1961 – 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

Regarded as one of the most beautiful Pininfarina designs, the Lusso, or GT/L, sold as a road-going car and directly benefited from the successful line of Ferrari 250 GTs. It was developed from the dual-purpose 250 GT Short Wheel Base (SWB) which was delivered as both as a full-on competition or a steel-bodied grand touring car. When the SWB’s time was up, its road-going version was replaced in 1962 with the more curvaceous 250 GT Lusso.

The very first Lusso appeared in October of 1962 at the Paris Salon and generated lots of interest with its exquisite proportions. It became instantly recognizable with a sweeping side profile, full-length fenders, slim pillars, truncated tail and an odd three piece bumper.

Inside, the Lusso was well appointed with ample room for two and luggage area in behind with retention straps. This was possible because the Lusso used the earlier SWB chassis, but with its engine mounted much more forward to increase passenger space.

Although the Lusso’s primary intent was grand touring, it still shared many racing features with the all-conquering 250 GTO race car. Both had the same wheelbase, disc brakes, Boranni wheels, suspension and all-aluminum engine. Despite the Lusso’s less robust chassis, steel bodywork and more forward mounted engine, many owners rigged their cars with a harness and went racing when a GTO couldn’t be ordered.

Around 350 examples of the Lusso were constructed with the same steel body designed by Pininfarina and executed by Scaglietti with aluminum doors, boots and hoods. Nearly all were delivered with the same specification except for a few cars that received custom rear end ratios, 5-speed gearboxes and competition spec carburetion which may have been added after delivery. Sometimes, custom body and interior alterations were executed by Pininfarina, including faired-in headlights, extra venting and air conditioning, but these factory modifications were rare.

After 350 examples were made, the Lusso was replaced in 1964 by the much more impressive 275 GTB having four wheel independent suspension and a more complex space frame chassis.

Specs & Performance

Pictures

Videos

Our friends at Petrolicious know how to capture the spirit of classic cars like the Lusso. this Ferrari 250 GT Lusso video talks through all the wonderful details, the set of rituals that one must complete in order to unleash the fury of the V12 under the hood. The owner (James Chen) of this pristine example talks about how he prefers to release give it the beans in the quiet stillness of the morning when traffic is light and the sun is slowly rising to its magic hour. With few distractions, the empty morning streets of Downtown Los Angeles amplify the two-hundred-and-forty prancing horses that lie in wait for the mash of the throttle. Turn the volume on this 250 GT Lusso video, you won’t be disappointed.

The Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is one of the most beautiful vintage Ferrari models and Doug DeMuro gets his hands on one in this awesome video review. Doug tells us why the 250 Lusso is worth $3 million. Enjoy.

250 GT Lusso Prices & Auction Sales History

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L 4393GT – sold for $1,815,000 21st example built and eventally delivered to Jochen Di Giorgio, of Sausalito, California. Two-year restoration to factory-correct standards by Carini’s F40 Motorsports in Grigio Ferro with rich, caramel-toned tobacco upholstery. Auction Source: RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2015

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta 4735 GT – sold for €2,016,000 Striking Pino Verde over Beige. Original matching-numbers engine. The final 250 series Ferrari.. Ferrari Classiche certification pending. Auction Source: Villa Erba 2015 by RM Sothebys

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5225GT – sold for $1,925,000 One of Only 350 Lussos Built. Among the All-Time Great Sports Car Designs. Regularly Driven and Maintained Example. Offered with Handbooks and Tool Roll. Documented by Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: The Scottsdale Auctions 2015 by Gooding & Company

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ 5085 GT – sold for €1,624,000 Offered from a prominent private collection. Matching numbers. Recently enjoyed on a European tour. Never before offered at auction; offered from long-term ownership. The interior is the original Nero leather, which shows wonderful authenticity. Most importantly, the car is still powered by its original engine with the correct internal number 1684/62, which matches the build sheet. Auction Source: 2015 Paris by RM Auctions

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5791GT – sold for $2,200,000 One of Only 350 Lussos Built. Faithfully Presented in Elegant Original Livery. Recent Cosmetic Restoration and Comprehensive Service. Offered with Handbooks and Tool Roll. Documented by Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: 2014 Pebble Beach Auctions by Gooding & Company

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5249 GT – sold for $2,365,000 Delivered to Chinetti Motors and Last Road Registered in 1976. Spectacular Black over Red Color Scheme. Highly Original, Low-Mileage Example. Never Before Restored, Shown, or Offered for Public Sale. Documented by Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: 2014 Pebble Beach Auctions by Gooding & Company

1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ 5233GT – sold for $1,980,000 An incredible “barn find” Lusso. The first time offered for public sale. Original ownership for nearly 50 years. Original engine, gearbox, and axles. Auction Source: 2014 Monterey by RM Auctions

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ 5179GT – sold for $2,117,500 A lifelong “driver’s Ferrari”. Single ownership for 46 years. Meticulously maintained since new. An exceptionally well-known Southern California example. One of the finest Lussos in existence. Matching-numbers engine. Auction Source: 2014 Monterey by RM Auctions

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ 5215GT – sold for $2,447,500 The final iteration of the Ferrari 250 series. The 168th of 350 examples produced. One of the most comprehensively restored examples, finished in a desirable color combination. Matching numbers and Ferrari Classiche certified. Auction Source: 2014 Arizona by RM Auctions

1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ 5471GT – sold for $924,000 Offered from 15 years of enthusiast ownership. Equipped with a “hot” 275 GTB engine. A true driver’s car, perfect for rallies. The following year, the Lusso, now residing stateside, was fitted with the engine that remains installed today, a “type 213” V-12 from a 275 GTB. Described by a later owner as a “hot road engine,” this mill produces an estimated 300 horsepower, or roughly 50 more horsepower than the stock 250 GT/L V-12, which results in a car with even more “spirit” than it originally had. This is one of two Lussos believed to be equipped with such an engine in the era in which it was new, and it is featured appropriately on page 75 of The Berlinetta Lusso: A Ferrari of Unusual Elegance by Kurt H. Miska. Auction Source: 2013 Monterey Auction by RM Auctions

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5537GT – sold for $1,386,000 The 275th of 350 examples produced. Matching-numbers, low mileage example. Extensive concours-quality restoration completed in June 2013. Documented by marque historian Marcel Massini. Last of the celebrated 250 GT models. Auction Source: 2013 Monterey Auction by RM Auctions

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5683GT – sold for $1,265,000 Incredibly Well Presented, Detailed, and Correct Throughout. One of Only 355 Examples Produced from 1963–1964. The Final Expression of the Legendary 250 GT Model Lineage. Regarded as One of Ferrari’s Most Beautiful 250 GT Models. Auction Source: Gooding & Company’s 10th Anniversary 2013 Pebble Beach Auction

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta 5947GT – sold for €750,400 The 347th of only 350 examples produced. Ferrari Classiche certification. Fully restored in Italy in 2010. Maranello’s most elegant 1960s grand tourer. Presenting with distinctive panache, this superbly restored 250 GT/L is a mechanically fresh and cosmetically arresting example that wears one of Pininfarina’s most revered designs of all time.  Auction Source: Monaco 2012 by RM Auctions

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 4393GT – sold for $880,000 Certified by Ferrari Classiche. Matching-Numbers Engine. Exquisite Restoration by F40 Motorsports and Greg Jones. Stunning Period Color Combination. The Ultimate Evolution of the 250 GT with Timeless Pininfarina Design. Documented by Ferrari Historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: 2012 Scottsdale Auction by Gooding & Company

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta 5167GT – sold for €565,152 Original, matching-numbers V-12 engine; recent bare-metal refinish. One of only 355 examples originally built; competition-bred mechanicals. Single ownership for 25 years. The vendor has confirmed that 5167 GT drives as nicely as it looks, and we can confirm that the engine starts readily and does not smoke from cold. The oil pressure is good, and all the gauges work and operate correctly.  Auction Source: 2011 London Auction by RM

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta 4627GT – sold for $907,500 Retaining the original, matching-numbers V-12 engine, gearbox and differential. Accompanied by Ferrari heritage certificate; 43,000 miles. One of only about 350 examples originally built. A Ferrari Club of America (FCA) Platinum award winner. Auction Source: 2011 Monterey Auction by RM

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta – sold for €504,000 Final and arguably most beautiful road-going 250-series Ferrari. Original, matching-numbers V-12 engine. One of only 355 examples built. Five owners from new.Documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: RM 2011 Villa d’Este Auction

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5529GT – sold for $632,500 Certified by Ferrari Classiche. Limited Chain of Ownership Including Several Distinguished Ferrari Collectors. Verified Matching-Numbers Example. Originally Delivered in Red over Black. Complete with Factory Tool Roll. Ideal for Tours, Concours and Ferrari Events. Documented by Marque Historian Marcel Massini. Auction Source: 2011 Amelia Island Auction by Gooding & Company

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 4411GT – sold for $720,500 According to historian Marcel Massini, when chassis 4411 GT left the factory in May 1963, it was only the 27th Lusso built. Reportedly ordered for the personal use of Mylène Demongeot, the famed French actress who starred alongside Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Yves Montand, the Lusso was specified in a particularly elegant color combination of Rosso Rubino over a beige Connolly leather interior. Auction Source: 2011 Scottsdale Auction by Gooding & Company

1964 Ferrari 250 GT/ L Berlinetta 5345 – sold for $561,000 The current owner acquired the car in 2007 and has maintained it in California ever since. It has been maintained to the highest standards by a local Ferrari dealer and is offered complete with tools. In outstanding overall condition, the car has been Ferrari Classiche certified, attesting to its factory-correct condition, authentic restoration and matching numbers. Auction Source: RM Auctions’ 2010 Sports & Classics of Monterey

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5691GT – sold for $605,000 This handsome Lusso is the 311th example of 350 produced. According to Ferrari factory records and the research of noted Ferrari authority Marcel Massini, the frame of this car was shipped to Carrozzeria Scaglietti in February 1964 for the timeless Pininfarina-designed body that defines the Lusso. By June of that year, the engine was fully assembled and tested on a dynamometer, after which it was installed, and the overall factory assembly. Auction Source: 2010 Gooding & Company Pebble Beach Auction

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta 5685GT – did not sell for €334,100 Of the 353 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso’s produced, only about 20 were delivered in right-hand drive configuration, of which historians believe that only 17 survive today. Chassis 5685 is one such right-hand drive car and was first delivered to Mrs. Campbell-Golding via Colonel Ronnie Hall’s Maranello Concessionaires in 1964. The car was originally finished in Blue Chiaro (19.34 M4) with Pale Blue leather (VM3469) and first registered ‘6 HLA’. Auction Source: 2008 RM Automobiles of London

1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta 5117GT – sold for $770,000 The wonderful 250 GT Lusso on offer was completed by the factory in October 1963, bearing chassis number 5117 GT, and is believed to have been sold new the same year to an owner in Switzerland. In December 1970, the car was sold by SAVAF (Société Anonyme pour la Vente des Automobiles Ferrari), from Mr. Jean-Jacques Weber of Geneva to Luigi Chinetti Motors in Greenwich, Connecticut. As such, it was shipped the following January from Geneva. Auction Source: 2008 Monterey Preview

1962 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Compitizione 4213GT – sold for €1,100,000 The well-documented, handsome example offered here is 4213 GT, is the first production Lusso and one of only three known examples that saw competitive use. This model was sold new through Garage Francorchamps SA in Brussels, Belgium, the famed dealership of Jacques Swaters. Incidentally, 4231 GT’s first owner was Léon Dernier, a Belgian who frequently raced Ferraris under the alias “Eldé” and subsequently entered his beautiful new Ferrari. Auction Source: 2008 Leggenda e Passione

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso 5143GT – sold for €759,000 The car was exported to the UK in the seventies when it was owned by W. Richard Curtis and Terry Frost. The car was later owned by well-known collector Anthony Bamford. Subsequently the car changed hands several times before going to Belgium and was then refurbished by official Ferrari dealer Peter Rosenmaier in Germany. The car was then stored for years, and has just recently completed a full body-off restoration. Auction Source: 2008 Leggenda e Passione

1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Speciale 4587GT – did not sell for $400,000 As a result of the acclaim Meade’s bold styling and beautiful designs received, some customers brought their production Ferraris to Meade and asked him to modify them into something unique and even more beautiful. Sometimes Meade fully re-bodied them, and other times he only modified parts of their factory original bodies, such as the 250 GT/L Lusso “Speciale,” offered here at Monterey, which he customized with covered headlights. Auction Source: 2007 Monterey Preview

Ferrari 250 GT Lusso – sold for $2,310,000 Ex Steve McQueen Car. Marrone Metalic Beige. Owned by Steve McQueen for 10 years. 100-point restoration by Micheal Regalia in 2001. Auction Source: 2007 Monterey Preview