At the 1960 Geneva Motor Show Ferrari unveiled one of the most notable GT cars, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider. It was produced until 1963, and only 106 cars left the production lines, of which 56 were with short wheelbase chassis. One of them, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, sold for $18,045,000 USD.
The car has the number 3099 GT and is one of only 37 examples with covered headlights. It is finished in the special shade Azzurro Metallizzato MM 16240, which adorned some 250 GT models with Pininfarina bodies produced between 1960 and 1962.
As a new car, it was delivered to the USA and exhibited at the New York International Auto Show in April 1962. After that, it was transported to the West Coast (Hollywood, California), where it stayed for several years. In 1970, the car crashed into a curb, and the suspension, brakes and exhaust system were damaged. In 1972, Charles Betz and Fred Peters bought it for $2,400 and restored it in the early 2000s. After that, it received the Ferrari Classiche certificate and won numerous awards at exhibitions over the past two decades.
The Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider is powered by a 3.0L CC SOHC Tipo 168/61 V-12 engine with 240 hp (177 kW) and 195 lb-ft (264 Nm) of torque. The engine is paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox.
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Source: Gooding & Company
