Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB

The iconic Ferrari 250 GT SWB, is a true work of automotive art and deserves pride of place in the motorcar hall of fame. The “SWB” or “Passo Corto” was the result of a collaboration between the two great “Carrozzeria” who up until this point had shared claim to Ferraris greatest constructions, in the case of the “Passo Corto” it was to be designed by Pininfarina and constructed by Scaglietti – the result was stunning bodywork regarded as many as simply the ultimate example of form following function. Unlike the 250 GT Lusso, the “SWB” was very much intended for racing and this model is regarded as the epitome of the gentlemen driver’s racing scene – a car that could be driven to the circuit raced extremely competitively and then driven home. Following in the footsteps its predecessor, the long wheelbase 250 GT Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’, the 250 GT SWB enjoyed success at circuits around the world, only increasing Ferrari’s sterling reputation in the industry.

Only 167 cars were manufactured between the years of 1959 and 1962; they all featured a 3.0-litre V-12 engine (the Type 128 engine of the TdF was developed into the Type 168 that was used in the SWB), which produced up to 280 bhp. The actual term “short wheelbase” derives from the 200 mm cut from the TDF and earlier models, taking the measurement down to 2,400 mm. Ferrari would supply the 250 SWB bespoke to the customer’s specification and could build the car so it was favoured for either track or road use. The road going versions usually had steel bodies, whilst the competition cars were alloy-bodied and all 250 SWBs were fitted as standard with Dunlop disc brakes all-round.

Chassis number 3233 GT is the 122nd example constructed, built to LHD specifications featuring steel bodywork, Koni shock absorbers, instruments in kilometers, and an outside fuel filler cap. It was completed by the factory in February of 1962 and sold that same month to Gianni Bulgari, a member of the eponymous BVLGARI jewelry family of the same name. The eldest son of Giorgio Bulgari, brother of now famed Buick collector Nicola Bulgari, and the grandson of Sotirios Voulgaris (the company’s founder), Gianni would take the reins of the family business following his father’s passing in 1966 and expanded the company during his tenure as Chairman and CEO, selling his share in the business to his brothers in 1987.

No stranger to Ferraris (later owning and racing a 250 GTO), Bulgari registered his new 250 SWB in Rome on the Roma plate 518548. Bulgari only kept the car for nine months before selling it to the second owner, Enrico Battiato Paterno Castello of Catania, where it was registered CT 88985. Castello kept the car for three years selling it to Antonio Valente, who returned the car to Rome in March 1965. Valente sold the 250 SWB to its fourth owner, also a resident of Rome, Enrico Ciacci, in October of 1965.

Four years later, chassis no. 3233 GT was exported from Italy to the United States, where it has remained ever since. Passing through two owners in short succession, in 1971 the car was purchased by Richard Munns of Long Beach in 1971. At that time, the car was being noted as having no bumpers and painted silver-grey, but Munns later had it repainted red. Munns sold the 250 SWB to Lous Steinberg of New York, who traded the car in short order to well-known collector Gary Schaevitz.

Under Schaevitz’s care, 3233 GT was restored in the early-1980s by Doug Pirrone’s Berlinetta Motorcars on Long Island, and the restoration was completed by 1984. That year, it was shown at the Ferrari Club of America’s annual concours in Carmel Valley, California where the car won best in class honors. The next year, the car was purchased by Ed Wettach, the owner of Ferrari South of Jackson, Mississippi. Wettach sold the car to its most recent owner, in 1996 and the car remained with that individual until late 2021.

Unchanged since its 1980s restoration, chassis number 3233 GT has been well preserved in its current state and presents wonderfully throughout. The engine internal number, gearbox number and rear axle number have all been verified as original to the chassis by Fabio Menagon of Ferrari Classiche. This 250 SWB presents a number of opportunities for its current owner; it can either be enjoyed in its current state as-is or would surely make for a wonderful basis for a full restoration.