One to Buy: Single Owner Bianco Polo 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB
/
Going under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Monaco on April 25th is this remarkable example of Ferrari’s first generation Berlinetta Boxer: 365 GT4 BB chassis 17785.
Completed on March 20th 1974 and configured in the rarely seen combination of Bianco Polo with Nero upholstery, chassis 17785 was ordered through the Crepaldi Automobili Ferrari agency in Milan by a customer from Varese who retained it right up until January of this year. Throughout that time, the BB always wore the registration VA 423947.
According to RM Sotheby’s: “Comments on file from the official Ferrari workshop, Autofficina Bonini Carlo, recall a restoration of the car in the early to mid-2000s, with Bacchelli & Villa overseeing the bodywork repairs. The engine was not rebuilt because it was in good condition. In 2020, the 365 GT4 BB was returned to Autofficina Bonini Carlo for a timing belt replacement with other servicing (invoice available to view on file).”
Earlier this month, chassis 17785 underwent Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification. The single-owner 365 GT4 BB, which showed 52,600km at the time of cataloguing, is also accompanied by its original book pack and tool kit.
In total, 387 copies of the 4.4-litre Flat 12-engined 365 GT4 BB were manufactured between 1973 and ‘76, after which Ferrari switched to the torquier but less powerful 4.8-litre 512 BB which had a production run of 929 units. This was in turn followed by the fuel-injected 512i BB that, between 1981 and ‘84, saw 1007 examples emerge.
As the rarest, most powerful Berlinetta Boxers, these early variants have understandably come to be regarded as the most collectable iteration of Ferrari’s first twelve cylinder mid-engined road car. This particular machine’s combination of an elegant colour combination and 52 year single ownership make it one for the serious collector.
