Photo: Treasure_Hunter on Bring a Trailer / edited
Aristotle who? Rather than the philosopher who endorsed slavery (in the 300s BC, that is), Aristotle Onassis was a Greek business magnate. Not only did he amass the largest private shipping fleet in the world, but he was also married to Jacqueline Kennedy from 1968 until his death in 1975.
As far as four-wheeled vehicles are concerned, this particular Aristotle had a thing for corner-carving exotics and plush land yachts. Over the years, he enjoyed the likes of a Lamborghini Miura P400S, a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, a Porsche 356, and a Mercedes-Benz 600. In late 1967, the Greek magnate took delivery of a superb 330 GTC. More specifically, the 330 GTC before your eyes!
This very car is up for grabs on Bring a Trailer as we speak. Categorized as a premium listing, the Fezza that Onassis drove sporadically for about a year is currently sporting a Montana title. How did it reach the US and what happened in the years since Onassis sold it to an Italian dealer in 1968?
Glad you’ve asked! Milanese dealer M. Gastone Crepaldi shipped the car to Luigi Chinetti. This gentleman played a vital role in Ferrari’s history, for Chinetti was appointed by none other than Enzo Ferrari as the Prancing Horse’s distributor in the United States market. He sold the first US-bound Ferrari – a Tipo 166 MM Touring Barchetta – to California-based Cadillac distributor and broadcasting magnate Tommy Lee in 1949.
The 330 GTC spent a few years in the Empire State and the Keystone State, after which it was tucked away for almost three decades. The current owner purchased chassis number 10639 in 2020, and immediately tasked the Bobileff Motorcar Company of San Diego to restore the car.
Photo: Treasure_Hunter on Bring a Trailer
Don’t even think that Bobileff did only a respray and treated the underbody with anti-rust coating. These guys did everything that was necessary – including engine and transmission overhauls – without spoiling the car’s originality. A numbers-matching example of the breed, this 330 GTC ticks all the right boxes.
Equipped with a vintage radio produced by the Germans at Blaupunkt, chassis number 10639 was returned to its former glory in August 2023. Stripped to bare metal, the two-seat gran turismo received welding repairs before a repaint in the oh-so-beautiful Cina Red it sported when new.
Allegedly custom-ordered by Onassis, the front guard bar and rocker panel covers were refreshed as well. Pictured on Campagnolo alloys mounted with Michelin XWX rubber, the Fezza also had its disc brakes refreshed and brake booster rebuilt for extra peace of mind.
Retrimmed in Nero Franzi leather, the interior also flaunts blue shoulder belts, a cream headliner, red carpets, and Veglia Borletti instrumentation that includes a five-digit odometer that indicates a little over 41,800 miles (67,270 kilometers). True mileage isn't known.
With two days and 17 hours of time left on this fellow, bidding currently stands at $476,000 after 16 offers. According to available auction data, no fewer than four units of the 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC were sold thus far in 2023. The least and most expensive of the lot hammered for $480,750 and $610,000, respectively, which means that chassis 10639 could easily fetch over $500,000.
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
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