Ferrari 275 GTB/C "Competizione Clienti" (1965)

Following the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's refusal in 1964 to homologate Ferrari's mid-engined 250 LM in the GT category, Ferrari looked to its upcoming road going 275 GTB. Introduced slightly later that year, the 275 holds a special place in Ferrari's history as the cars were last, true, dual purpose Ferraris that were equally at home on the road or on the race circuit. Furthermore, the elegant lines of the 275 Berlinettas are generally regarded as those of the last classical styled Ferrari, since later models took on a different styling direction.

Needless to say, the 275 was an extremely advanced car in a technical sense; a sophisticated chassis, fully independent suspension, and race-proven Colombo V12 engine, now displacing 3.3 litres, it's no surprise that the end result was simply sensational and praised by journalists and critics the world over.

Whilst many "road-spec" 275s were raced there were three categories of Factory built competition 275s; The first two competition cars were 06003 and 06021 which received mild chassis modifications. Following these cars three more 275s were equipped with lightweight tube frames, six-carburettor dry sump engines and bodywork that, while clearly related to the 275 GTB, was markedly different with a 330 LM Berlinetta-style nose and Lusso-style air intake atop the bonnet.

These cars took a clear inspiration form the out-going 250 GTO. During 1965, Ferrari produced another ten special Berlinettas, designated "Competizione Clienti" and built for customers as dual-purpose sports cars. These short-nose cars were fitted with six Weber 40 DCN3 carburettors sitting atop the essentially standard wet sump V-12 engine. An outside fuel filler cap in the right sail panel led to a large 140-litre gas tank, which replaced the usual 94-litre unit and resulted in the relocation of the spare tyre to sit vertically behind the gas tank. Consequently, the rear shelf on these cars was somewhat higher in appearance - another distinguishing visual feature.

Three air vents in each rear wing further indicated this car's sporting pretensions and hinted to the 250 GTO which the cars replaced. Most cars benefitted from very lightweight alloy bodywork. As was often the case with Ferrari, however, no two cars were identical and it is virtually impossible to assign a standardised list of special features to every single "Competizione Clienti" 275 GTB.