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Ferrari 275 GTB/4 "Del Rio" 1967, Itália
Fotografia
At the Paris Motor Show in October 1966, Ferrari introduced an upgraded version of the 275 GTB. Clothed with the most recent long-nose coachwork style, the new GTB was powered by a further development of Gioacchino Colombo’s short-block, 3.3-liter V-12, which was now dubbed the type 226. Fitted with dual-overhead camshafts, the new model was the first roadgoing Ferrari to feature a four-cam engine.
Further equipped with dry-sump lubrication and six Weber 40 DCN/9 carburetors, the new engine developed 20 more horsepower than its predecessor, giving the nimble 275 chassis an added jolt of performance. The resulting 275 GTB/4 was also standard-equipped with a revised arrangement of the driveshaft in a solid torque tube, effectively eliminating vibration issues that often plagued the earlier variants. Only 330 examples of the 275 GTB/4 were built before the model was discontinued in 1968, making the special berlinetta as rare as it was powerful.
While today’s collectors are fortunate to have access to Ferrari’s modern Tailor Made program to create a personally appointed, bespoke Prancing Horse, buyers in the late 1960s were not nearly as lucky. This highly unusual, custom-appointed car represents a forerunner of this idea, and it is extremely unique in that customers of the era were only very rarely granted such latitude by the factory in personalizing their order.
Specified in a rare factory configuration with a paint-to-sample finish and bespoke interior, this beautiful Ferrari is a particularly desirable example of Maranello’s celebrated four-cam 275. According to the research of marque expert Marcel Massini, and as corroborated by a wealth of period correspondence by the original owner, chassis number 09831 was prepared with a myriad of personally ordered details for a preferred client named Daniel Del Rio, who was a stockbroker working for the Wall Street investment firm Delafield & Delafield.
A Luigi Chinetti order acknowledgement and a letter from Mr. Del Rio to Ferrari vice-president and international sales manager Amerigo Manicardi demonstrate some of the unusual features ordered by the American buyer. The 275 was equipped with a competition-style outside fuel filler cap, Borrani wire wheels, 8/32 axle ratio, and instruments specified in miles. At the buyer’s request, a painted competition mirror was mounted on the driver’s door, and the front grille was advanced 2 1/2 inches, resulting in a very unique nose configuration.
According to the research of marque expert Marcel Massini, the Ferrari was delivered without front and rear bumpers, which lends the coachwork a particularly pure character. The 275’s unique presentation was sealed with a finish in paint-to-sample green later named Del Rio Verde Medio, while the interior was swathed in a full treatment of Arancia (orange) Connolly leather, including a black leather-covered dash panel without wood trim, and leather seats without cloth inserts. It is nearly unheard of that the factory would have matched and named a paint color for an individual customer in the late 1960s, a point that underscores just how special and rare this exceptional GTB/4 really is.
As demonstrated by an original Italian registration, Mr. Del Rio registered the car in Italy prior to having it shipped to the United States. Upon taking delivery, the owner commissioned some minor modifications that were probably conducted by Chinetti Motors, including replacement of the stock Weber 40 DCN/17 carburetors with 40 DCN/9 units.
In September 1968 Mr. Del Rio presented the GTB/4 at the FCA meet at a Can-Am race at Bridgehampton, New York, and a year later the unusual berlinetta was the subject of a feature article in Automobile Quarterly magazine (a copy of which is available on file). Del Rio went on to retain possession of the striking Ferrari through at least 1975.
By 1982 the 275 was acquired by Paul Reisman of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, and from him the car briefly passed to Gary Schaevitz of Katonah, New York. In early 1986 Mr. Schaevitz sold the Ferrari to Dr. Jerome Molitor of Mendham, New Jersey, and he presented the car at the FCA National Meet and Concours at Road America/Elkhart Lake, earning a class award.
Two years later Dr. Molitor offered the Ferrari and it was purchased by the British dealer John Collins, who in the early 1990s sold the car to Japanese collector Takeo Kato. Mr. Kato apparently kept the GTB/4 for a number of years before it passed back into American ownership, being re-acquired in 1998 by prior owner Gary Schaevitz, who clearly had a case of seller’s remorse. By the time it was offered for sale in March 2000, the berlinetta reportedly benefitted from a full mechanical restoration, and it displayed approximately 34,000 miles on the odometer, at the time believed to be original.
After proceeding through at least one additional caretaker, in 2003 the 275 was sold to Manuel Del Arroz of Diablo, California, and he enjoyed driving the car on the model’s 40th anniversary commemorative Ferrari 275 Factory Tour in Tuscany and Maranello in June 2004. Two months later the car was presented at the annual FCA International Field & Driving Concours held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California.
Acquired by the consignor in June 2007, the Ferrari has mostly remained in climate-controlled storage for the last 16 years. In June 2018 the 275 was certified with a Ferrari Classiche Red Book that confirms the continued presence of the matching-numbers engine and gearbox. In addition to small service measures conducted as needed, the 275 was more recently treated to a bout of mechanical restoration that included a sympathetic freshening of the engine by Coppa Bella Motors, and a rebuild and tuning of the carburetors by Weber specialist Mike Pierce.
This unique and authentically presented GTB/4 is notably finished in the correct shade of Del Rio Verde Medio, while the interior is believed to feature the original factory-appointed Arancia leather. This remarkable originality is further bolstered by the spare wheel and windows, all of which display proper February 1967 date codes.
Possessing such a unique configuration of build features and cosmetic elements, this remarkable 275 GTB/4 is a virtual one-off. It is worth reiterating that the car represents the most advanced development of the 275 model, featuring the long-nose front end, four-cam dry-sump engine, and the torque-tube driveshaft.
The future caretaker can bask in the cool character of the unusual Del Rio Green Verde Medio paint, and the rarely appointed Arancia leather interior. Documented with copious former owner’s correspondence, service and restoration invoices, and the important Ferrari Classiche Red Book, this matching-numbers engine and gearbox berlinetta should expect a warm welcome at concours d’elegance and marque gatherings, where its one-of-one identity will no doubt enthrall any Ferrari enthusiast.
