24h Le Mans
A Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider inspired by three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Luigi Chinetti goes on sale on Saturday 14 May at the RM Sotheby's biennial auction in Monaco. A car with such pedigree will no doubt attract some furious bidding.
On 26 June 1949, Luigi Chinetti won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the third time. It was the first victory for fledgling Italian carmaker Ferrari, founded two years earlier. Born in Milan, Chinetti emigrated to the USA during WW2 and was naturalised in 1946. He became a major Ferrari importer for the USA, like Jacques Swaters in Belgium and Ronnie Hoare in the UK. The three importers were also team owners, Chinetti heading the North American Racing Team (NART), Swaters the Ecurie Francorchamps and Hoare running Maranello Concessionaires. In the sixties, all three joined the works team to support the Ferrari contingent at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Surprising as it may seem, Enzo Ferrari was never particularly interested in making cars. His passion was for racing and he sold cars merely to make the money to race. Chinetti played a key part in that strategy, developing the American market to such an extent that he became the world number one Ferrari importer.
Between the fifties and the seventies, the motor car became a symbol of prosperity and freedom. Chinetti was quick to twig that his rich American clients wanted customisation – bespoke Ferraris with personalised details both inside and out. Convertibles were in great demand, especially among the Californian glitterati. Chinetti saw an opportunity and persuaded Enzo Ferrari to produce a convertible version of the 275 GTB. The result was the 275 GTS/4 NART Spider, which went to market in 1968. The exclusive series of ten cars is an example of the Italian’s flair for marketing and an acknowledgement of the success of NART, the team behind Ferrari’s ninth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 with drivers Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt.
One of the ten owners was actor Steve McQueen, who was seen driving one in the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair and purchased it after the shoot. The car on sale in Monaco is the last in the series and the only one to have been sold in Europe, Chinetti having reserved the others for his American clientele. Whoever buys the car on 14 May will be purchasing a piece of automobile history.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO – Translation from French by Emma Paulay
Photo: Tom Gidden © 2016 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
