• Chassis # --
  • Engine # --
  • Offered Out Of 30 Year Ownership
  • A Beautifully Restored Example
  • Historically Significant As Ferrari's First Production 2+2
  • Offered With Tools, Jack, And Restoration Documentation
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The Overview

Throughout the 1950s the 250 Series of Ferrari’s saw fantastic success, both on the race track and in the showroom. In order to stay competitive on the race track though, Ferrari had to sell more road cars to keep the bank account topped off. In the late 1950’s it was determined that Ferrari would develop its first real 4-seater offering to help broaden the market of potential buyers. The Pininfarina designed 250 GTE 2+2 was first introduced at the 1960 Paris Auto Show. 250 Series Ferraris all utilized one of two chassis, either a short version (94.5 inches) or the long version (102.4 inches), upon which the GTE was built. It utilized the same Colombo 3.0 liter V-12 engine as much of the rest of the 250 lineup, although in this guise it made an estimated 237 hp. In true Ferrari design fashion, the rear legroom was adequate for small children but tight for any true sized adult. The 250 GTE sold well, with almost 1,000 cars constructed by Pininfarina from the time it was prototyped in 1959 until it was replaced by the similarly styled 330 America at the end of 1963. Today, the 250 GTE 2+2 remains an elegant, well driving, and important piece of Ferrari’s automotive heritage.

The example on offer here, chassis number — and engine number –, is a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT/E 2+2 Series II. It is finished in Red with Tan Leather interior. the car was sold new out of Chinetti Motors in 1962, but not much else is known up until the current owner acquired the car on October 11, 1988, with 48,033 miles on the odometer. The car was in nice driver quality state when purchased by the current owner but it was determined that a full restoration should be carried out. A full frame-off restoration of the car began in July 1990 by T’s Sunrise of Englewood Colorado with body, frame, and paint being contracted out to 3R Automotive of Englewood, Colorado. The restoration was very well done and was documented nicely in photos which can be seen in the documents section. The entire engine and drivetrain were rebuilt during the restoration and every inch of the car was redone. Since the completion of the restoration in June of 1997, the car has covered a mere 2500 miles. Even though the restoration is now over 20 years old, the condition still remains outstanding with smooth glasslike paint and a clean and tidy interior. As the car sits today it currently needs nothing except a new home and owner who will cherish, show and drive this fabulous example of a historic Ferrari model.

 

Included in the sale of this vehicle are tools, jack, spare, and restoration documentation.

The Details

exterior

body and paint

Even though the restoration is around 20 years old the presentation of the car looks as if it was done less than 2 years ago. The exterior red paint is in fantastic condition, with deep rich color and smooth, consistent finish. The only area of note is that both the driver's side and passenger doors, under certain lighting conditions, appear to be just a shade darker than the rest of the car. Other than this minor issue, the rest of the car is in flawless condition thanks to its minimal and careful usage since restoration. The body itself is straight and smooth with excellent gaps and fitment all around.

glass and trim

The chrome on the car remains in fantastic condition with excellent shine and no pitting to speak of. The glass is in excellent shape, clean and clear all around. It appears that most of the glass is original to the car, as correct Securit markings can be found on the side windows. The windshield may be a newer replacement but it is branded XXX Triplex laminated. Some of the original pains do show some very minor signs of their originality under direct sunlight. The correct Marchal headlights are in excellent and working condition and the taillights are likewise in good, clean, and function order. Rubber trim is all supple and colorful, looking almost brand new.

wheels

The 15x5 1/2 Borrani wire wheels are in fantastic condition, with excellent shine, clean spokes, and bright center knock offs. The spare Borrani wheel, mounted securely in the trunk, matches the condition of the mounted wheels.

notable flaws

Even though this is an older restoration, the quality today is still impeccable and as such there really is not a whole lot to note other than the slight mismatch of coloring on the doors. This is only visible under the correct lighting conditions and does not detract from the overall presentation of the car in the slightest.

interior

seats and surfaces

Just like the exterior, the Tan Leather interior of this car remains in fantastic cosmetic condition. The seats, both front, and back, look next too new. The carpets retain excellent color, fitment and weave throughout the cabin. The door cards fit nicely and are clean tidy. The painted dash has great color and smooth finish. The leather-wrapped center stack and console are in excellent shape. The wood-rimmed wheel shows just a touch of patina but remains in fantastic shape overall with a bright, clean, and crack-free center horn button. The leather on the top of the dash retains good color, fits very well, and has tight stitching all the way around. The gauges all retain good color and are clear and legible. If one was forced to find faults with the interior, it could be said that the seats appear to be a bit overstuffed and the metal covers for the speakers on the doors show a bit of scuffing.

functionality and accessories

Everything in the interior appears to be cosmetically and mechanically in good condition. The doors open and close with ease, the windows wind up and down with no issues, and the wing windows open and close with the dials situated on the top of the door. The shifter moves freely through its range of motion. Dials, knobs, and switches appear to be all perform their correct functions and are in clean and tidy cosmetic condition. The emergency brake holds the car firmly in place. The current owner fitted a modern radio into the center stack, but this is easily rectified and a correct replacement radio is easy to find and install. An aftermarket set of seat belts were added to the car at some point, but these can easily be taken out or replaced with correct style belts.

notable flaws

An aftermarket radio was installed by the current owner which is an easy fix as correct style radios are plentiful and easy to install. A set of aftermarket seat belts were also installed which again, is an easy thing to correct.

engine bay and trunk

engine bay

The engine bay is very nicely finished and overall highly correct with things like the correct coils etc. in place. Painted surfaces are smooth and consistent. The crinkle coat on the valve covers is in great condition still as well. All components appear to show little to no wear and appear to be well looked after. The yellow fuel lines utilized in the engine bay, while looking correct are technically the wrong style. The only other fault in the engine bay is that the brake master cylinder reservoir displays a bit of corrosion, which would be an easy fix.

trunk area

The trunk area is clean and tidy with well-fitting carpets that retain good color and weave. Underneath the carpets, all metal surfaces have a smooth and consistent black painted finish to them. Four DZUS style fasteners are in place to hold down the access panel to the spare wheel well. The spare wheel well is trimmed in nice black carpeting with clean and solid metal underneath is. The spare Borrani wire wheel is mounted appropriately and in excellent condition.

Underside

The underside of the car is very consistent with the quality of restoration and the miles covered since completion. Suspension components are clean, rubber bits appear supple and in good condition, and all painted surfaces have a consistent finish to them. The metal on the floors appears structurally sound, with a smooth consistent quality to it, and no indications of there ever having been any issues. There is a bit of seepage around the bottom of the oil pan, but nothing out of the ordinary for these older Ferraris. A correct style Ansa Exhaust system is fitted and is in good condition, with bright clean tips and solid metal.

mechanicals

engine

The entire drivetrain was rebuilt during the restoration and as such this car remains in fantastic mechanical condition. The V-12 engine rumbles to life with ease and once up to temperature settles into a smooth and consistent idle. The engine makes good power and displays no flat spots or stumbles in acceleration.

transmission

The transmission on this 250 GTE shifts smoothly and holds power with ease. It revs freely throughout the range of RPMs. The clutch may need a bit of adjustment as the take up seems to be a bit high during our brief testing.

brakes and suspension

No issues to note here as the car comes to a smooth and controlled stop and displays good road manners with no abnormal noises or behavior

tires

The tires are Pirelli P4000 SuperTouring on all 4 corners. They were more than likely installed during the restoration but retain plenty of tread life as well as good color and solid sidewalls.

notable flaws

During our brief testing, it appears that the clutch needs a bit of adjustment as the take up is a bit high in the travel of the clutch pedal.

driving experience

The Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 is an important vehicle in Ferrari’s history as it is the first real production 4 seater offering from the Italian company. While production numbers were high for a Ferrari, many of these cars were mercilessly chopped up to make clones of more popular 250 variants, leaving the number of surviving examples of these beautiful V-12 power 4 seaters much lower than original numbers would suggest. The 3.0 liter Colombo V-12 engine may not make all the power available in some of the other 250 variants, but this car makes all the right noises, still has plenty of power and is a joy to drive. These cars were designed with touring and heavy usage in mind and therefore are comfortable and enjoyable to drive for extended periods of time. The historical nature of this car combined with the elegant and timeless good looks mean that these cars will always remain something special. This particular example, while restored many years ago, remains one of the best we have seen. The condition is truly top-notch and with a few minor fixes could easily be an FCA platinum winning example.