This is an entirely unique Ferrari 250 GT Lusso that was significantly modified in period by former Ferrari race car designer Medardo Fantuzzi. He turned it into a chimera of sorts combining the looks of the Lusso and the 330 LMB, with later modifications to add a touch of the GTO.
The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is already one of the more desirable road-going members of the 250 model series, it combined the racing heritage of cars like the 250 GT SWB and the 250 GTO in a luxurious package designed for touring the Continent at speed. Both Steve McQueen and Eric Clapton were owners, and today they typically sell for sums into the low seven figures.
Fast Facts – The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso By Fantuzzi
- The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso shown in this article was modified by former Ferrari racecar designer Medardo Fantuzzi. It combines design cues from the Lusso, 330 LMB, and GTO. Fantuzzi’s modifications included a smaller grille, twin bumperettes, and repositioned headlights behind Plexiglass covers, making it entirely unique compared to any other Lusso.
- Originally bought by Luciano Pederzani, co-founder of Tecno and an influential figure in 1960s Formula racing, the car’s modifications were decided upon by Pederzani and Fantuzzi then implemented by the latter. Its initial modifications under Pederzani and subsequent changes by a Texan owner in the U.S. added unique features like 250 GTO-style intakes and rear wheel arch vents.
- The Lusso was powered by a Colombo V12 engine with 240 bhp, capable of reaching nearly 240 km/h (150 mph). It featured a 4-speed manual gearbox and an independent front suspension with a live rear axle, using a combination of coil springs, semi-elliptic leaf springs, and telescopic shock absorbers, similar to the 250 GTO.
- This unusual Lusso, having undergone a full restoration in the UK to concours standards, has a rich ownership history including famous UK radio host and former Top gear presenter Chris Evans. It’s slated for auction with RM Sotheby’s, expected to fetch between £1,100,000 – £1,500,000 GBP ($1,400,000 – $1,900,000 USD).
The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, released in 1962, would have the distinction of being the final road-going member of the long-running Ferrari 250 model series that had started all the way back in 1952. There’s no denying that the 250 Ferraris were among the most consequential cars of the time to carry the Prancing Horse, helping to establish the still-new Italian automaker as one of the world’s finest.
Here we see the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso in its original form, these are images from the Ferrari archive showing the car at the time of its release in 1962. Images courtesy of Ferrari.
“Lusso” means “Luxury” in Italian, and it was included in the model name very deliberately to distinguish the car from its more hardened race-oriented siblings like the 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, and of course, the 250 GTO.
The Lusso, also sometimes written as 250 GT/L, was developed on a modified version of the tubular steel chassis that had been used on the Ferrari 250 GTO. This gave the Lusso remarkable pedigree, considering that the GTO would go on to win the FIA’s International Championship for GT Manufacturers three times on the trot in 1962, 1963, and 1964.
Power was provided by the venerable Colombo V12 in single overhead cam per bank configuration with two valves per cylinder, a traditional wet sump, and three dual-barrel Weber 36 DCS carburetors, producing 240 bhp at 7,500 rpm and 178 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm.
These power output figures were excellent by the standards of the time, helping the car achieve a top speed of almost 240 km/h (150 mph), making it one of the quickest road cars of the time. Power was sent back through a 4-speed manual gearbox with synchromesh on all gears to the rear wheels.
The car was fitted with independent front suspension consisting of coil springs, unequal-length wishbones, and telescopic shock absorbers. The rear suspension was a little more unusual, it consisted of a live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, co-axial coil springs, radius arms, and telescopic shock absorbers. This was also the same fundamental suspension arrangement used on the 250 GTO.
The body was designed at Pininfarina and built at Scaglietti, before being completed at the Ferrari factory, then shipped out to dealers. The body was made of steel, though it did have aluminum alloy opening panels in the interests of lowering weight a little – these alloys panels included both door skins, the hood, and trunk lid.
Inside the Lusso you’ll find one of the nicest, and best laid out, cockpits in at GT car from the period.
Between 1962 and 1964, over a production run that was only 18 months long, 351 examples of the 250 GT Lusso were built. It would be succeeded by the Ferrari 275 GTB in 1964, this car was a significant departure from the 250 GT series that had come before, but it still made use of a version of the Colombo V12.
Luciano Pederzani And Tecno
The car you see here is the only example of the Lusso that looks even remotely like this. It was bought new though official Ferrari dealer Società Italiana Veicoli Agriculturali e Motori, in Bologna by Luciano Pederzani. If you’re a fan of vintage Formula 1, that name might sound familiar.
Tecno was started in 1961 by Italian brothers Luciano and Gianfranco Pederzani, first as an engineering company in Bologna manufacturing hydraulic pumps. Both brothers had a deep love of motorsports, and so they decided to expand out into go kart manufacturing. Their kart business proved successful, and so they took the next step of building Formula Three cars in 1967, hiring young Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni to drive for them.
As a result of the excellent engineering and design of the car, and the remarkable talent of Regazzoni, Tecno F3 cars would win 32 of 1967’s 65 major races. This would further encourage the brothers, who entered the world of Formula Two with their own car in 1970 and promptly won that championship also, with Regazzoni as their driver.
Tecno then entered Formula One in 1972 with their own car, powered by their own flat-12 engine design. Sadly due to issues within the team and the inherently challenging nature of F1, Tecno didn’t enjoy much success, though they did manage some strong showings before the team ceased operations in 1973.
Power is provided by the Colombo V12 in single overhead cam per bank configuration with two valves per cylinder, a traditional wet sump, and three dual-barrel Weber 36 DCS carburetors, producing 240 bhp at 7,500 rpm and 178 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm.
The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso By Fantuzzi
It would be under Luciano Pederzani’s ownership, from when it was new, that this car would receive the majority of its modifications. Tecno had hired former Ferrari race car designer Medardo Fantuzzi to work for them on their Formula car designs, and it would be Fantuzzi who Pederzani went to when he wanted some improvements made to his 250 GT Lusso.
Fantuzzi set to work, modifying the bodywork in a similar style to the Ferrari 330 LM, with a smaller grille, adding twin bumperettes in place of the original three, moving the headlights back and fairing them in behind aerodynamic Plexiglass covers.
The car would be enjoyed by Pederzani until 1968 when it was sold and exported to the United States. Its new owner in Texas would add three 250 GTO-style intakes above the front grille, as well as vents behind the rear wheel arches.
With the additional modifications put in place in Italy and then later in the United States, it’s hard to deny that this is one of the more handsome examples of the already good-looking Lusso.
Over the years the car would spend much time in Hawaii before being bought by a new owner in England. It would be in the Britain that the car would receive a full restoration at DK Engineering to a concours standard. It would later be bought and owned by celebrated UK radio host, television presenter, and car collector Chris Evans.
The car is now due to roll across the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 12 of June with a price guide of £1,100,000 – £1,500,000 GBP, or approximately $1,400,000 – $1,900,000 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images: Peter Seabrook ©2024 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
