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Last Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider could top $26m at auction

One of the prettiest convertible Ferraris built, the NART Spider is also one of the rarest – only ten cars ever left the factory. This specific car was the last off the line, and has the additional distinction of being the only NART Spider sold new in Europe. It was also the only one painted in the Grigio Scuro shade of medium grey from factory. It has been redone in a tasteful red, which is an interesting change from the usual bright Ferrari color. It is also the third-to-last Ferrari 275 to be built altogether. The NART name stands for North American Racing Team, and the drop-top production run is credited to the U.S. Ferrari distributor Luigi Chinetti, who wanted to boost the 275 model's sales with a limited edition convertible model. Originally, Ferrari planned to build 25 cars, but despite the racing pedigree only ten found owners. The first NART Spider finished second in class at the 1967 12 Hours of Sebring, and the model also has some Steve McQueen cool about it due to a starring role in The Thomas Crown Affair. This car, chassis #11057, was sold new in Madrid to a Spanish Foreign Legion colonel, and spent its first 14 years in Spain. In the early 1980s it was bought by a Swiss collector, who had it restored for the first time, and in the mid-90s it moved to the UK. The current paint scheme dates back to 2001, while the interior's beige leather re-trim is from 2009. Despite a gradual change in appearance, it is a fully numbers-matching car that still retains the 300-horsepower Colombo V12 it received at the Maranello factory. A similar NART Spider was auctioned at RM Auctions' Monterey event in 2013, for a staggering $27.5 million. That specific example, finished in a brighter hue was estimated at 17 million tops, so it will be interesting to see whether this darker car will surpass its estimate at the auction held on May 14th. Related Video: Featured Gallery RM Sotheby's 1968 Ferrari 275 NART Spider View 16 Photos Image Credit: RM Sotheby's Auto News Ferrari Auctions Convertible Classics Steve McQueen RM Sotheby's ferrari 275

Ferrari vs. Ferrari: Cut convertibles unloved by collectors?

The New York Times' Wheels blog has a really interesting story on a pair of Ferraris that are set to be auctioned off in Monterey during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. While the two cars are similar on the surface, their differing histories and Ferrari's attitude towards one of them has led to a sort of experimental auction process.
On the one hand, we have one of ten 1967 275 GTB/4 NART Spiders, in the classic Rosso Corsa and appearing at RM Auctions and seen above. On the other, we have a Fly Yellow version that started life as a 1965 275 GTB Coupe, and was converted into a NART Spider. Called a "cut" car, this particular replica is one of about 100 GTB Coupes that were converted into convertibles to satiate the climbing demand for ultra-rare Spiders.
This will mark one of the first times that an original NART Spider will go toe to toe with a replica of itself at auction, and will answer a number of questions about just how important provenance is in the collector car world. Head on over to The Times blog for the full story.

James Glickenhaus teases sleek SCG 003 supercar

He may not have known it at the time, but James Glickenhaus started a small revolution when he commissioned Pininfarina to turn his Ferrari Enzo into a tribute to the legendary 330 P3/4. The P4/5 is what resulted, and Ferrari gave its blessing for it to wear the Prancing Horse emblem - something it hadn't done for a coachbuilt custom in decades. A slew of rebodied Ferraris followed, prompting the factory to launch its own coachbuilding division. But Jim wasn't out of the picture.
The former Hollywood filmmaker and investment banker followed up with the P4/5 Competition based on the 430 Scuderia, and started Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus to race it. Now SCG is returning with a new project, and has released this teaser video (which you can view in the embedded Facebook post below) to keep us on our toes.
From the few glimpses the video provides of a rendering, it's hard to tell much, but from what we can see, it looks pretty slick. Just what sort of technical details will form the underpinnings remains to be seen, but we're looking forward to seeing how it turns out.