Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Series II
Completed: 1960
Originally delivered: Italy
Original colour: Nero Tropicale

The 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Series II on offer was delivered originally in Italy in Nero Tropicale with a contrasting interior in Naturale, black with tan leather. The first owner was a Mr. Pantanella who was the president of the Societa di Navigazione in Palermo/Sicily. It was later registered in Florence where it was maintained at the Ferrari factory in 1966. Up from the late sixties it found its way to the US for more than 20 years. In the early nineties it was shipped back to Europe being with the famous Ferrari dealer and collector Jean Guikas from Marseille/France.

The history is confirmed by the Marcel Massini report accompanying this car.

The 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Series II appeared later in the Netherlands where it had been completely restored in the mid to late nineties. The original matching number engine has been taken apart and a complete rebuilt was carried out by well known Netherland based Pete Roelofs which is documented by the invoices and as well by the dyno test sheet which is showing 219 bhp at 7000 rpm.

There are very few owners which have asked for a complete restoration for a Pininfarina Coupe. Over the years these very elegant cars never have been appreciated too much that it seemed to be a financial pain to go through an expensive and extensive complete restoration. But in this case the last long term owner decided to restore his new toy regardless of costs because he wanted to add this 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Series II to his famous and wonderful collection.

Ferrari started the production of the Pininfarina Coupe Series I as the successor to the Ferrari 250 GT Boano and 250 GT Ellena in 1958. The first 200 cars of the production were built up on the 508 D frame, they had still the old fashioned drum brakes of the earlier days in the front and rear, they received the 4-speed gearbox and the Tipo 128 D engine with the spark plugs mounted on the inside of the cylinder heads.

The later version which today is called the Pininfarina Coupe Series II is far more developed than the Series I cars. Ferrari constructed a new frame Tipo 508 F which was stiffer than the older Tipo 508 D frame used for the predecessor. They new Pininfarina Series II received the more modern and looked after disc brakes for the front and rear wheels, they received the brand new 5-speed gearbox as an electric overdrive system. But even more important was the new Tipo 128 F engine with the outside spark plugs, bigger valves, much more improved lubrication and equipped with much more torque.

The differences between a Pinifarina Coupe Series I and Series II in terms of technical improvements are dramatic. The Pininfarina Coupe Series II is technically a modern version of the Series I car. It was more or less the milestone carrying the technical achievements at Ferrari in the late fifties.

This in mind it makes the Pininfarina Coupe Series II much more desirable than the older predecessor.

Ferrari produced altogether 350 Pininfarina Coupes, from which the first 200 cars were counted as Series I and the last 150 cars which are known as Series II.
Lots of these cars were made as US versions heading to Ferraris strongest market. Ferrari was selling half of their production to the US in its early days. By this we assume that not more than 75 Pininfarina Series II Coupes were made as Euro versions, from which not each car has survived.

Our car is one of the few 250 GT Pininfarina Series II Coupes delivered in Italy as an European version.

Quite a few Pininfarina Coupes were used in the early days as donor cars for California LWB, Tour de France or Testarossa Replicas, knowing that they were carrying the same frames, engines, gearboxes and the rest of the technique needed. By this they tragically became poor victims of a wrong movement. They were dismantled, vandalized and vanished, simply being destroyed. The number of Pininfarina Coupes which are missing today is huge.

Our latest research brought to light that more than 20 Pininfarina Coupe Series II were lost by this only.

Lots of other cars were dismantled or parted out in the early days because it made no financial sense to restore them due to their little value. This might be the reason that tens of cars might not exist anymore or the whereabouts could not have been traced yet. And a bigger problem is as well that lots of cars are missing their original factory installed engines, which might have ended up in other Ferrari or were simply destroyed. There are dozens of Pininfarina Coupes which do not have their matching number engines and gearboxes.

A Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Series II with its metric instruments, delivered as the Euro version, having still its matching number engine and gearbox being in perfect condition is virtually a rare breed.

Our Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Series II is one of those.

It benefited by a new paint job in its stunning elegant Nero Tropicale coloiur as delivered, which was carried out in winter 2025/26 by finishing the assembling work in February 2026. Invoices for the work carried out are accompanying the archive file.

The car is in near to new condition throughout rarely driven after its restoration.

After having bought it, we immediatedly checked the engine by carrying out a big service. The following leak down test shows best results. Recent test drives confirmed that it still runs like it should, the engine revs perfectly, the gearbox shifts like it should and the 5th overrdrive gear is working properly by not having any vibration from the drivetrain or differential.

It might be difficult to find a Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina Coupe Series II in similar and near to perfect condition.

It looks wonderful and it drives as it looks.