Photo: Rasy Ran for RM Sotheby's
Officially named 250 GT/L Berlinetta, the Lusso is one of the premier members of the 250 series. Ferrari built only 351 units between ‘62 and ‘64, of which the most famous is the ex-Steve McQueen chassis number 4891.
If, however, you’re in the market for a low-mileage Lusso that’s been meticulously maintained and restored over the course of 48 years of single ownership, then chassis number 5183 may be right up your alley. The car is currently headed to the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island auction in March 2020.
Sporting an estimate of $1.3 million to $1.6 million, the Cavallino Rampante bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti is “the final and most developed evolution of the revered 250 GT lineage.” Instantly recognizable thanks to the curvaceous fastback design, the Lusso also features the Tipo 168 U 3.0-liter engine.
Proven by the 250 Testa Rossa and 250 California, the short-block Colombo V12 is complemented by a good ol’ manual transmission, Watts linkage for the rear suspension, coil-over shock absorbers, and four-wheel disc brakes. For the 1960s, the Lusso was a properly driving-centric grand tourer.
The matching-numbers car in the photo gallery is the 152nd unit dispatched to Scaglietti, having been finished in Verde Scuro and Beige back in 1963. Sold by a dealership in Milan that very year, the Lusso eventually found its way to America in the hands of Allan Pray of Minnetonka in 1972. Allan’s family retained the car for 48 years, repainting and reupholstering chassis number 5183 while also rebuilding the suspension system and overhauling the V12 engine.
The model went through a rotisserie restoration in the late 2000s, a process that spanned two years considering that the coachwork was bare-blasted and repainted in medium blue. The Lusso received some tender loving care again in 2018, and the odometer currently displays 22,055 original kilometers.
Accompanied by the original owner’s manual and tool kit, 5183 has also been documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Knowing so much about this tip-top blast from the glorious past of the Prancing Horse of Maranello, there’s no denying that bidding will hit or even exceed the $1.6-million estimate.
Sporting an estimate of $1.3 million to $1.6 million, the Cavallino Rampante bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti is “the final and most developed evolution of the revered 250 GT lineage.” Instantly recognizable thanks to the curvaceous fastback design, the Lusso also features the Tipo 168 U 3.0-liter engine.
Proven by the 250 Testa Rossa and 250 California, the short-block Colombo V12 is complemented by a good ol’ manual transmission, Watts linkage for the rear suspension, coil-over shock absorbers, and four-wheel disc brakes. For the 1960s, the Lusso was a properly driving-centric grand tourer.
The matching-numbers car in the photo gallery is the 152nd unit dispatched to Scaglietti, having been finished in Verde Scuro and Beige back in 1963. Sold by a dealership in Milan that very year, the Lusso eventually found its way to America in the hands of Allan Pray of Minnetonka in 1972. Allan’s family retained the car for 48 years, repainting and reupholstering chassis number 5183 while also rebuilding the suspension system and overhauling the V12 engine.
The model went through a rotisserie restoration in the late 2000s, a process that spanned two years considering that the coachwork was bare-blasted and repainted in medium blue. The Lusso received some tender loving care again in 2018, and the odometer currently displays 22,055 original kilometers.
Accompanied by the original owner’s manual and tool kit, 5183 has also been documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Knowing so much about this tip-top blast from the glorious past of the Prancing Horse of Maranello, there’s no denying that bidding will hit or even exceed the $1.6-million estimate.
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