Chassis 0447 GT          Engine 0447 GT, Internal No. 389 

• One of a few examples of early, alloy-bodied, pre-series cars built during the Pinin Farina-to-Boano transition
• Matching-numbers Tipo 112 Colombo V12 with early split-port cylinder heads, confirmed by Ferrari Classiche
• Documented Maranello development use, including experimental gearbox work and factory dyno testing
• Freshly rebuilt engine and a striking silver-accented period competition-inspired livery
• Previously a member of several of the most prestigious Ferrari collections

The Ferrari 250 GT did not emerge fully formed as one of the great grand touring cars of the 1950s. It evolved through a fascinating period in which Maranello was still building automobiles in small numbers, refining chassis’ and engines almost car by car as Ferrari searched for the formula that would carry its road-going V12 into a new era.

Recorded as one of the final chassis’ in the factory Europa GT ledger, 0447 GT sits at the meeting point between the early, individually coachbuilt 250s and the more standardized GT production that followed. Assigned Pinin Farina job number 14995, it was ultimately bodied by Carrozzeria Boano during the transition of 250 GT production between the two firms. Rather than the steel construction of the later series cars, its coachwork was hand formed in lightweight alloy, placing it among a tiny group of early sister cars that effectively bridged one chapter of Ferrari design with the next.

Factory records document 0447 GT at Maranello from October 1955 through July 1956, where it was subjected to a series of mechanical trials before entering private hands. Its build sheets states experimental gearbox work, noted by the phrase uso come esperimento, or use as an experiment, while specialized cylinder-head machining was overseen by department head Amos Franchini. The engine was subsequently bench tested under Cavaliere Bazzi, producing more than 200 corrected brake horsepower. Fortunately, that engine remains in the car today.

The matching-numbers 3.0-liter Colombo V12, confirmed by its Ferrari Classiche Red Book, is an especially interesting early Tipo 112 unit with individual-runner condotti sdoppiati, or split-port, cylinder heads. This arrangement shares important architecture with Ferrari’s competition-minded 250 MM and differs from the siamesed-port configuration adopted on the later production Boanos. Combined with the alloy body, the result is a 250 GT with a distinctly lighter, freer-breathing character than the series cars that followed.

It is important to understand 0447 GT for what it is, rather than turn it into something it was not. It was not built as a stripped factory Competizione berlinetta, nor does it need that distinction to be compelling. Its specification reflects an earlier moment when the boundary between Ferrari’s road and competition machinery was considerably less rigid and the lessons learned in racing still flowed directly into the company’s grand touring cars.

According to expert Marcel Massini, after its lengthy period of development at Maranello, the Ferrari was the exported to the United States, where, according to the Ferrari Red Book, it was sold new through Luigi Chinetti Motors. Although its first owner is not known, it was next noted under the ownership of a dentist in Monroeville, Pennsylvania and at that point was painted gray.

Among its later custodians was Dutch Ferrari authority and collector Frits Kroymans, who retained 0447 GT for nearly two decades. It later passed to California collector Tom Price, then a short while later to legendary Ferrari collector Les Wexner of Columbus, Ohio, continuing a pattern of ownership by enthusiasts who clearly understood the significance of this unusually early 250 GT.

Today, 0447 GT has a presence quite distinct from the more formal early Europas or the later production Boanos. Its current livery emphasizes the sporting nature beneath the elegant coachwork: the body is accented by a silver nose that narrows into a single stripe running over the length of the roof and upper body, with matching silver rockers below. Borrani wire wheels secured by two-ear knock-offs complete the purposeful presentation.

The effect is especially successful because the decoration follows rather than fights the underlying form. The low roofline, long bonnet, compact glasshouse, and restrained flanks remain unmistakably mid-1950s Ferrari, while the contrasting silver treatment gives the car just enough competition flavor to hint at the mechanical specification beneath.

The matching-numbers Colombo V12 has also been freshly rebuilt, adding considerable substance to a car already distinguished by its history. With its Classiche certification, original engine, lightweight alloy body, and recent mechanical attention, this is not simply a historically intriguing Ferrari to admire at rest, but rather rewards exercising.

That may ultimately be the most appealing aspect of 0447 GT. It carries the ingredients enthusiasts prize in Ferrari’s great competition berlinettas; alloy construction, early split-port cylinder heads, low weight, and direct ties to Maranello’s development program, while retaining the elegance and road-going intent of an early 250 GT.

For events such as the Mille Miglia Storica, Tour Auto, or Colorado Grand, that balance is difficult to ignore. It offers the atmosphere and mechanical character of Ferrari’s formative competition era in a car that remains fundamentally a grand tourer, one designed to cover distance rather than merely chase lap times.

Chassis 0447 GT is therefore best understood not as an early Boano in isolation, but as a surviving document of Ferrari in transition. Its Pinin Farina job number, Boano alloy body, evolving coachwork, experimental factory use, and unusual engine specification all belong to a brief period when the 250 GT was still becoming the car history now remembers.

Offers welcome and trades considered.

$1,495,000

Stock number 8174