This is a project car in every sense of the term, it’s a partially completed conversion based on a Ferrari California with the body shell of a 1960s-era Ferrari California over the top.
The car uses the running gear and drivetrain of the California, with independent front and rear suspension, four wheel carbon ceramic disc brakes, and that Ferrari V8 engine producing 453 bhp. Once completed the car will be a show-stopper, but it’ll need a lot of work to get there. It’s now being offered for sale on eBay for $62,500 USD.
Fast Facts – A Ferrari California/250 GTE Project
- This project car combines a modern Ferrari California with the body shell of a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE. The California provides the drivetrain, frame, independent suspension, and 453 bhp V8, while the 250 GTE body has been modified to fit the chassis, including being both widened and lengthened.
- The Ferrari California used in the build is a 2010 model with just 5,600 miles, a clean title, and no accidents reported on its Carfax. The 250 GTE body originates from a 1963 model but lacks its original chassis, drivetrain, and running gear.
- Both the Ferrari California and 250 GTE were 3D scanned to ensure precise alignment during the build. Significant customization, including extending the body and adapting it to modern wheels and tires, demonstrates meticulous planning, though considerable work remains to complete the project.
- The unfinished project car, with all major parts included, is now for sale on eBay for $62,500 USD. Located in San Antonio, Texas, it offers a rare opportunity for skilled enthusiasts to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle blending vintage Ferrari aesthetics with contemporary performance.
Why Would You Do That?
So when looking at a project car like this the first question is usually a simple “why?” – why go to the trouble of spending hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of labor to meld a modern Ferrari California with a classic Ferrari 250 GTE.
The Ferrari California is a front-engined V8 2+2 that debuted in 2008 and was sold across two generations until 2017. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
The Ferrari 250 GTE made its public debut in 1960, as the course car for that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans no less.
The car had been developed on the pre-existing Ferrari 250 GT chassis, which it shared with legends like the Ferrari 250 GTO and the Ferrari 250 GT SWB.
The 250 GTE had been developed to be practical, more practical than any series-production Ferrari had been before. It had four seats with rear seats that could accommodate adults, it had a spacious trunk by Ferrari standards, and it sold in vast numbers as a result.
Ferrari sold almost 1,000 of them in the end, making it the Italian automaker’s most prolific car up until that point in time.
This clearly demonstrated to Enzo Ferrari that the company needed a sensible four-seater in their model range on a more permanent basis, and since that time the company has produced a number of four-seat (or 2+2) grand tourers.
The Ferrari 250 GTE made its public debut in 1960 as the course car for that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Image courtesy of Ferrari.
One of the modern descendants of the 250 GTE is the Ferrari California, a 2+2 model that was built from 2008 to 2017 across two major generations. So given the fact that both cars share the same genetic lineage, it’s perhaps not surprising that someone chose to build a 250 GTE/California chimera.
The Ferrari California/250 GTE Project Car
This is one of those project vehicles that’ll make just about everyone stop and stare.
It’s clear that it’s been undertaken by someone who knows what they’re doing, as both the Ferrari California and Ferrari 250 GTE have been 3D scanned, and the relevant pieces have been matched together in the computer before the process began in real life.
As you may have guessed, there’s a lot that goes into getting the steel body of a 250 GTE onto the unibody frame of a California. The body needed to be widened and lengthened, and the wheel arches needed to be modified to accept the larger modern wheels and tires.
The California is a 2010 model with 5,600 miles on it with a clean title and a Carfax report that shows no accidents or mileage discrepancies. The 250 GTE body comes from a 1963 model and it doesn’t include the original chassis, running gear, or drivetrain.
The car is partially completed, but it should be stressed that it still needs a vast amount of work until it’s completed.
The seller notes that all the major parts to complete the build are included, though it’ll take someone (or some team) with a very particular set of skills to complete the job and get the car on the road.
If you’d like to read more about this unusual project car or make them an offer you can visit the listing here on eBay. It’s being offered for sale out of San Antonio, Texas with an asking price of $62,500 USD or best offer.
Images courtesy of the eBay seller. Please note: the images are low resolution and some have been upscaled by us to make them a usable size for publishing.
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.
