Is it possible to choose one Ferrari that epitomized the marque in its classic era? Selecting a “top five” would be hard enough. Yet, when you consider that Ferrari road cars remained closely related to its GT racers for the first 15 years or so of the marque’s history, there is one that leaps forward: the 1959-1962 250 GT Berlinetta SWB.
David Lee had his 1972 Dino fully restored, at the same time giving it a 400-horsepower Ferrari V8 and a modernized chassis. But don’t call it a “resto-mod” or an “outlaw.” This is a re-invention to bring a classic model to its full potential.
Every vintage racecar has a story. Some of the more compelling ones are those intrinsically linked to a marque’s formative years. “The Admiral’s Ferrari,” a 1955 Series II Mondial, is one. This August, after 58 years in one owner’s hands, the car will go in search of a new steward at the Gooding & Company auction in Monterey.
At its Amelia Island auction, Gooding & Company will offer an exemplary rendition of this ultra-rare and prized Ferrari, a 1956 410 Superamerica Series I that’s had only three owners and under 7,500 miles from new. It has been restored twice. The pre-sale estimate is $5m-$6m.
Jaguar is showing a willingness to spend considerable sums to possess the ultimate rendition of heritage: a continuation car of the Jaguar D-Type. That is, an actual model from the past, built just as it was when new, with no modern updates.
