 | 330 GT Registry | |
1964 Ferrari 330GT 2+2
This is one of the sharpest early four-seater Ferraris — and it’s
on the button, ready to rumble Paul Hardiman
This fabulous-looking Ferrari was part of Mohamed Al Fayed’s collection between 1988 and 2004, when it was looked after by Modena Engineering (also Al Fayed-owned).
First registered in Britain on September 1,1964, it has been expensively maintained ever since. Numerous bills include £25,000 spent while it was in the care of Modena, when it received electric windows from another car and a £14,000 repaint back to its original colour from red. Another notable bill is £1000 for a correct steering wheel, and from the paperwork the recorded mileage of 54,000 is entirely believable.
The result is a car that’s about as good was they get, poised to take advantage of hardening 2+2 values as prices of the 330 and 365 coupés — very different cars sharing the 275’s shorter wheelbase and independent rear suspension — continue to rise.
The body is very straight and the panel shutlines are excellent. All brightwork is in fine shape and the Borrani wheels are unmarked and magnificent, shod with unworn and correct Michelin XWXs.
Underneath, the floors are in excellent condition; the right exhaust’s front silencer has been lightly dinged, but that’s nothing to worry about.
The superb interior with new- looking leather and carpets has obviously been retrimmed at some stage, but there are no bills supporting this. The dash looks revarnished and has a small discoloured area on the left. Instruments are perfect, and there are new-looking Securon inertia-reel seatbelts all-round.
Beneath the bonnet it’s near concours condition with no obvious leaks —just a light oil mist under the sump, and you’d be suspicious if it were unnaturally clean. Filters and fuel lines look new, which you’d expect as the motor has been in the care of Terry Hoyle who also oversaw the repaint and rebuilt the gearbox. Oil is clean and to level. We couldn’t check the antifreeze as the car had been recently run.
Warm, it needs six pumps on the gas, then press in the key and the V12 whirrs over before catching with a thrum. Oil pressure is 45psi on tickover, rising to70psi on the move.
This big Ferrari breathes deeply, thrums along beautifully and drives with a properly mechanical feel. Investigate further and the mighty motor quickens its pulse and fires you authoritatively down the road, punchy acceleration helped by shortish gearing. This is a four- speed car, and the overdrive slips in and out promptly, smoother if you help it with the clutch. Pulling out of tight lay-bys the limited-slip differential does its job well.
Steering feels a little vague at first but that’s how these cars are, and it sharpens the harder you go. The brake pedal is nice and firm.
It’s hard to fault this car, but if there is one it’s that the left electric window is a bit lazy.
The £90k asking price is quite high for a 330 2+2 compared to recent auction prices which are about £25k lower, but it’s realistic for a car that needs nothing.
| WHICH IS WHICH? • Ferrari launches the 330 GT 2+2 in January1964 as successor to the three-litre 250 GTE 2+2. The new car has a 50mm-longer wheelbase, the Type 209 3967cc Colombo V12 with single ohc per bank and a four-speed/overdrive gearbox. It retains a live rear axle but has disc brakes all-round. Pininfarina’s four-headlight styling surprises a few. 628 are made, including 125 interim cars with S2 mechanical features. • The S2 launches in 1965, with five-speed gearbox and the suspended pedals of 'interim' cars, but is distinguished by a two-headlight front end. Alloy wheels are standard; air conditioning and power steering are options. 410 are made. • Production ends in 1967, replaced by the 365GT 2+2. |
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NEED TO KNOW |
December 2009 CLASSIC CARS
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