This 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe was bought new by Carlo Abarth, the legendary Italian automobile designer who launched countless winning race cars. The car somehow later found its way into a garage in the USA, where it’s remained untouched for 52 years.
The 250 series of Ferraris is arguably the most important model family in the Italian marque’s history. The cars were produced from 1952 through until 1964 and among the road-going versions was the Ferrari 250 GTO, the 250 GT California Spyder, the 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe, and many others.
Fast Facts – The Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe
- The Ferrari 250 series helped put Ferrari on the map for discerning and well-heeled automobile enthusiasts – not just in Italy and Europe, but in the United States – the most important market for Ferrari in the 20th century.
- The Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe first appeared in 1958 with a body designed by the team at Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. Pinin Farina was named for its founder Battista “Pinin” Farina, who officially changed his surname to the one-word “Pininfarina” in 1961, at which point his company name was similarly joined.
- In total, there would be 353 examples of the Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe made, one of Ferrari’s earliest series production cars to be built in significant numbers. The cars were powered by the legendary Colombo V12, and were largely used as sporting grand tourers.
- The car you see here was bought new by Italian automobile royalty Carlo Abarth and first registered on Italian plates in Torino “TO 316142.” In 1966 the car was bought by an American owner and since 1968 it’s had just one keeper. It’s now being offered for sale out of garage storage where it has remained untouched for 52 years.
The Great Carlo Abarth
Carlo Abarth was born on November 15, 1908, in Vienna, Austria. He was later was naturalized as an Italian citizen and his birth name of Karl was Italianized to Carlo.
This is Carlo Abarth pictured in front of some of his most famous creations. And also a basket of apples. Interestingly the scorpion logo used by Abarth was chosen as his astrological sign was scorpio. Image courtesy of Abarth & C. S.p.A.
Abarth started his career as a motorcycle racer in the 1930s. He set several records and won numerous races, earning him significant recognition in the racing community. After World War II, he shifted his focus to building performance cars and components.
Abarth would become an influential Italian automotive designer and an entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of small, high-performance cars. Abarth’s passion for speed and racing led him to establish the Abarth & C. company in 1949.
In the early years of Abarth & C., Carlo collaborated with other manufacturers, including Cisitalia and Porsche, to develop racing cars. However, it was in the 1960s that Abarth’s company truly made a name for itself – gaining global fame for its small, lightweight cars that packed a punch and often bested much larger machinery on track.
One of Abarth’s most iconic models was the Fiat 500-based Abarth 595. It featured an upgraded engine, improved suspension, and distinctive styling. The Abarth 595 and its successors became synonymous with fun and accessible performance, dominating various motorsport events. Today they’re hailed as an Italian contemporary of cars like the Mini Cooper S.
The car is said to have remained in this garage untouched since 1971. It was rolled out only recently for the first time, for an inspection before it was put up for sale on eBay.
The Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe
The Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe, often referred to as the 250 GT PF Coupe for the sake of brevity, was a sports grand touring car produced by Ferrari from the late 1950s into the early 1960s. It was designed and built by the renowned Italian coachbuilder Pinin Farina (known as Pininfarina as a single word since 1961).
The Ferrari 250 GT PF Coupe made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1958. It was based on the successful 250 GT Berlinetta Tour de France race car platform and featured elegant hand-shaped bodywork.
Powering the 250 GT PF Coupe was a 3.0 liter Colombo V12 engine, Ferrari’s most important engine design and the engine of choice for many of their most iconic vehicles. Initially this V12 produced approximately 240 bhp in the 250 GT PF Coupe, though subsequent versions received engine upgrades, resulting in increased power output.
Above Video: This short POV film from Winding Road Magazine puts you in the driving seat of a Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe, so you can see what it looks like and perhaps more importantly, what it sounds like.
The engine was mated to a four-speed manual transmission with power sent back to a live axle that rode on semi-elliptic leaf springs and tubular shock absorbers. Up front the car was fitted with independent suspension consisting of double A-arms and tubular shock absorbers.
The Series II version of the 250 GT PF Coupe was introduced in 1960. It featured some notable changes over the earlier Series I model. The most significant update was the addition of disc brakes, which significantly improved braking performance. The Series II also incorporated subtle styling revisions, such as a revised grille design and smaller taillights, however only those deeply familiar with the model can pick out the changes on sight.
The Ferrari 250 GT PF Coupe Series II offered a comfortable and well-appointed cabin, showcasing Ferrari’s commitment to blending performance with luxury in the road car offerings. The car’s performance capabilities made it suitable for long-distance touring, while still retaining the sporting characteristics of a Ferrari, and it became a major seller for the Modena-based automaker.
The Ex-Carlo Abarth 250 GT PF Coupe Shown Here
The car you see here is one of the more interesting barn finds we’ve come across recently, or garage find in this case. It was bought new by Carlo Abarth and kept by him for a number of years before being bought by a new owner and shipped to the USA in 1966.
Importantly the car retains its matching-numbers 3.0 Colombo V12 engine, though of course it will need a rebuild before being run.
The current owner of the car bought it in 1968, in 1971 (for reasons unknown) the car was rolled into a garage and left there for 52 years. It retains its original engine, chassis, and body – making it a dream restoration project for those who specialize in resurrecting historically significant Ferraris.
The car is now being offered for sale out of Astoria, New York on eBay of all places, with a classified ad price of $367,500 USD. One can only wonder if they wouldn’t get a little more than that through a specialist auction house given the car’s unique history.
If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can visit the listing here, it’s being offered for sale by Gullwing Motorcars.
Images courtesy of eBay
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.
