According to leading Ferrari authority Marcel Massini, this 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, Chassis No. 0885GT, was sold new in Florence, Italy, in April 1958 sporting coachwork by Carrozzeria Ellena, a fact that invites a brief introduction to the lineage of Ferrari coachbuilders beginning in the mid-1950s. By then, Pinin Farina’s collaboration with Enzo Ferrari had generated so much demand that 250 GT body production was shifted to Carrozzeria Boano while Farina undertook construction of a new factory. In 1957, Mario Boano left his firm to head Fiat’s new styling department, leaving key employee, Ezio Ellena, to carry on under a new firm bearing his name. The Turin-based Carrozzeria Ellena went on to produce 49 250 GT bodies, including one for Chassis No. 0885GT. In contrast to the Boano cars, which had low roofs with vent windows, the Ellena coupes had slightly higher roofs and no vent windows; both styles were superbly executed, showing excellent panel and trim fit and finish. Chassis No. 0885GT benefits from a known history since new, including its importation to New York City in late 1958. That history includes a side story that developed in June 1957, when talented Belgian sportsman racer Michel Ringoir damaged his new 250 GT, Chassis No. 0707GT, while racing in Europe. Ringoir decided to have the car rebodied with “14-louvre” Tour de France bodywork by Carrozzeria Mario Allegretti in Modena. Just as the new body was being completed, however, Ringoir changed his mind, deciding instead to have the original body repaired. Reportedly, in 1970 the Allegretti body was purchased by noted Ferrari dealer Joe Marchetti, who displayed it in his Chicago showroom. It was later acquired and displayed by a Kansas City collector, who then sold it to San Clemente, California, dealer and collector Marc Spizzirri along with 0885GT. In 2004, Spizzirri also acquired the “inside plug” V-12 engine from 0695GT and a correct transmission through Australian drag racing pioneer Ash Marshall, who had purchased them from Dick Merritt of Maryland. Spizzirri never realized his plan to restore and race the car, and in 2004, Tom Horvath fitted the Allegretti body to 0885GT, which was completed with the Marshall-supplied engine and transmission. In 2015, the car underwent a meticulous restoration by world- renowned Fast Cars in Redondo Beach, California, multiple award-winners in the Concours d’Elegance. Documented with 99 pages of receipts totalling $240,000, Chassis No. 0885GT presents in spectacular overall condition, finished to a painstaking level of detail. A magnificent tribute to the famed “14-louvre” Tour de France Ferraris, 0885GT is eligible for numerous international events.
