1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Registration no. PHJ 224E
Chassis no. 10113

Ferrari convertibles have always been produced in considerably smaller numbers than their closed cousins and thus are even more coveted by collectors. In essence a closed version of the 275 GTS, the two-seat 330 GTC debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966 and was intended to fill a gap in Ferrari's line-up between the four-seat 330 GT 2+2 and the racer-on-the-road 275 GTB. Later that same year the open version - the 330 GT Spider, or GTS - was introduced at the Paris Salon.

Beneath the 330's bonnet resided the 4.0-litre, 300bhp version of Ferrari's familiar, two-cam, 60-degree V12, as used in the 330 GT 2+2. The short (2,400mm wheelbase) chassis followed Ferrari's established practice of tying together sturdy oval-section main tubes in a steel spaceframe, while the suspension was independent all round by wishbones and coil springs. First introduced on a road-going Ferrari in 1964 (on the 275 GTB) the rear suspension incorporated the five-speed, all-synchromesh gearbox in the form of a transaxle. Unlike the 275 GTS, the 330 GTS (and 330 GTC) employed the superior torque-tube transmission introduced on the 275 GTB towards the end of 1965.

Testing a 330 GTS in 1968, Road & Track magazine found that the fully sorted, all independent, transaxle chassis gave "a soft, level ride, wonderful adhesion and excellent behaviour. Out on the road, once the driver has the feel of things, he feels he could do almost anything with this car".
Luxuriously equipped in the best Gran Turismo manner, the 330 GTS interior boasted leather seats and electric windows as standard, radio, air conditioning and Borrani wire wheels being the options. With a top speed in excess of 150mph, excellent ride comfort and sure-footed handling, the 330 GTS justified Ferrari's claim that it was the world's finest convertible two-seater. Only 100 were produced by the factory between 1966 and 1968, alongside 600 examples of the 330 GTC Berlinetta.

The 38th of its type produced, Ferrari 330 GTS chassis number '10113' was originally finished in Blu Chiaro with Rosso leather interior and matching top, and was equipped with instruments in kilometres and the optional Borrani wire wheels (see Massini Report on file). The car was completed in July 1967 to European specification and delivered to dealer M Gaston Crepaldi in Milan, Italy. Sold by Crepaldi to its first owner, a Mr Domeneghetti, the Ferrari was exported to the USA in the mid-1970s and in 1980 was sold to Laird L Cleaver in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Massini Report lists various works carried out while the Ferrari was owned by Mr Cleaver, who stored it at his winter home in Utah, unused, between 1989 and 1996 when the engine and transaxle were overhauled by Motion Products Inc of Neenah, Wisconsin.

In 1998, '10113' passed to its next private owner, Gary Hornbarrier of Advance, North Carolina, who kept the car for the next three years before selling it to Ferrari collector Michael Westrick of Fort Wayne, Indiana in 2001. Michael Westrick owned the Ferrari until January 2004 when it was sold via dealer Mike Sheehan to Paul Wignall in the UK. Registered as 'PHJ 224E', the Ferrari was re-commissioned by marque specialists TDH Classics (Terry Hoyle) and later in 2004 was fitted with four new shock absorbers (bills on file). Next owner Andrew Fletcher acquired the Ferrari in November 2004, and in December of that year TDH carried out further remedial works and installed inertia-reel seatbelts (bill available). The current vendor (its third owner in the UK) acquired '10113' on 7th December 2005, since when the Ferrari has been maintained by John McAleese in Scotland. Representing a wonderful opportunity to acquire one of the rarest of soft-top V12-engined Ferraris, this beautiful 330 GTS is offered with a current V5C Registration Certificate and a history file of bills and other paperwork.