Delivered new to Italy
Engine rebuilt by Ian Tyrrell in 2021
Full re-trim with Connolly Leather
Factory air conditioning
As the last of the classically styled Ferrari 2+2s from the 1960s, the 365 GT 2+2 offers an intoxicating blend of performance and elegance. This particular example is chassis number 13659 and was completed at the Maranello factory in September 1970.
It was finished in Azzurro Hyperion with a Nero VM 8500 interior and was sold new by Verona dealer Dino Ravasio & Sons to first owner Melzi SpA in Rome. It was registered ROMA F 89403 in October 1970.
The 365 GT 2+2 was serviced by Ferrari’s Assistenza Clienti department in Modena in November 1970 and June 1971, and it was later exported to the USA and repainted red. It was still red when it was sold by Motorcar Gallery in Florida in 2012, but it has since been repainted in Blu Scozia – a shade of dark blue that perfectly suits this elegant and understated Grand Tourer.
The Ferrari was exported to the UK in 2018 via Gullwing Motor Cars and registered ANM 496H. In 2021, it was given a full inspection by respected specialist Iain Tyrrell and an extensive programme of work was carried out in order to bring it up to its current superb condition.
The engine and gearbox were both removed and rebuilt, the former being fitted with 12 new Carrillo pistons. The starter motor and other ancillaries were also overhauled, and the timing chain was replaced. The Weber carburettors were reconditioned and the interior was fully retrimmed in Connolly Fawn leather.
Early in 2022, a specially made stainless-steel exhaust system was installed and four new Michelin XWX tyres fitted. A full service was also carried out, and it total this Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 has had more than £90,000 spent on it in the past couple of years.
As a result, it presents superbly and drives equally well, with plenty of performance on hand from the sonorous Tipo 245 V12 engine. Add creature comforts such as power steering and air-conditioning in the sumptuous cabin, and the result is one of the very best GT cars of the 1960s.
This Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 is offered for sale at The Classic Motor Hub with its original Operating, Maintenance and Service manual, plus a report from Ferrari historian Marcel Massini.
MODEL HISTORY
Ferrari had been producing the occasional 2+2 almost from the very beginning, but the first such car to go into series production was the 250 GTE. That model accounted for almost 70 percent of all Ferraris built during its lifetime, and it was replaced in 1964 by the 4-litre 330 GT 2+2.
That was followed in 1965 by a Series 2 variant, and two years later came the 365 GT 2+2. Nicknamed the ‘Queen Mary’ or ‘Queen Mother’ because of its size and elegance, it retained the 2650mm wheelbase of the 330 GT but the body was 280mm longer. Overall weight was also up slightly, to 1480kg.
The Colombo-designed, single-overhead-camshaft V12 engine was stretched to 4.4 litres and produced a quoted 320bhp. Independent rear suspension was used in place of the 330’s live axle, and the 365 was particularly well specified – electric windows and power steering were standard, while air-conditioning was an optional extra.
When Road & Track magazine tested a 365 GT 2+2 in period, it recorded a top speed of 152mph, a quarter-mile time of just over 14 seconds and concluded that it was a ‘superb all-round car’ and ‘a thoroughbred’.
The 365 GT 2+2 remained in production until 1971, when it was replaced by the much more angular 365 GT/4 2+2. In total, 809 had been built – making it Ferrari’s best-selling model during that time.