One to Buy: ex-Paris Motor Show / Andre Dubonnet 1955 Ferrari 250 Europa GT Berlinetta Speciale
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Before the switch to a largely productionised line up of Berlinetta, Coupe, Cabriolet and Spyder bodies for the 250 GT during the second half of the 1950s, Pinin Farina produced a considerable variety of designs, some of which served to prototype a potential new line.
One such car was chassis 0393 GT which came from a small series of short wheelbase Europa GTs clothed with next generation Berlinetta bodywork. Elaborately detailed and quite different from one another, these experimental and often quite racey styling prototypes all found homes with Ferrari VIP clients.
Chassis 0393 GT was custom built for Parisian industrialist and amateur racer, Andre Dubonnet, whose grandfather had founded the famous Dubonnet aperitif. Cloaked in an all-aluminium body, 0393 GT featured an array of unusual details, the most obvious of which were its dramatic finned rear fenders, vented sail panels and Fastback rear windscreen.
Upon completion, chassis 0393 GT was displayed at the 1955 Paris Moor Show which opened on October 6th and ran for ten days. Andre Dubonnet had reputedly planned to race the car at the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours (with Maurice Trintignant as his co-driver) but the owner broke his foot prior to the race and withdrew.
Dubonnet drove the 250 GT until 1958, at which time it was sent to Joseph Cattaneo’s shop in Italy. Five years later, American soldier Robert Spencer discovered 0393 GT at Garage Moloff in Paris and purchased it. Spencer modified the car to look more like a later 250 GT Berlinetta, removing the tail fins, adding a scoop to the hood and painting the car red. He then drove it in Europe until receiving military orders to return to the United States.
To get 0393 GT home, Spencer sold the car to Staff Sergeant Richard DeJagger who painted the 250 GT flat grey and shipped it as a military vehicle. When the car arrived at the Air Force base in Hamlet, Indiana, DeJagger sold the car back to Spencer, who eventually took it home to Pennsylvania with plans of restoring it.
Dr. Ron Mulacek of La Grange, Illinois, acquired 0393 GT from Spencer in November 1980 and carried out a comprehensive ten year restoration which included reconstructing the original finned rear fenders.
More recently, following acquisition by the current custodian in 2018, chassis 0393 GT has been returned to its original dark blue and tan livery. It was awarded Best in Show at the 2021 Sebring Florida FCA Meet and has also appeared at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and the Cavallino Classic. Red Book Ferrari Classiche certification was granted in 2022.
