Santa Monica, Calif. (July 18, 2019) – Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the celebrated Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®, has announced one of the world’s most coveted and valuable Ferraris along with the online catalogue, which is now live for the annual Pebble Beach Auctions on August 16 and 17, 2019. With its outstanding history and exquisite award-winning restoration, this offering delivers the high level of quality that Gooding & Company is known to bring to auction.
“In the world of vintage Ferraris, most would agree that the 250 GT California Spider is in a class of its own,” states David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company. “It is the quintessential open Ferrari, and this example exhibits highly desirable features including covered headlights, Classiche certification, numerous awards, and a unique and stunning color scheme.”
1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider (Estimate: $11,000,000 – $13,000,000) In late 1957, Ferrari developed a new open 250 GT model for the booming North American market. Ferrari’s two most successful and influential dealers, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, impressed upon the factory the need for a simple, dual-purpose 250 GT convertible. The idea was to develop a car that could be driven during the week and raced with success on the weekend.
The result was the California Spider, a high-performance 250 GT with striking coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. As its name suggested, the model was aimed at a very specific segment of Ferrari’s American clientele: young, moneyed enthusiasts who wanted a stylish thoroughbred sports car that was equally at home on road and track. Like other high-end European sports cars aimed at the American market, the California Spider featured a racy, swept-back windscreen, minimal interior appointments, bucket seats, and a lightweight folding top.
Between 1957 and 1963, Ferrari built just 106 California Spiders – 50 of the original longwheelbase (LWB) version and 56 of the final short-wheelbase (SWB) variant. Today, the model remains one of the most famous and desirable Ferraris ever produced – a mechanical object of exceptional beauty and sophistication that has long captured the interest of connoisseurs.
The car presented here, chassis 1055 GT, is the 11th California Spider built and one of a select group originally finished with the attractive and highly desirable covered-headlamp treatment. Delivered new to Luigi Chinetti Motors in 1959, and sold new to an attorney in Texas, this California Spider is among the few examples that raced in period, competing in SCCA events in Florida during 1962.
Chassis 1055 GT has a well-documented history and several notable owners, including Gerald Roush, founder of Ferrari Market Letter, and collectors Tony Wang and Hans Thulin. Keeping with the tradition of devoted Ferrari ownership, the current owner has kept the car under the finest care and recently entrusted it to the esteemed marque specialist Motion Products, Inc. for a complete, no-expense-spared restoration.
Presented in the gorgeous, period-correct color scheme of Grigio Vinovo with brown leather interior, this California Spider has captured a string of important awards at prestigious concours events. In 2018, it secured a Platinum Award at the Cavallino Classic, the Luigi Chinetti Memorial Award at the FCA National Meeting, and a Third in Class award at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance®. Bolstering its outstanding show-quality presentation, 1055 GT is offered with a correct handbook set, tool kit, Ferrari Classiche Red Book, a history report compiled by marque historian Marcel Massini, as well as an impressive file of documentation that traces the unique history of this special 250 GT. Without a doubt, this is a momentous opportunity for the perfectionist and Ferrari purist to seize at the Pebble Beach sale.
The Pebble Beach Auctions Dates: Friday, August 16 at 5 p.m., and Saturday, August 17 at 11 a.m. Location: Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, corner of Stevenson Drive and Portola Road, Pebble Beach, CA Public preview: Wednesday, August 14, through Saturday, August 17 Auction catalogues: $100, includes admission for two to the viewing and the auction General admission: $40, includes admission for one to the viewing and the auction Live auction broadcast: www.goodingco.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/GoodingandCompany Twitter: @goodingandco #goodingpebble Instagram: @goodingandcompany #goodingpebble YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/GoodingandCompany Phone: 310.899.1960
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