Ferrari’s coachbuild era yielded some oddities, including this one-off 250 GT Lusso
A unique and very special 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is up for sale by Ferrari specialists GTO Engineering, featuring a bespoke body designed and manufactured in period by Italian coachbuilder Fantuzzi.
This is 250 GT Lusso chassis number 16, and originally left the factory in original form for its Bolognese owner, before being converted in 1965 to this Fantuzzi body. In contrast to the standard 250 GT Lusso, the Fantuzzi body was designed to be more aerodynamic, while also channelling certain elements derived from the 250 GTO. Bespoke elements included a more angular nose defined by the closed-in headlight fixtures.
The car then went on to have quite a journey, being sold in 1966 to a customer based in Venezuela, before moving north to New York in 1968. By the mid-’70s the car had changed hands a few more times, before it was given more bespoke bodywork elements in the late ‘70s including a more prominent integrated bootlid spoiler and the three hinged intakes on the nose that find their direct inspiration from the 250 GTO.
It was then sent over to Honolulu for its next owner change, where it spent over 20 years in storage before being sent to GTO Engineering in 2011 for a concours-standard restoration that went back to bare body and chassis.
During the course of the restoration, the 250 GT Lusso was repainted in traditional Rosso Corsa, with the styling elements added over the years honed and perfected based on GTO’s extensive experience restoring high-value 250 GT models including the GTO.
The car’s now up for sale for an unspecified price that will sit somewhere in the seven-figure range. While this example is far from being a perfect unrestored original, its fascinating history, underpinned by the ground-up restoration from GTO Engineering, makes it a fascinating addition to any Ferrari collection.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
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