Culture

Is There Anything Prettier Than a Vintage Ferrari?

As far as classic cars go, only a few stand out from the rest. Case in point, the Ferrari 275 GTB. Produced between 1964 and 1968, the two-seat front-engine Gran Tusimo Berglinetta was the first Ferrari to have a transaxle incorporated within a Pinifarina designed coupe body. Only 440,275 GTBs were built, and keep in mind, they were designed in an era without speed limits. The owner of this specific model, Jeff Lotman, CEO of Global Icons, LLC, in LA, trusted his ride to Bruce Canepa to restore it to its former glory. After eleven months and 4,300 man hours , it was ready for the National Show Circuit. If these photos from a new tome by Assouline don't make you want to hit the road in a classic, beautiful car, we don't know what will.
  • This image may contain Vehicle Transportation Car Automobile Sports Car Coupe Tire Wheel Machine and Spoke
    Copyright:George Saitas 2012
    1/13

    "The lovely 275 Berlinetta was a showstopper. Its impossibly long hood and graceful front fenders were elegantly drawn, with faired-in headilghts that extended the fenders' shark-like shape and gave an impression of speed, even when the couple was at rest." -Ken Gross

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    2/13

    "We had to strip every piece of bare metal so we could see what we had to work with." -Bruce Canepa

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    3/13

    "The same metal-forming techniques once used to make medieval suits of armor in Emilia-Romagna are employed in the repair and fabrication of alloy body panels. Craftsmen typically use a hammer and a dolly, painstakingly tapping both sides of each aluminum panel, to achieve the proper shape." - Ken Gross

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    4/13

    "Underneath the 275 GTB, yards of piping, assorted plumbing elements, and a quarter of exhaust pipes run asymmetrically along the chassis." -Ken Gross

Most Popular
  • ©georgesaitas.com
    5/13

    "The Ferrari of the period was undoubtedly the 275 GTB. Having a classic Berlinetta shape that was agressive and elegant at the same time, its performance was in another league." - Winston Goodfellow, automotive historian

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    6/13

    "Cars are like women, you have to know how to touch them in the most sensitive places." -Enzo Ferrari

Most Popular
  • ©georgesaitas.com
    7/13

    "Every little piece, every nut, bolt, screw, and small part, is "bagged and tagged" so that when the time comes for reassembly, everything is accounted for." -Ken Gross

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    8/13

    "We don't sell a car, we sell a dream. We are Italy's national team. There are many great soccer teams in our country, but there is only one Ferrari." -Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo, former Ferrari Chairman

Most Popular
  • ©georgesaitas.com
    9/13

    "I'd like to consider Ferrari as a scaled down version of God." -Jeremy Clarkson, British television presenter

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    10/13

    "Cars are like the sculpture of our everyday lives." -Chris Bangle, automotive designer

Most Popular
  • ©georgesaitas.com
    11/13

    "Resembling a sleek blue shark on wire sheels, the 275 GTB's pointed nose, selfish cabin, and impudent tail all hint at this racy Berlinetta's capability." - Ken Gross

  • ©georgesaitas.com
    12/13

    "If Ferrari only built one model and it was a 275 GTB, that model by itself would have embodied everything that Ferrari wished to convey to the world." -Marc Tauber, exotic sports car broker

Most Popular
  • 13/13

    "The Ferrari 308 is the car you told Ferrari you wanted; the 365 GTB/4 Daytona is the car Ferrari thought you wanted; the 275 GTB is the car Ferrari wanted for you." -Dyke Ridgley, Ferrari historian

Related Stories for GQCarsFerrariFerrari