Beschreibung:

* 4.0-liter V12, 300bhp * Five-speed gearbox * European market example * Desirable Borranis * Documented chain of ownership * History report by Marcel Massini 'At the top - at the absolute top - in the automotive enthusiasts' hierarchy of the cars of the world, there is only one. Ferrari. Is there really any question?' Thirty-plus years after Car & Driver magazine voiced that rhetorical enquiry the answer, of course, remains the same. And the car that prompted that eulogy? The Ferrari 330GTC. Intended to fill a gap in Ferrari's line-up between the four-seat 330GT 2+2 and the racer-on-the-road 275GTB, the two-seat 330GTC debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966 and was essentially a closed version of the 275GTS. Pininfarina's understated coachwork combined elements of the latter at the rear, with touches of the 500 Superfast at the front. Few would disagree with Car & Driver's opinion that the result was most agreeable. 'The GTC is a tasteful blend of the mean-and-low look of Ferrari competition GT cars, with the elegance of super-luxury street Ferraris of the past. Detail work, finish, panel fit, every aspect is superlative.' Beneath the 330GTC's bonnet resided the 4.0-liter, 300bhp version of Ferrari's familiar, two-cam, 60-degree V12, as used in the 330GT 2+2. The short (94.5" wheelbase) chassis followed Ferrari's established practice of tying together sturdy oval-section main tubes in a steel spaceframe, while the suspension was independent all round by means of wishbones and coil springs. First introduced on a road-going Ferrari (the 275GTB) in 1964, the rear suspension incorporated the five-speed gearbox in a transaxle, an arrangement that created a better balanced car and one that gave its driver, 'the wonderful sense of knowing just exactly what's going on between one's posterior and the pavé.' Much development work had concentrated on the reduction of noise levels in the cabin, which was luxuriously equipped in the best Gran Turismo manner: leather seats, electric windows and heated rear screen were standard; radio, air conditioning and Borrani wire wheels the options. With a top speed in excess of 150mph, excellent ride comfort and sure-footed handling, Ferrari could justifiably claim the 330GTC to be the finest of high-speed conveyances for two people and their luggage. Among its brethen, this particular 330 GTC is well known for being a particularly good, original and unspoiled example. That it has survived its 45 year existence so well is testament to a simple chain of ownerships and careful maintenance. Originally the car was supplied for the European market, its first destination being to an Italian, Mr. Moratti, who purchased it through M. Gastone Crepaldi's San Marco, Milan garage. As delivered it wore Argento (silver) paint and had the black leather interior that it retains to this day. Three years later in 1970, it crossed the northern Italian border into Switzerland to become the property of Villmergen based dealer Rob de la Rive Box. 'Robbie Box' as he was known colloquially was responsible for the trade that brought it first to America, when he sold it Los Angeles based collector Dr. Bill Cryan. Around this time the car was repainted in the lustrous deep red hue that it still wears, this work being carried out by respected restorer Bill DeCarr and by then it had acquired its Borrani wires. It is known that the car received an engine, transaxle and suspension rebuild in 1984 as it was advertised in the March edition Ferrari Market Letter, with this work having just been completed. In actuality, Dr. Cryan kept the car and it would be another five years before he parted with it, when it would pass to the previous owner Gary Thieltges of GT Motors in Glendale, California. Thieltges himself kept the car for eight years, occasionally offering it for sale, when he did he would note it as 'mechanically and cosmetically exceptional' and listed a mileage of '20,610kms'. One of these inviting adverts caught the