While the world obsesses over hypercar horsepower wars and electric acceleration figures that sound like scientific notation, serious Ferrari collectors remain fixated on something far more analog. A 1967 gran turismo that tops out at 168 mph and comes with six carburetors that probably require a doctorate to tune properly.
The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 heading to RM Sotheby’s Palm Beach Cavallino Classic auction on February 14 exemplifies everything peculiar about the collector car market. One of only six originally finished in Rosso Rubino, this four-cam specimen carries a pre-sale estimate between $3.4 and $3.6 million. That’s roughly $162,000 per carburetor, if anyone’s counting.
Ferrari built the 275 GTB series between 1964 and 1968 as the successor to the 250 GT Lusso, introducing a more muscular design wrapped around a 3.3-liter V12. Early short-nose versions suffered from aerodynamic lift issues, apparently because wind tunnels were still considered optional equipment in Italian sports car development. Subsequent long-nose variants added a torque tube and various fixes, proving that even Maranello occasionally needed a second draft.
The GTB/4 variant, introduced in late 1966, marked Ferrari’s first series-production road car featuring double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank. Those four camshafts, combined with six Weber carburetors, delivered 20 additional horsepower over previous versions. Only 330 examples were produced before Ferrari moved on to other alphabetically confusing model designations.
This particular car left the factory in May 1967 and has accumulated just over 21,000 kilometers across five decades. The beige leather interior remains largely original, with only the seat cloth inserts replaced using period-correct material.
Ferrari Classiche certification confirms matching numbers for engine, transmission, gearbox, and coachwork. The car comes with original tools, manuals, spare wheel, and license plates, the automotive equivalent of keeping the box your iPhone came in, except exponentially more valuable.
As modern Ferraris chase specifications that read like fantasy novel statistics, the 275 GTB/4 serves as a reminder that sometimes four camshafts, reasonable mileage, and the right shade of red matter more than any track-mode setting ever could.
