Ferrari 275 GTS

The Pininfarina-designed spider version of the 275 GTB shared the same independent rear suspension and rear-mounted gearbox. The V12 once again was fitted with wet sump lubrication, but the engine developed around 20 bhp less; given the type of car and its target clientele, torque and flexibility were favoured over maximum power. While the 275 GTB wore alloy rims, the GTS was fitted with wire wheels, creating a more elegant look.

The 275 GTS spider was presented alongside the 275 GTB at the 1964 Paris Salon, marking the return of an open model to the Ferrari catalogue after nearly two years, since the cessation of 250 GT California production in early 1963. The mechanical layout was very similar to the berlinetta model, but the Pininfarina body clothing it was completely different. Also whilst the Pininfarina designed berlinetta body was constructed at the Scaglietti in Modena, that of the spider was constructed at the Pininfarina works in Turin, before being delivered fully trimmed to the Ferrari factory for fitment of the mechanical components.

The 275 GTS had softer more conservative lines than its berlinetta cousin, with echoes of the 250 GT California nose, featuring a shallow, almost rectangular, recessed egg crate grille, a full width bumper with plain overriders, and open headlights in shallow recesses. The front wing line then ran back in virtually a straight line into the cabin section, before rising slightly into the rear wings that then fell into the rounded tail panel with horizontal wrap-around light units, and quarter bumpers with rubber faced overriders. When the 330 GT 2+2 was restyled in 1965 it received a virtually identical nose treatment, and concurrently both the 275 GTS and 330 GT 2+2 had their eleven louvre front wing exhaust air vents replaced by a triple louvre design, with a slim polished aluminium trim to the forward, top and bottom edges. The folding hood sat in a recess at the rear of the cabin when lowered, and was fitted with a clip-on cover in this position.

The bodies were mounted on the same 2400mm wheelbase chassis as the 275 GTB with factory reference numbers 563, all were numbered in the odd chassis number road car sequence, and as with the 275 GTB, it were available in right or left hand drive form. The standard wheels were Borrani wire wheels throughout the production period. A hardtop became available as an option during the production run, but was rarely provided, so is something of a rarity today. Very early cars in the series were fitted with a “twin” passenger seat, basically a very wide seat to accommodate two people, although this idea was soon dropped in favour of a standard two seat arrangement.

The engine was the same as that fitted to the 275 GTB, a single overhead camshaft per bank V12 unit, with factory type reference 213, of 3286cc capacity, with a bore and stroke of 77mm x 58.8mm. It was fitted with a bank of either three twin choke Weber 40 DCZ/6 or 40 DFI/1 carburettors, with a twin coil and rear of engine mounted distributor ignition system, to produce a claimed 260 bhp, some 20 bhp below that claimed for the berlinetta, confirming that this model was more restrained than its berlinetta peer. Similarly it shared the same transmission and suspension layout as the berlinetta, a five speed transaxle and four wheel independent suspension, although it never received the final rigid torque tube transmission arrangement. The production period ran from late 1964 through to early 1966, in the chassis number range 06315 to 08653.

There is an interesting editorial report about this extraordinary Ferrari 275 GTS, published in Octane Magazine, which you can read in our news section by following this link.

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