Ferrari 275 GTS

Unveiled alongside the 275 GTB at the 1964 Paris Motor Show, the Ferrari 275 GTS arrived to fill the gap left by the California Spider and to offer Ferrari’s new 3.3-litre V12 platform in its most elegant, open-air form. While the Berlinetta was focused on outright performance, Pininfarina gave the GTS a compact, harmonious and decidedly more elegant shape, discreetly recalling the design of the contemporary 330 GT 2+2. Presented on Borrani wire wheels, the Spider’s clean lines and graceful proportions underlined its role as the most refined member of the 275 family. Inside, the large adjustable seats offered a roomier cabin than the Berlinetta’s, reinforcing the GTS’s grand touring vocation. With the top down, the distinctive sound of the Colombo V12 could be enjoyed to the full. In its road test published in September 1966, Road & Track summed up the car’s appeal: “Those who like driving owe themselves at least one of these”, describing top-down driving as “Pure ecstasy.” Built in limited numbers, around 200 cars, the 275 GTS is today regarded as one of the most sought-after open Ferraris of the Enzo era.

The history of 08303

Ferrari 275 GTS chassis 08303 was completed in February 1966 and delivered new through Luigi Chinetti Motors of New York. In May of the same year it was sold to its first owner, Mr. Scott Manley of New York. Manley collected the Ferrari in person at the Maranello factory and used it to travel across Italy during an extended stay, exactly the kind of use the 275 GTS had been conceived for. After about six months of use, 08303 returned to the factory for routine maintenance. On that occasion Manley asked for the factory-fitted Campagnolo magnesium wheels to be replaced with classic Borrani wire wheels, which were fitted before the car was shipped to the United States. In 1980 the Ferrari suffered damage to the right front wing and was subsequently put into storage, where it remained for about eighteen years. During this period, former N.A.R.T. team mechanic, Ferrari restorer and gentleman driver Wayne Sparling removed the car’s original engine, identified by internal number 1104/64, and installed it in a Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, chassis 4607 GT. In 1998 08303 was found in a warehouse in Tennessee, without its original engine. In 2006 the car was exported from the United States to Italy and sold to Dr. Luciano Mancini of Pisa. In November 2012 Mancini sold 08303, still without its original engine, to its current owner.

The aim of the restoration project was to bring the car back while respecting its character and Ferrari’s original specifications. The chassis was sent to Ferrari Classiche in Maranello for inspection and some minor repairs.

Bodywork restoration

AB Auto Classiche took care of restoring the Pininfarina body. The car was completely stripped and the body taken back to bare metal, then restored to factory standards. Once the bodywork was finished, the car was refinished in its original Rosso Cina by Carrozzeria Europa of Carpi and then reassembled to concours standards.

Other work

Interni Auto Maieli redid the cabin, changing it from the original Black configuration to Beige leather, using hides and stitching patterns correct for the period. The change was chosen to lighten the look of the interior. The car was then fitted with its ten-hole Campagnolo magnesium wheels, paired with the chromed three-eared knock-off. The complete mechanical overhaul was carried out by Officina Classiche di Eros Zanoletti, to Ferrari Classiche standards.

Recovering the original engine

One of the most important aspects of the project was recovering the original engine of 08303. In February 2019, with the assistance of Marcel Massini, the car’s original engine, still installed in Ferrari 250 GT Lusso chassis 4607 GT, was recovered and returned to 08303. This brought the Ferrari back to matching-numbers configuration, reuniting the chassis with its own original engine. In December 2024 08303 received the Ferrari Classiche Red Book, following the completion of the restoration and the reunification with its original engine. The certification confirmed that engine, chassis and body match and that the components conform to Ferrari’s original specifications.