Photo: Bring a Trailer
In the world of Ferraris, there are rare cars and extremely rare cars. Add to their scarcity a level of desirability, and anyone in the possession of older Ferrari models could dream of getting rich overnight.
We’re not sure that’s the case when we’re talking about a Ferrari that started life as something and was turned into something else. Case in point, the long-wheelbase 250 GT California Spider we have here, which was one a coupe.
This car is currently on sale on the Bring a Trailer website, and the bidding has gone up to $35,000 with 13 days left to go at the time of this writing. That’s hell of a lot less than say a 250 GT Coupe without its roof chopped off that sells for prices north of $400,000.
We’re not sure what prompted somebody into doing this, but we’re told the process of making this “re-creation,” as they call it, started some while back in UK. Some shop there started and then gave up on the transformation when the car was purchased and sent to Texas. There, another garage took over from where the Brits left off.
Sometime during the process, some mechanics from the Netherlands somehow got involved, and they handled the rebuild of the 3.0-liter Colombo V12, including gifting it with electronic ignition.
So, what happened here?
Apparently someone was in the possession of a 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina (mind you, it was one of just 335 ever made), and for some reason decided it would make a perfectly fine long-wheelbase Spider.
That meant chopping off the roof and creating body elements that mimic the ones of the real California Spider. Modifications include “LWB-specific four-vent fender louvres, a hood scoop, and enclosed headlights.”
We’re not sure what the endgame was supposed to be. Maybe the one who started all this figured he could fetch for the complete car the combined value of the original coupe and the equally rare LWB Spider – as a side note, the record sum for which one of the latter sold is $4.9 million (2007, Monterey).
Since the highest price is now just $35,000, the seller has a very looong way to go.
This car is currently on sale on the Bring a Trailer website, and the bidding has gone up to $35,000 with 13 days left to go at the time of this writing. That’s hell of a lot less than say a 250 GT Coupe without its roof chopped off that sells for prices north of $400,000.
We’re not sure what prompted somebody into doing this, but we’re told the process of making this “re-creation,” as they call it, started some while back in UK. Some shop there started and then gave up on the transformation when the car was purchased and sent to Texas. There, another garage took over from where the Brits left off.
Sometime during the process, some mechanics from the Netherlands somehow got involved, and they handled the rebuild of the 3.0-liter Colombo V12, including gifting it with electronic ignition.
So, what happened here?
Apparently someone was in the possession of a 250 GT Coupe Pinin Farina (mind you, it was one of just 335 ever made), and for some reason decided it would make a perfectly fine long-wheelbase Spider.
That meant chopping off the roof and creating body elements that mimic the ones of the real California Spider. Modifications include “LWB-specific four-vent fender louvres, a hood scoop, and enclosed headlights.”
We’re not sure what the endgame was supposed to be. Maybe the one who started all this figured he could fetch for the complete car the combined value of the original coupe and the equally rare LWB Spider – as a side note, the record sum for which one of the latter sold is $4.9 million (2007, Monterey).
Since the highest price is now just $35,000, the seller has a very looong way to go.
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