Federico Fellini was a marvelous screenwriter and film director. He is the one we have to thank for La Dolce Vita, a film that brings life to the concept of living the good life and enjoying self-indulgence. Oh, and how self-indulgent the Ferrari 275 GTS/4 N.A.R.T. Spider is.
N.A.R.T. stands for North American Racing Team and, believe it or not, the Prancing Horse of Maranello made only ten examples of the breed. The one we’re talking about today is the last of its kind, colloquially referred to by collectors as chassis number 11057. Care to guess how much the estimate is on this beautiful car?
RM Sotheby’s believes that €23 million fits the bill. Converted at current exchange rates, this 1968 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 N.A.R.T. Spider is worth $25.8 million. I’m not surprised by that, to be honest. After all, it is a fully numbers-matching car with a comprehensive history and a Colombo V12 engine under its sexy hood.
Another little detail that makes chassis #11057 so desirable is that it is the only example sold new in Europe and the only example to be painted in Grigio Scuro. The dark red metallic the car is wearing now was applied from 2000 to 2001. It still looks like a million bucks, though. Or $25.8 million, for that matter.
Sold new in Madrid to a Spanish Foreign Legion colonel, chassis #11057 spent its first fourteen years in Spain. Then the 1980s came along and a Swiss collector bought the car, after which the N.A.R.T. Spider was shipped to the United Kingdom. The most recent known owner of the N.A.R.T. Spider is Lord Laidlaw, a wealthy Briton, who also owned a 250 GTO.
Speaking of 250 GTOs, RM Sotheby’s notes that this N.A.R.T. Spider "has been owned by no less than five 250 GTO owners, a testament to its sheer desirability and importance." Couldn’t have said it better myself.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News