Lot 152: 1964 Ferrari Lusso Berlinetta

Arguably the most beautiful product ever to carry the Maranello marque's prancing horse emblem, the 250GT Lusso Berlinetta debuted at the Paris Salon in October 1962. Styled by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, the Lusso (Luxury) combined racetrack looks with new high standards of passenger comfort. Beautifully proportioned, the new 250GT blended a low-slung nose, reminiscent of that of the 400 Superamerica, with sculpted Kamm tail by means of some of the most exquisite lines yet seen on an automobile. Slim pillars and wide expanses of glass not only enhanced the car's outward appearance, but made for excellent visibility and a pleasantly light and airy interior.
By the early 1960s, road car production had ceased to be a sideline for Ferrari and was seen as vitally important to the company's future stability. Thus the 250, Ferrari's first volume-produced model, can be seen as critically important, though production of the first of the line - the 250 Europa, built from 1953 to '54 - amounted to fewer than twenty. Before the advent of the Europa, Ferrari had built road-going coupés and convertibles in small numbers, usually to special customer order using a sports-racing chassis as the basis. Ghia, Vignale and Touring were responsible for bodying many of these, but there was no attempt at standardisation for series production and no two cars were alike. The 250 Europa's introduction heralded a significant change in Ferrari's preferred coachbuilder; whereas previously Vignale had been the most popular carrozzeria among Maranello's customers, from now on Pinin Farina (later ‘Pininfarina’) would be Ferrari's number one choice.
The Lusso’s immediate antecedent had been the 250GT Berlinetta SWB. Introduced at the 1959 Paris Salon, the latter was a true dual-purpose car, arguably more capable than any Ferrari before or since of coping equally well with the conflicting demands of racetrack and highway. The ‘SWB’ (Short Wheel Base) designation arose from a chassis that, at 2,400mm, was 200mm shorter than the standard 250GT’s. Specifications could be varied to suit individual customers’ requirements for either road or track, models supplied for competition use having lightweight aluminium-alloy bodies, the lusso road version enjoying a fully trimmed interior and softer springing.
However, Ferrari’s policy of building a single, dual-purpose race/road model did not survive long into the 1960s, the diverging requirements of the two markets necessitating greater specialisation in the form of the competition-only 250GTO and Granturismo 250GT Lusso. Built on a short-wheelbase chassis similar to that of the 250GT SWB and 250GTO, the Lusso was powered by Colombo’s light and compact 3-litre V12. Breathing through three twin-choke Weber carburettors, the all-aluminium, two-cam unit produced 240bhp at 7,500rpm, giving the Lusso a top speed of 150mph (240km/h) and a useful 0-100mph (0-160km/h) acceleration time of 19.5 seconds.
Testing the 250GT Lusso five years after its introduction, Road & Track magazine acknowledged that the design had already achieved classic status. "Although there were many variations on the basic Ferrari 250GT since 1956 when this 3-litre series was first offered, the 1963-64 250GT Berlinetta Lusso has come to be identifiable by that single word, Lusso. The design of the body was at once elegant and exciting and no other road Ferrari before or since has earned the same degree of enduring admiration for its aesthetics."

One of just 350 250GT Lussos made, this left-hand drive example is finished in rosso corsa with black leather interior. Reported as in generally very good condition, with running engine, it is offered with German registration papers.

Sur les 350 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso fabriquées, cet exemplaire à conduite à gauche est peint en rosso corsa avec intérieur en cuir noir. Annoncée comme étant en excellent état à tous points de vue et moteur en bon état de fonctionnement, elle est vendue avec ses papiers allemands.