THE GENTLEMAN’S FERRARI
What is a gentleman’s Ferrari? It is a car that is not about outright performance, but rather a Ferrari that combines stunning performance bred through success in motorsport, alongside luxury and sophistication; a car tractable enough to use for extended journeys, on a daily basis, or on a special occasion. Perhaps most importantly, this is a car that does all of this, but also does not shout about its presence. Simply put, the gentleman’s Ferrari is a grand tourer par excellence. It is a car that is known to those that know, and one that blends in with traffic to everyone else.
To the cognoscenti, the epitome of the gentleman’s Ferrari is the 330 GTC. Slotting in between the four-seat 330 GT 2+2 and Ferrari’s then-flagship 275 GTB, it combined the aspects of both cars to make for an exceptional driving experience. Utilizing the same steering, suspension, and transmission as the 275 GTB, at its heart was a 4.0-litre V-12 engine, good for transporting the 330 GTC to 60 mph from a standstill in seven seconds and onwards to a top speed of 150 mph. As the 330 GTC was a two-seater, its wheelbase was shorted by 10 inches over the 330 GT 2+2, making it much more dynamic to drive yet still entirely practical for two passengers, with copious boot space and a rear parcel shelf behind the seats.
Completed in early 1967, this 330 GTC, chassis number 09537, was originally finished in the suitably subtle colour scheme of Marrone (19378 M) paintwork over a Beige (VM 3218) Connolly leather interior. Destined for Ferrari’s home market, the car was originally delivered to a Mr. Pirri of Rome through Motor S.a.s. By 1970, the car was exported to the US where it was sold to Steve Lawing of High Point, North Carolina in 1971. Ludwig kept the car for the following four years, during which he advertised the car for sale in the January 1975 issue of Road & Track magazine, describing it as “mink brown with a champagne interior…exceptionally nice and often mistaken for brand new”, having been driven for some 27,000 miles at that point.
Chassis number 09537 would move north with its next owner, William R. Johnson of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Passing through another owner in Maryland, its next owner would be Louis Baldwin of Wilmington, Delaware, who retained the car for the following fifteen years, which included a move across the country to San Jose, California.
The 330 GTC finally returned across the pond in the mid-2000s, still finished in its original colour scheme. Having spent several years in Italy, by 2011 the car was purchased by an owner in the UK and subsequently road-registered. That owner decided to undertake a full restoration with Hoyle-Fox Classics in Essex. With work starting in late 2013, the car was stripped down to bare metal and restored in its present and highly attractive colour scheme of Blue Sera over a Pelle Grigio leather interior. During the restoration, the car was fitted with air conditioning, an option available when new but one that was not originally fitted to chassis 09537, but which was clearly a very welcome addition for warm weather motoring. When the restoration work was completed in 2016, the car was granted Ferrari Classiche certification, confirming that the car retains its original chassis, engine, and gearbox. In the car’s history file are invoices for the restoration work and correspondence between its then-owner and Hoyle-Fox Classics chronicling the restoration.
Just 598 330 GTCs were built from 1966 to 1968, and today they are still excellent cars to use and enjoy, with copious performance more than capable of handling modern day traffic. Well-preserved in its as-restored state with the current owner, this 330 GTC presents beautifully throughout, having covered minimal milage since its restoration. Restored in a very attractive colour scheme and boasting Ferrari Classiche certification, this 330 GTC needs nothing but a new owner willing to experience the ideal gentleman’s Ferrari at its best.
