Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso

The Ferrari 250 GT/L, better known as the Berlinetta Lusso, is considered one of the most elegant Ferrari Gran Turismos ever built. Unveiled at the 1962 Paris Motor Show as the successor to the 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupé, the Lusso marked an important evolution in Ferrari styling. Its softer, sleeker lines echoed some elements of the 250 GT SWB, with a more pronounced grille, outward-set headlights and a distinctive waistline that ran from the front pillars along the body to the truncated Kamm tail. Beneath its elegant body, the Lusso remained closely related to Ferrari’s competition cars. Its chassis was derived directly from that of the 250 GTO and adopted technical solutions that were advanced for the time, including disc brakes on all four wheels and suspension with coil springs and dampers. The car was powered by the 3-litre Colombo Tipo 168 U V12, in its most evolved “short-block” configuration. Built in just 350 examples over about two years, the 250 GT/L is today one of the most sought-after models of the 250 GT family and marks the transition between the three-litre Colombo V12 tradition and the later 275.

The history of 4607

Chassis 4607 was completed in September 1963 and delivered new through Luigi Chinetti Motors of New York. It was a left-hand-drive Lusso for the American market, originally finished in Grigio Argento with a Pelle Nera interior. According to the Ferrari Register, the car was bought shortly after delivery, in October 1963, by a private first owner in Connecticut. In 1980 4607 was in Florida and briefly passed through the ownership of Valrico Codrington before being bought by Wayne Sparling, former N.A.R.T. team mechanic, Ferrari restorer and gentleman driver. Around 1987 Sparling fitted 4607 with the 3.3-litre Colombo V12 from the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS chassis 08303, and the car was later refinished in Azzurro. Sparling kept the Lusso for several decades. After his death, according to the Ferrari Register, the car passed to his estate in 2017. In 2021 4607 was bought by its current owner, a collector of important Ferraris and, notably, the owner of the very Ferrari 275 GTS chassis 08303 from which the engine fitted to the Lusso many years earlier had come.

After its purchase, 4607 was brought to Italy for a complete restoration. We managed and carried out the restoration of the car, with the aim of returning it to a configuration consistent with its history and to the standards required for Ferrari Classiche certification. Under the supervision of Ferrari specialist Emiliano Torkar, the car was carefully dismantled, catalogued and thoroughly inspected. The structure showed a particularly high level of originality, allowing the restoration work to be planned in keeping with the car’s character.

Bodywork restoration

The body was stripped completely to bare metal, allowing precise work on the individual parts and a check of the condition of the structure. We then carried out the work needed to restore the bodywork, preparing the car for painting. 4607 was returned to its original Grigio Argento colour scheme, as when it was delivered new in 1963. The final stages of painting and assembly were completed at Carrozzeria Europa of Carpi, as part of the restoration process we oversaw through to the car’s completion.

Other work

The restoration also covered the mechanicals, the electrical systems and the interior, through specialist work carried out by selected partners. The mechanical work was entrusted to Officina Classiche di Eros Zanoletti, which inspected and restored the engine, the electrical system and the suspension. Ferrari supplied the correct Tipo 168 U engine, internal number 2263/62E. After inspection and bench testing, the engine was paired with the correct Tipo 539 U transaxle gearbox, internal number 92. For the interior we turned to Interni Auto Maieli, who trimmed it in Connolly leather in Vaumol VM 3218 “Luxan Fawn”, a choice consistent with the car’s configuration. Coordinating and integrating this work made it possible to complete the project, returning the Lusso to its intended configuration.

Ferrari Classiche

Once the restoration was complete, 4607 went through the rigorous Ferrari Classiche certification process, obtaining its certificate in July 2024. The car was then presented to the public at the 34th Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, in January 2025, where it received a Platinum Award.