| Sports & Classics of Monterey Friday, August 15, 2008 - Saturday, August 16, 2008 |
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| 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica | ||||||||
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340bhp, 3,967 cc single overhead camshaft V12 engine with Solex carburetors, four-speed manual gearbox, coil spring independent front suspension with live rear axle, four wheel telescopic Koni shock absorbers, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 95" The high performance luxury gran turismo was a new automotive idiom in the prosperous years following World War II. The genre had its roots with the great prewar touring cars like Rolls-Royce’s Phantom II Continental and Mercedes-Benz’s supercharged 500K and 540K sports coupes. Postwar luxury gran Turismos included the Bentley Continental R-type, and later the Mercedes-Benz 300SCs. Moving into the 1960s these fast, luxurious cars continued to be the car of choice for the rich and famous. Most combined powerful engines with a highly competent chassis, were clothed in unique or limited production coachwork from inspired designers, equipped to the highest standards, and trimmed in the finest materials. Ferrari had for years offered such cars for its very best clients. Crafted in tiny quantities, they were superbly fitted and offered sparkling performance. One of the best known of these was the Superamerica and Superfast series, superb cars with price tags that exceeded even Rolls-Royce. The Aurelio Lampredi-designed V12 engine originally developed for the four-liter GP cars supplied power for the first series examples. The 410 Superamerica appeared at the Brussels motor show in January 1956 with a 4,962cc “long block” engine delivering 340 horsepower. Pininfarina’s coachwork was masterful, minimizing the car’s apparent size, while conveying the car’s performance potential. The second series 400 Superamerica was introduced at the Brussells Motor Show in 1960 when s/n 1611 SA, a two place cabriolet, was first exhibited. Later, at the Turin show in November, the Superfast II debuted – which would provide the inspiration for the Coupe Aerodinamica. Introduced in 1962 as the Superfast III, the new car would be built between September 1962 and January 1964. A total of seventeen examples were built - all on the shorter 2,420 mm chassis. Unlike the earlier 410 Superamericas, these second series cars were fitted with the latest version of Ferrari’s legendary Colombo-designed V12. The lovely design, penned by Pininfarina, featured a tapered nose and tail with an elegant streamlined look. It was this design that earned the model its name: Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica. It is considered to be one of Pininfarina’s great designs – an artful expression of Ferrari performance with stylistic elegance. Once again, their dizzying pricetags ensured that the client base would be restricted to heads of state and captains of industry. Chassis 2841 SA was the 7th of a total of seventeen 400 SA Coupé Aerodinamicas produced on the short chassis. It was completed in September 1961, finished in Grigio Fumo (Smoke Grey) with the interior finished in Pelle Rosso Connolly (red leather). The history of s/n 2841 is well known, having been first seen in public in October 1961 at the Paris Motor Show. Later, in November of that year, the car was delivered to its first owner, Count Fritz Herbert Somsky, of Geneva, Switzerland. It remained with him for some time, but by the 1970s the car had been imported into the U.S., where it was owned by Barry Le Fave, of Santa Ana, California, who sold it to W. B. LeFace. The next owner was Walter Harris, another California resident. By this point, the car had been refinished in red with a red and black interior. Harris advertised the car for sale in the March 22, 1980 issue of the Ferrari Market Letter, describing it as “all original, numbers match, highly tuned engine, rebuilt brakes and rear end”. Presumably as a result of that advertisement, Harris sold the car (now finished in a lovely gray metallic) to the late Greg Garrison, a renowned Ferrari collector, and producer of the Dean Martin show in Hollywood. On May 12, 1999, s/n 2841 (repainted green) was sold by Garrison to C. A. Skeets Dunn of Rancho Santa Fé, CA. On May 20, 2001, the car was shown at the Palos Verdes Concours d’Elegance by Skeets Dunn, where it placed first in class and won the Meguiar’s Award for best paint. Despite its obviously lovely condition, Dunn elected to undertake a complete restoration of the car, beginning in August 2003. The mechanicals were done by specialist Bill Pound, with the body and paint done by Symbolic Restoration in Sorrento Valley, California. It was one of the most exhausting and comprehensive Ferrari restorations; the car was disassembled to every nut and bolt. The body was stripped to bare metal, and every panel and piece of chrome was carefully fitted before repainting or replating. Finally, the body was meticulously refinished in Blue Sera, while the interior was carefully retrimmed in natural saddle leather. The entire restoration – costing in excess of $400,000 – was documented with reports, receipts, and photographs. Upon completion, Skeets Dunn showed s/n 2841 at the 56th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance on August 20, 2006, where it scored 99 points in the class for Ferrari GT cars (class M-1) – a remarkable result for a first time showing. Later, on January 27, 2007, the car was shown once again at the XVI Palm Beach Cavallino Classic Concours d'Elegance at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, where it won a coveted Platinum award. It has since been shown many times, accumulating a string of platinum and first in class awards. Certainly it is true that any 400 SA Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica is rare, with just seventeen made. Serial no. 2841 is all the more unique for its well known owner history, and its fresh and high point professional restoration. This beautiful and historically significant 400 Superamerica is ready to be shown at the most important events around the country, and can be driven with the utmost confidence in its supreme style. In addition, its rarity makes this 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Aerodinamica the flagship of Ferrari and Pininfarina’s gran turismo offerings. |
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Addendum Please note that this car is titled as a 1962. The serial number for this vehicle is 400SA2841. |
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