20 lost Ferraris in no-reserve sale

Resurfaced relics

It still baffles us that so-called ‘hidden’ hoards of classic cars keep being found, but just a few marque collectors knew about this stash – until now.

They’d been stored, untouched, for decades. But when, in 2004, Hurricane Charley partially destroyed the barn in Florida they’d been kept in, they were relocated to a secure warehouse in Speedway, Indiana, near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And now they’re going under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s at its Monterey sale on 17 August 2023.

What’s more, all will be sold in California with no reserve.

Let’s find out more about what RM Sotheby’s is calling ‘The Lost & Found Collection’.

1. 1965 Ferrari 275GTB/6C Alloy

This 275 has been with this collection for 44 years, but its first keeper was Autosprint publisher and privateer racer Luciano Conti.

It has further claims to fame, too, having been one of Ferrari’s 1965 Turin show stars and campaigned in the ’66 Targa Florio – sadly, the pairing of Conti and Vittorio Venturi completed just two laps.

Clearly, it requires a full restoration, but, as with many of the classics in this sale, the potential is phenomenal.

2. 1978 Ferrari 512BB Competizione

Here we have one of three factory-specified 512BB Competiziones prepared for the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans and, as you might guess from its livery, this car was entered by Luigi Chinetti on behalf of the North American Racing Team (NART).

This car, chassis number 24131, was driven by Jean-Pierre Delaunay, Jacques Guérin and Gregg Young, but having made it to the 19th hour in 11th place, the crew was forced to retire.

Since then, this car has barely been touched. It still wears its original Le Mans livery and it retains its race-prepared, 12-cylinder engine.

With Ferrari having won the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, perhaps reviving this past competitor will hold even-more special appeal.

3. 1956 Ferrari 250GT Coupé Speciale

We’re rewinding to 1956 with the next two lots from the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction, both of which wear Pinin Farina bodies.

This has been with its current custodian for 49 years and this is the last of four coupés with Pinin Farina’s Superamerica-style coachwork, plus it’s one of three without wing vents.

Its first owner was a Moroccan king. Today it’s heavily patinated, but it is in its factory-specified colour and that might even be its original paintwork.

Ripe for restoration, then, and assuming that takes place, this is surely a future concours star.

4. 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupé Series I

This is the 10th of 12 such cars built and definitely seems to be in finer fettle than the lot we just looked at.

It was originally painted Blu Artico, a seldom-seen shade on a Ferrari, teamed with a Naturale vaumol Connolly leather interior, and it was an exhibit on the marque’s stand at the Paris Salon in October 1956, before heading to its first owner who lived in Switzerland.

After time in Sweden and back in Switzerland, this time in the custodianship of Formula One and Le Mans racer Jo Bonnier, it was exported to the US, where it has remained since.

But who knows where it will go next! After 49 years of storage – and having suffered damage when Hurricane Charley arrived – it surely deserves a second chance.

5. 1967 Ferrari 330GTS

This matching-numbers Ferrari 330GTS, finished in Argento Metallizzato with a cabin trimmed in Nero Franzi, was delivered new to Luigi Chinetti Motors in New York in May 1967, but its first owner lived in Georgia.

It remained with that keeper until the late ’80s and by 1994, having done 39,000 mies, had a new custodian, this time in Florida.

In October 1996 it joined its current collection and is now in need of some serious cosmetic and mechanical TLC – and its interior has partly been disassembled.

6. 1965 Ferrari 275GTS

Now red, this Pininfarina-bodied 275GTS was originally finished in a distinctive yellow-coloured paint called Giallo Solare.

This US-market car was painted black at some point in its life, repainted in the shade you see here in the late 1990s.

Then, in 2000, it received the Best Ferrari accolade at the Auto Italian event, held at the Portofino Resort in Orlando, Florida, before entering the collection from which it’s now being sold in 2003.

7. 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I

Now this is a very sorry sight.

This is the second of 13 first-series 500 Mondial drop-tops produced, and it was campaigned at the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, Imola Grand Prix and at Oulton Park in period.

It was exported to the USA in 1958 where its competition career continued, but sometime in the ’60s it crashed out of a race and, as you can see, suffered significant fire damage – its current owner acquired it in 1978.

The car is being sold with its matching-numbers gearbox and a period-correct engine from another Mondial, and it still wears its factory-issued chassis plate.

8. 1964 Ferrari 250GT/L Berlinetta Lusso

This Ferrari started life as a left-hand-drive 250GT painted Amaranto and was delivered new to a British owner in Sicily, before being sold to Switzerland and then London, by which time the paint was pale green and was soon refinished in a darker shade.

That British owner, Mike McQuaker, raced it and had it modified significantly, with new bodywork and a raft of mechanical upgrades.

Across 14 years, McQuaker campaigned and developed his Ferrari, and raced it with some success, before selling it on.

Several owners later, in 2003 its current keeper bought and repainted it, before storing it.

9. 1971 Ferrari 365GTB/4

Next we have a pair of Daytonas in this no-reserve RM Sotheby’s sale, the first being this example from 1971 which left the factory painted a shade of blue called Azzurro La Plata, with a red-leather cabin – its body has been red for several decades.

This US-spec car was sold new to Connecticut and spent several years in Japan, before being bought by the collection from which it is now being sold in October 1996.

Many years in storage will have taken their toll, but it crosses the block with its matching-numbers engine and gearbox.

10. 1972 Ferrari 365GTB/4

This Daytona is at least finished in the same colour – if not the same shade – that it left the factory, having also been black at some point in its 51 years.

When new it was displayed on Ferrari’s Montreal Auto Salon stand in January 1972, then later had owners in Colorado and California.

This example has been updated during its life, the 15in, light-alloy Cromodora wheels, Momo steering wheel and Nakamichi TD-1200 head unit serving as evidence of this.

11. 1968 Ferrari Dino 206GT

This Dino, a rather sorry-looking member of the no-reserve ‘Lost & Found Collection’, was sold new to Italy, where it remained with a succession of keepers, until its current custodian exported it to the USA in May ’77.

While it clearly requires a lot of time and money, this car has its matching-numbers engine and gearbox, and would be a delightful prospect, once brought back to best.

12. 1960 Ferrari 250GT Coupé Series II

This coupé has been in this collection since June 1987, having previously lived in Italy, The Netherlands and Canada.

While in Dutch hands, it was repainted from its original grey to red, but it kept its red-trimmed cabin that is still present, although in need of some attention.

At least it has its original V12, even if the factory-fitted radio has been swapped for an aftermarket unit.

13. 1972 Ferrari 365GTC/4

After being imported to New York, this US-spec 365GTC/4 was sold new to an owner in Georgia and stayed in that state, with a number of owners, until it entered its current collection back in November 2011, at which point its odometer read 36,546 miles.

It’s since covered very few miles, but it looks to be intact and it’s still finished in black over black, albeit refreshed over time, just as it was when it left the factory.

14. 1966 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Series II

This 330 is quite the globetrotter, having left Italy for Tanzania in eastern Africa when new, at which point it was blue with a blue-leather interior.

By the early 1980s it was in the UK and was owned by racing driver David Piper, before heading to the US in autumn 1983 and joining this collection in ’84.

It is one of 36 right-hand-drive Series II cars and retains its original 4-litre V12.

15. 1976 Ferrari 308GTB ‘Vetroresina’

This glassfibre-bodied Ferrari 308GTB was acquired by its current custodian in 1979 and today has fewer than 10,000 miles on the clock.

As you can see, both the windscreen and bodywork have suffered serious damage, despite its limited road mileage, but it still has its original gearbox and engine, so could make a restoration project.

16. 1969 Ferrari 365GT 2+2

As you can see, this car also has sustained some quite serious damage, this time when the building in which it was in collapsed as Hurricane Charley struck in 2004.

But it survives, as does its matching-numbers V12.

It started life silver and in Verona, Italy. It is not known when it came to the US, but by April ’78 it was with a new keeper in Ohio, and later that year it was repainted in the colour you see it today, then sold to its current owner in April 1979.

17. 1965 Ferrari 330GT 2+2 Series I ‘Interim’

This classic Ferrari is another Hurricane Charley survivor that was sold new to the US.

A late first-generation car, it has been with this collection since the 1990s, but parts of its earlier history are unknown.

And while it isn’t at present under the bonnet, it will be sold with a matching-numbers engine block, which is great news for any prospective bidder who’d like to restore it.

18. 1980 Ferrari 512BB

This Ferrari is for sale for the first time since 1996 and has been in the US almost all its life, despite the model never being sold there.

The odometer reads 44,434km (c27,600 miles) and although it looks in far finer shape than some of the other cars in this sale, it will need some mechanical attention before being driven on the road.

Its 5-litre flat-12 engine is a correct replacement unit, however it still has its original gearbox.

19. 1991 Ferrari Testarossa

The unmistakable lines of Ferrari’s Testarossa. And having been with the same owner for 20 years, this example is available for sale with no reserve.

The car here is a US-market example, delivered new to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and its current owner is only its third – when consigned to this Monterey auction, it had done fewer than 20,000 miles.

Like the other cars here, it needs work, but with its original engine and gearbox, plus its original sales invoice, dealer sticker, manuals and tool roll, it is an exciting prospect for someone with the means to bring it back to best.

20. 1977 Ferrari 400 Automatic

Finally, we have this elegant gran turismo, sold new to Italy and part of this cache since September 2003.

Like the other cars here, it’s barely been driven since joining this clandestine collection two decades ago so will need work, but with an odometer reading of 85,316km (c53,000 miles) it’s clear it has been enjoyed.

The ‘Lost & Found Collection’ will go under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s in Monterey, California, this August, every lot offered with no reserve.

Find out more and view the full catalogue here.