One to Buy: ex-Jan de Vroom / NART 1 of 16 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy
Between 1964 and 1968, the 275 GTB was offered as Ferrari’s flagship series production model.
Initially sold in single overhead cam short nose trim, the Pininfarina body was updated to incorporate an air-piercing long nose from 1965. A dual overhead cam 275 GTB/4 subsequently came on stream in 1966 and was ultimately replaced by the striking soft wedge 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ in 1968.
Throughout the 275 GTB’s four year production run, undoubtedly the most desirable option was an all-aluminium body instead of the standard arrangement which used steel for everything bar the opening panels.
In total, just 16 aluminium-bodied 275 GTB/4s are understood to have left Maranello in period, perhaps the most famous of which, chassis 10311, is set to go under the hammer at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale scheduled for August 15th to 17th.
Ordered new by Ferrari VIP customer and NART-backer, Jan de Vroom, chassis 10311 was configured in the spectacular colour scheme of Avorio with Rosso upholstery. Following ts completion in August 1967, it remained in de Vroom’s possession for just under a year, at which point Ferrari’s North American distributor and NART patron, Luigi Chinetti, acquired it to go Group 3 GT racing.
Equipped with all the necessary upgrades to go racing at World Championship level, 10311 went on to finish ninth overall and third in class at the 1968 Watkins Glen 6 Hours, after which it recorded a class win at the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours (placing 23rd overall).
Presented in immaculate condition with matching numbers and Ferrari Classiche certification.
Reprinted below is RM Sotheby’s description:
Chassis No.: 10311
Engine No.: 10311
Gearbox No.: 343 I/R
Documents: US Title
Estimate: $5m - $6m
The most successful of all racing 275 GTB/4s; the only car to achieve a class victory in a major international race
Prepared by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART) in 1968 for competition use
Finished 1st in class at the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona, driven by Sam Posey and Riccardo Rodriguez
Ferrari Classiche certified as retaining its original, matching-numbers engine and gearbox
Benefits from 2024 cosmetic refinish by Motion Products Inc. to its 1969 24 Hours of Daytona livery, including the original factory-appointed color combination
The significance of Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team, better known as NART, is nearly impossible to quantify. By the late 1960s NART was one of just four privateer racing teams to enjoy close support from the Ferrari factory, and arguably the most important. Chinetti’s close relationship with Enzo Ferrari allowed the importer to routinely procure Maranello’s newest and most powerfully specified sports-racing cars. The NART campaigns not only helped Chinetti to more effectively sell cars, but additionally NART victories in both SCCA and FIA-sanctioned events contributed to the manufacturer’s all-important chase of championship points in both series.
Because of the team’s significance in Ferrari’s history, NART-campaigned cars are now highly coveted by collectors seeking the highest level of provenance, making them among the most prized of all the Prancing Horses. Chassis number 10311 falls precisely into this category, being a NART-prepared and Chinetti-owned competition entry that won its class during the World Championship round at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
According to a history report by marque expert Marcel Massini, this Ferrari began life as one of the extremely rare 16 alloy-bodied 275 GTB/4 berlinettas. Luxuriously appointed with power windows, dual headrests, and a radio console, the 275 was finished in Avorio (Ivory) paint over a Rosso leather interior, a striking and very rare color combination that only appeared on one other 275 GTB/4 from new.
Following completion of assembly in August 1967, the Ferrari was exported to Luigi Chinetti Motors on behalf of the first official owner, Jan de Vroom, a New York banker and longtime Chinetti client. The owner only briefly kept the GTB/4 before trading it back to Chinetti, at which point its history took a most propitious turn.
Recognizing the berlinetta’s racing potential as a lightweight alloy-bodied four-cam, Chinetti decided to convert it into a GT-class racecar, and the NART mechanics undertook a series of competition modifications. The fuel system was upgraded with twin Bendix electric fuel pumps, and the fuel filler was modified with an external cap that fed through the trunk. The bumpers were removed, an interior rollbar was installed, and larger 15-inch Borrani wire wheels were fitted.
In July 1968, the 275 made its competition debut as a NART entry at the six-hour race at Watkins Glen, where well-known driver and sports car importer Bob Grossman teamed up with Ford GT40 Le Mans podium-finisher Ronnie Bucknum to achieve 9th overall. Shortly thereafter Chinetti sold the GTB/4 to Richard Wynn of Knoxville, Tennessee, although it continued to race under the NART banner.
In September 1968 the Ferrari was entered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it failed to pass the scrutineers’ inspection due to inappropriate wheels. Chinetti was irate; however, with Scuderia Ferrari boycotting the race due to recent engine-limit rule changes, Chinetti’s team was unable to appeal successfully in time for the start. The 275 was brought back to the US and development continued until the next most important 24-hour race, where the car truly made its mark: the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. With the alloy GTB/4 entered by NART as race #41, Sam Posey and Riccardo Rodriguez roared to a 1st in class finish (23rd overall), forever sealing the car’s competition pedigree, and achieving the most successful race result of any 275 GTB/4.
By 1970 the Ferrari was sold to Dr. Ron Finger, a plastic surgeon residing in Houston, Texas, and around this time the car was repainted in metallic brown. The four-cam passed to two more Houston-based enthusiasts over the next five years before being sold to Dr. Arnold Barker of Shreveport, Louisiana. When Dr. Barker offered the car for sale in 1980, it had been repainted in nero.
Next owned for a year by an enthusiast in Kansas, the Ferrari passed in 1983 to Ron Spangler’s well-known Prancing Horse Farm, and from him the car was sold a year later to Skip Berg of Tiburon, California, the onetime owner of the famed Sears Point racing venue. During one of the more recent ownerships the 275 was involved in an accident, so the new owner decided to conduct a complete restoration. The rolling chassis and its alloy coachwork were dispatched to the highly regarded Bachelli & Villa’s Carrozzeria Auto Sport in Bastiglia, Italy, including a refinish in giallo. Meanwhile the engine and running gear were restored by Michael Giddings and Robin Automotive. The various elements were then reunited by Berg’s JAS Racing concern, and the finishing touch was applied with California tags reading “ALLOY.” The 275 was soon the subject of a cover-car feature in the August/September 1987 issue of Cavallino magazine.
In 1990 the Ferrari was sold to Dutch collector Fritz Kroymans, who went on to retain possession for a noteworthy period of 20 years. The 275 was then sold in February 2010 to noted collector Tom Price in California before next passing to a Swiss collector a few years later. In June 2012 the car was certified by Ferrari Classiche, issuing a White Book to preserve the important racing modifications, such as the outside fuel filler, which the car received from NART en route to its class victory at the 1969 24 hours of Daytona. The Classiche certification also authenticates the presence of the matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and coachwork.
While in Switzerland the 275 was maintained for the next few years by the official marque dealership Garage Nemeth in Bern-Hinterkappelen, before being acquired by the consignor in 2015. In 2024 the berlinetta was submitted to the highly respected marque experts at Motion Products Inc. for a refinish to the 1969 Daytona livery, including a fresh repaint in the original Avorio (with race #41 and NART decals) over a new rosso leather interior. This return to the original factory-appointed color scheme unquestionably bolsters the car’s highly authentic state of presentation.
With only 16 factory-built 275 GTB/4 alloy bodied cars constructed, chassis 10311 already resides among the most exclusive of all Ferrari 275s. However, when combining the alloy bodywork, with the most successful 275 GTB/4 competition history, an extremely rare color combination and Ferrari Classiche certification confirming full original matching-numbers drivetrain and bodywork, the provenance of chassis 10311 truly sets it apart from all other four-cams. Now faithfully restored to original colors and 24 hours of Daytona specification, 10311 is worthy to join the most exclusive or up-and-coming collections.
