Every mid-August, the global ultra-wealthy gather at Pebble Beach to engage in high-stakes financial combat over automotive history, leaving ordinary mortals to merely dream from behind the velvet ropes. This year, the absolute pinnacle of this billionaire flexing is a stunning 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS heading to the Gooding auction block. You do not need a financial degree to realize this machine is far beyond the reach of average bank accounts.
This specific slice of automotive royalty is chassis number 07929, a vehicle that occupies a deeply sentimental throne in Maranello’s history as the first-ever open-top Ferrari to boast fully independent front and rear suspension.
This beautiful creature has been completely hidden from public view for over four decades. Originally purchased brand new in Italy by racing driver Pietro Ferraro, it transitioned in 1981 to a Southern California family who lovingly pampered it in total secrecy. Replete with its original matching numbers and finished in an alluring Grigio Fumo smoke gray over a striking red leather interior, it has all the textbook credentials to give wealthy collectors a severe case of bidding fever.
Unlike its stiffer coupé sibling, the iconic GTB, this Pininfarina-sculpted masterpiece was built for the sensory romance of the open air, translating the brand’s pure DNA into a convertible space where the wind in your hair is part of the engineering. Under that famously elongated hood sits a 3.3-liter V12 engine operating with a 60-degree angle between the cylinder banks, fed by three hungry Weber 40 DFI carburetors. It pushes out 260 HP at 7,000 rpm. Sure, that is 20 horses fewer than the GTB, but Ferrari preferred a smooth, boulevard-cruising roundness over raw track violence for this convertible destination.
Weighing a feather-light 1,120 kilograms, this Ferrari can comfortably soar to a top speed of 242 km/h, perfectly balanced by a rear-mounted five-speed manual transaxle gearbox. However, if the future billionaire owner actually intends to drive it instead of parking it in a climate-controlled vault, they might want to brace themselves. Pininfarina gave it gorgeous, muscular lines, but Ferrari gave it a notoriously undersized disc brake system. Drive it with too much enthusiasm, and you will quickly find yourself overshooting the corner.
With only 200 units ever produced during a flash-in-the-pan eighteen-month production run following its 1964 Paris Motor Show debut, its historical gravity is undeniable.
