards, European Auto Sales sold chassis 10217 to John and Vonna Ortega of Balboa, California. The same dealership bought the car back in October 1989, and promptly sold it on to Eberhard Wahler of Germany, temporarily ending the Ferrari’s sojourn in the United States. Massini notes an owner change in 1991, the car being acquired by Jürgen Jaudzims of Quickborn, Germany, while in August 1991 it was listed in Ferrari Market Letter again but back in the United States, this time in Alabama.

By April 1992 the 275 GTB/4 was listed for sale in Hamburg, Germany and the following year its attendance was noted at the opening of the Wiesbaden-located import office for Ferrari Deutschland GmbH. Over May and June 1997, chassis 10217 was noted to have been present at Ferrari’s 50th anniversary celebration events in Rome, Italy. A short series of German owners followed, at one point traded through Uwe Meissner’s Modena Motorsport GmbH dealership, until its next owner, located between Varese and Milan in Italy, acquired the Ferrari. They retained the car until February 2015. At the time of cataloguing, the car had been inspected by Ferrari Classiche, with “Red Book” certification in the application stage.

Chassis number 10217 perfectly represents the most highly developed configuration of the 275 platform as a desirable “four-cam” example. Offered with a charming history across the United States and Europe, this car is well suited for Ferrari collectors in search of well-preserved examples of important models. This impressive berlinetta would elevate even the finest gathering of Prancing Horses.