Sexy, fast and opulent, the Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 is a four-seater Gran Turismo favoured not only by Il Commendatore himself, but also by many of his wealthiest and most famous clients. People who personified the glamour and romance of the ‘Dolce Vita’ era.

The faster and grander successor to the 250 GTE, the 330 GT 2+2 was designed by a young Tom Tjaarda working under the Pininfarina banner. It was the designer’s very first Ferrari – Enzo believed that an American designer up to date with the aesthetic trends from ‘across the pond’ would be perfectly placed to broaden his new car’s appeal in the incredibly lucrative US market.

At the imposing Ferrari’s heart was the intoxicatingly powerful Colombo V12, now in 300HP four-litre guise. Disc brakes could be found at all four corners and performed a damned shade better than most of its competitors at the time (Jaguar E-type, we’re looking at you). And the spacious and incredibly comfortable interior was a cocktail of expensive wood and rich-smelling leather.

While the 330 GT 2+2 was the first Ferrari to exceed a production number of 1,000, just 455 of them were the most desirable Series II version. This car is fantastic to drive.

It’s everything you want from a long-distance Grand Tourer, except it feels more modern than its age suggests. That glorious V12 has that elusive balance of torque and height – it encourages you to rev right round to its 7,000rpm redline, yet it’s got enough shove lower down to inspire confidence on even the most docile of motorway drives. 

The way the 330 GT 2+2 travels defies its imposing size. The wheels constantly update you as to what they’re doing via the large wooden-rimmed steering wheel and the ride is supple and light once on the move. They just don’t make interiors like they used to, do they? We’d gladly take this Ferrari on a weeklong cross-continental jaunt. Not only would you be following in the spiritual tyre tracks of Enzo Ferrari himself, but you can also take the family along for the ride.

Chassis number 6135 was delivered new in July of 1964 to Luigi Chinetti Motors Inc in New York. Finished in the understated colour combination of Grigio Scuro over a Pelle Nera interior, the car was assigned to Chinetti’s West Coast agent Otto Zipper Motors.

Among this 330’s earliest owners was Robert ‘Bob’ C Rapp Jnr., the veteran North Carolina Ferrari collector who would count such great Prancing Horses as the F333 SP, 512 S and Enzo in his stable. The car remained in North America until 2011, when it was acquired by a British collector and imported to the United Kingdom.

It was at this point that chassis number 6135 was subjected to an exhaustive ‘nut-and-bolt’ restoration to concours condition. During the two-year project, the remarkable originality and condition of this Ferrari was repeatedly noted – and duly respected.

This 330 GT 2+2 remained in the United Kingdom until 2017, when it was acquired by a collector in Switzerland who promptly submitted it to Ferrari Classiche for certification. The certification was duly granted, confirming the matching-numbers status of the chassis, engine, gearbox, differential and body.

We’re baffled why these rare and handsome Gran Turismos aren’t as well understood – and thus valuable – as certain other Ferrari 2+2s such as the Superamerica, especially considering what a joy they are to drive.

 

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