The Ferrari 250->ke1155 GT lineup was a direct spawn of the 250 racers from the 1950s. In 1954, the first of the 250 GTs, the 250 Europa GT, came into existence, bearing a 217-horsepower V-12 engine and a long racing bloodline. The 259 GT line was neither a long-lived nor mass produced product, as it only lasted one decade and a fairly limited production number.

In 1962, Ferrari->ke252 released a new version of the 250 GT, which was dubbed the 250 GT Lusso, “Lusso” meaning “Luxury.” The 250 GT/L is one of the more rare Ferraris in the world today, as only 350 models were ever built and the number of surviving models is not readily available.

If you have ever wanted to own one of these particularly rare machines, now is the time to act, as RM Auctions is offering a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta up for sale in Monaco on May 11th and 12th, 2012. Not only is this an extremely rare model, but it was the 4th from the last one ever manufactured.

You may be wondering how well this 48-year-old Ferrari is holding up to the test of time.

Click past the jump to find out.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta
  • Engine/Motor: V12
  • Horsepower: 250 @ 7300
  • Transmission: Four-speed manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The exterior of the 250 GT/L Berlinetta was one of the most stunning exteriors ever to wear a reared horse emblem. This particular model is perfectly restored to its original condition and features its original medium-blue paint, which was added only after the entire body was taken down to bare metal.

The front fenders are about as curvaceous as you could get for a 1964 model year. As the nose slightly dives downward, the front fenders seem to almost separate themselves from the front clip and end with two rounded headlight assemblies. The front grille is a strikingly large oval shape with the famed Ferrari horse logo right in the middle of it.

At each corner, there are original wire wheels that came fitted on the 250 GT/L. The side profile of this `60s luxury sports car is just as attractive as its front. The front windshield rakes rearward at a nice angle to allow air to easily slip over it. From there, the roof line swoops its way downward in a fastback manner, featuring a large and curved rear window.

When compared to the stunning front and rear end of this Ferrari, the rear end seems almost forgotten. It honestly just does not do this vehicle the justice it deserves. It is completely flat and features just two rounded taillights and a rather boring chrome bumper. The only things that stands out on the rear end are the quad exhaust tips.

Interior

The interior of this Ferrari 250 GT/L really gives its exterior a run for its money in the sexy department. Part of its 2010 restoration included a complete overhauling of its aging interior to bring it back to its original condition.

For the driver and passenger, you receive two mint condition leather seats. The center console appears to be leather-wrapped as well, and angles upward as it heads toward the gear shifter. Just like the seats, this console is in mint condition.

The dashboard on this `60s Ferrari is about as shapely as you would see in that era. It also features a center-mounted speedometer and tachometer that are angled toward the driver, almost like you see in the Saturn Ion. Directly in front of the driver are four gauges and a clock. The four gauges from left to right are gasoline (Benzina), water temperature (Acqua), oil temperature (Olio), and oil pressure (Olio). The steering wheel is a massive three-spoke wheel with a wooden grip and the Ferrari horse as its horn button.

Behind the front seats, is a small storage compartment that it lines in triangle tufted leather.

When driving this Ferrari, you are forced to really pay close attention to the sounds of that V-12 engine pumping, as there is no radio in this car. There appears to be no air conditioning, as well.

This interior is really one of the most beautiful we have seen in a 1960s car. Ferrari did a great job of making it modern for its era, but not going absolutely crazy with its modernization.

Engine and Drivetrain

Under the hood of this classic Italian vehicle is a SOHC, 2,953 cc V-12 engine that cranks out 250 horsepower at 7,300 rpm. Sitting atop the intake manifold on this Tipo 168 engine are a threesome of Weber dual-choke carburetors. This engine was certainly not designed for intense power like today’s V-12 engines, but it was more designed for power per liter of size, which it was pushed to the maximum.

Throwing the power to the rear axle is a four-speed manual transmission. The rear axle has a 4-to-1 ratio, which is designed much more for performance than comfort, especially when you combine it with the four-speed transmission.

The engine and drivetrain combine to launch this 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta to 80 km/h in 6.2 seconds. This classic Ferrari can hit 60 mph in 8 seconds and 100 mph in 19.5 seconds. It can clear a quarter mile track in 16.1 seconds at a top speed of 91 mph. Thanks to its impressively high redline for the era, this vehicle can reach a top speed of 150 mph.

Handling and Braking

Up front, this 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta has an extremely modern double wishbone suspension system that is fully independent, allowing each wheel to move completely separate from the other. The rear suspension is a little more like the others of its area, as the 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta has a semi-elliptic leaf spring rear suspension with parallel trailing arms and a live rear axle.

On the front and rear, this classic Ferrari features hydraulic disc brakes, which is very rare for a vehicle of its age. There’s no mention of whether the brakes are power or manual, but we do not see a brake booster in the engine compartment, so we can easily assume they are manual brakes. With this Ferrari only weighing 2,249 lbs, there is really no need for power brakes.

Pricing

RM Auctions expects this Ferrari to fetch anywhere from €620,000 to €680,000 ($807,550 to $885,700). We tend to think that’s a little bit high, as NADA places its value at $720,000 in the “high retail” range. It’s doubtful if anyone will reach that far for this car.

Competition

The only competition really available for this model is its predecessor, the Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca’ that is up for sale at the same auction. The 225 Sport Spyder is significantly less powerful than the 250 GT/L, as it only pumps 215 horsepower from its V-12 engine.

The 250 GT/L definitely wins in the looks competition, as the 225 Sport Spyder was built for racing and lacks any rear refinement. The GT/L was an all out luxury car for its era.

The real difference lies in the pricing and rarity of the cars. The 225 Sport Spyder is only one of 12 known to exist and is anticipated to fetch a whopping $2.3 to $2.9 million.

Conclusion

As we said earlier, the anticipated pricing by RM is simply a pipedream, as no one is going to overpay on the car’s value by $100K. If you can snag up this aging Ferrari for its actually value of about $700K, you have a safe investment, as this car is slated to go nowhere but up in value.

The hardest part of the entire ownership process will be trying not to drive it every day. Then again, we would respect the hell out of you if you did drive it daily.