At the dawn of the 1960s, Ferrari was ascending to the very height of its powers. In just over a decade, Enzo Ferrari had transformed his modest Maranello workshop into the world’s most respected manufacturer of performance cars – picking up where he had left off before WWII, when Scuderia Ferrari operated as Alfa Romeo’s official racing arm.

By 1960, Scuderia Ferrari dominated the highest levels of international motor sports. Its Grand Prix cars had delivered World Drivers’ Championships to Ascari, Fangio, and Hawthorn. In sports car racing, Ferrari was unrivaled, scoring repeat victories at endurance classics including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 1000 Miglia, Targa Florio, Tour de France Automobile, and 12 Hours of Sebring. Central to these achievements was Ferrari’s versatile three-liter V-12 engine, which powered a remarkable lineage of 250-series variants, from its factory Testa Rossas to privateer competition berlinettas and refined four-seat grand tourers.

For 1960, Ferrari launched a revised 250 GT built on the new Tipo 539 chassis. Developed by Giotto Bizzarrini, Carlo Chiti, and Mauro Forghieri, this short-wheelbase (SWB) variant – casually dubbed the Passo Corto – marked the beginning of a new era in GT racing, seamlessly continuing the dominance of the long-wheelbase (LWB) Tour de France Berlinetta and California Spider.

Unveiled at the Paris Salon de l’Automobile in October 1959, the 250 GT SWB introduced a host of technical advancements: the outside-plug tipo 168 engine replaced the older inside-plug tipo 128; Dunlop four-wheel disc brakes replaced outdated drums; and modern tubular shocks replaced Houdaille lever-arm dampers.

The 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and its open sibling, the California Spider, were thoroughly transformed. With their compact chassis, upgraded components, and more aggressive styling by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, these Ferraris delivered sharper handling, better braking, and superior acceleration, all while retaining the brand’s signature blend of strength, reliability, and mechanical harmony.

As before, Ferrari offered both road and competition versions of the 250 GT SWB. Steel-bodied road cars were offered alongside lightweight, aluminumbodied competition models – often tailored to the exacting demands of their original clients. In 1960, Ferrari built 46 of these race-prepared alloy Berlinettas. The following year, 20 further-improved examples – known as the Comp/61 or SEFAC Hot Rod – were built. These alloy SWB Berlinettas captured over 200 overall and class victories in the early 1960s, including GT class wins at Le Mans (1960 and 1961), and overall triumphs at the Tour de France Automobile (1961 and 1962).

Concurrently, Ferrari built just 56 examples of the 250 GT SWB California Spider. Only three were constructed with lightweight aluminum coachwork – and of those, only two were built to full competition specification: chassis 2015 GT, and the remarkable car offered here, chassis 2383 GT.

The origins of this extraordinary California Spider date to December 30, 1960, when the bare chassis of 2383 GT was dispatched to Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Uniquely among its peers, it was equipped with lightweight aluminum bodywork, covered headlamps, and a rare, removable hardtop – also crafted from aluminum. Further distinguishing 2383 GT was its race-ready specification. It was fitted with a competition-style, quick-release external fuel filler – a feature shared only with the 2015 GT. According to Ferrari Classiche, the car was originally finished in Grigio Argento (Silver Gray) over blue leather.

Mechanically, it was no less exceptional. The tipo 168 engine (internal no. 676) was a competition-specification unit, derived from the 250 Testa Rossa and identical to those in the contemporary Comp SWB Berlinettas. It featured high-lift tipo 130 camshafts, Testa Rossa-type cylinder heads, Weber 40 DCL6 carburetors with velocity stacks, and a competition Abarth exhaust. Its 9.5:1 compression ratio is the highest recorded for any SWB California Spider, and output was estimated at 280 hp – about 40 hp more than standard.

The drivetrain was equally purposeful, comprising a ribbed gearbox (internal no. 83), limited-slip differential (internal no. 336), oversized, 120-liter duralumin fuel tank, Miletto shocks, Borrani RW3591 wire wheels, and Pirelli Cinturato tires.

Upon completion in April 1961, chassis 2383 GT was delivered to Auto Becker in Düsseldorf and sold to its original owner: Ernst Lautenschlager.

Born in Mannheim in 1912, Lautenschlager relocated to Stuttgart as a child and remained there for life. While studying in Nuremberg, he developed a passion for competition, becoming a successful amateur boxer and even contending for the German featherweight championship in 1930.

After WWII, he embraced high-performance motoring, driving a BMW 328 as his everyday car. By the early 1950s, he was actively competing, initially in a Veritas RS. He later campaigned a Porsche 356 1500 Super in major international events – including the Monte Carlo Rally – and competed three times in the 1000 Miglia, notably finishing 3rd in Class in a 550 Spyder in 1955. He also ran a Stanguellini Formula Junior at the inaugural Monaco GP in 1959, finishing 5th and immediately spending his 6,000-franc prize at the casino.

A colorful figure, Lautenschlager owned businesses ranging from a butcher shop to a Stuttgart nightclub called Cabaret Maxim, frequented by none other than Juan Manuel Fangio.

As recounted in Cavallino magazine, 2383 GT was Lautenschlager’s only Ferrari:

“I ordered a coupe for racing at Auto Becker’s, but somebody in their wisdom at the factory determined that a Spider with a hardtop was pretty much the same as a racing Berlinetta! ... When I collected the car at Auto Becker in Düsseldorf, I met the department store tycoon Horten, who immediately offered me more money for the car than the DM 55,000 that I paid for it.”

Lautenschlager campaigned 2383 GT extensively in German and Austrian hill climbs and circuit races, often using the nom de course “Luciano Conti.” As he explained, “It was not necessary that the tax man know everything.”

Period photos show the California at various events, distinguishable by its Stuttgart registration, “Deutschland” country code roundel, removable hardtop, and SNAP exhaust extractors – the same design used on the 250 GTO.

In 1961, he competed at the Preis von Tirol (Innsbruck) and two hill climbs – Schorndorfer and Eberbach – earning two 1st place finishes. In 1962, he won again at Eberbach, placed 2nd at both the Preis der Avus and Neubiberg, and finished 4th at Norisring. His final outing came at the Solitude GT race in July 1962, where he placed 4th in class and 11th Overall.

Shortly afterward, Lautenschlager retired from racing and sold 2383 GT to Düsseldorf-based racer and dealer Wolfgang Seidel, who listed it for sale in Auto, Motor und Sport in August and September 1962 with just 6,000 km.

In 1963, Seidel sold the car to Marco Bertazzoni of Esslingen, Germany, who traded in a Lancia Flaminia and Fiat-Abarth Record Monza. He repainted the car red, added Ferrari shields, and took it on road trips – including camping excursions in the Alps. In early 1964, a friend accidentally rear-ended the Ferrari in his E-Type Jaguar. The car was later sold to Bernhard C.M. Rayers of Bonn, who also advertised it in Auto, Motor und Sport, noting its 280 hp engine, before trading it in at a local Jaguar-Volvo dealer in 1965.

After a brief spell with an unknown Swiss owner, 2383 GT came to the US in 1968, where it was acquired by pioneering Ferrari enthusiast Lee Wilson of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Wilson displayed the car at events such as the 1968 FCA meeting at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 1976 FCA National Meet in St. Louis, and even loaned it to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

In the mid-1980s, Wilson sold the car to famed television producer and Ferrari collector Greg Garrison, who included 2383 GT among his renowned collection of rare, one-off and custom-bodied Ferrari masterpieces. Garrison displayed the car at the 1994 FCA International Concours in Monterey, but otherwise kept it out of the public eye.

The current owner first learned of 2383 GT from his friend Paul Pappalardo, then owner of its sister car, 2015 GT. Though he already owned a coveredheadlight SWB California Spider, his pursuit of perfection led him to acquire 2383 GT from Garrison in 1999, along with another notable one-off Ferrari.

He subsequently commissioned a meticulous restoration by Italian master Dino Cognolato, with guidance from Ferrari historian Jean Sage. The car was refinished in its current Grigio Fumo (Smoke Gray) livery, a subtle yet elegant choice preferred over the original silver or the red paint applied in the 1960s. In a fitting tribute, the owner returned 2383 GT to Stuttgart, reuniting it with Ernst Lautenschlager. He also raced it in the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge in 2001 with its original owner in attendance.

For the past 25 years, 2383 GT has remained a centerpiece in one of the world’s most admired Ferrari collections. It has proven to be the ideal historic motorcar: a successful participant in virtually every top-tier event, from Le Mans Classic to the most exclusive concours and rallies – yet also genuinely rewarding to drive, especially in its ultimate competition form.

This is no ordinary California Spider. It is one of only two alloy-bodied, full-competition examples of the most sought-after SWB variant. It has a unique specification, period racing pedigree, a distinguished chain of ownership, and outstanding documentation – including Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification, a Marcel Massini report, and copies of build sheets. It has never been shown at Pebble Beach or Villa d’Este, nor offered publicly since it appeared in the classified pages of Auto, Motor und Sport in the mid-1960s.

In every respect, 2383 GT represents the pinnacle of open Ferrari motoring. A connoisseur’s choice and collector’s dream, it is not merely one of the most desirable Ferraris ever built – it is one of the greatest sports cars of all time.