VIN: the Jaime Ortiz-Patino Ferrari 400 Superamerica chassis 2373 SA
History of chassis 2373 SA
2373 SA was one of 24 400 Superamericas built on the short wheelbase Series 1 chassis.
Of these, seven were configured with Pininfarina’s covered headlight Coupe Aerodinamico bodywork inspired by the Superfast II show car unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in November 1960.
Chassis 2373 SA was the first of these seven cars.
It was configured in Royal Blue with a Beige interior and left-hand drive. Upon completion, 2373 SA was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1961.
The handsome machine was purchased by Swiss-domiciled Bolivian millionaire, Jamie Ortiz-Patino, and registered on the Geneva plate GE 77777.
Patino hailed from a tin mining dynasty; his grandfather, Simon Iturri Patino, had controlled practically the entire Bolivian tin industry. Upon his death in 1947, Simon Iturri Patino was considered among the world’s five wealthiest men.
At the end of 1961, Enzo Ferrari famously fired eight of his most prominent sporting directors to include Carlo Chiti, Giotto Bizzarrini and Romolo Tavoni. The ex-Ferrari men went on to establish ATS, for which Jaime Ortiz-Patino, Count Giovanni Volpi and Giorgio Billi were the financial backers.
Unfortunately, the ATS project quickly unraveled. By the end of 1962, Ortiz-Patino and Count Volpi had walked out.
Precisely how long Jaime Ortiz-Patino retained chassis 2373 SA is unclear. In 1967 he purchased a special Graber-modified Ford GT40 Mk1 (chassis P/1033) which was later transformed into a racing car for his godson to race (Dominique Martin). The GT40 was subsequently followed by a Porsche 907 (chassis 024) and a 917 (chassis 025).
By the late 1960s, the 400 Superamerica was in Anchorage, Alaska, in the care of Ralph Stephano. It was then owned by Steve Griswold in San Francisco and went through the hands of several more US owners before returning to Europe in 1990.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: unattributed
