Gooding Christie’s has revealed its headline car for the Pebble Beach Auctions on 15-16 August – a 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spider Competizione. This very special example is one of just two alloy-bodied, full-competition-specification cars built. It’s expected to exceed $20 million, setting the stage for a potential new record at Gooding’s flagship Monterey sale.
There really isn’t such a thing as a ‘normal’ California Spider, but this car – 2383 GT – represents something altogether more rarefied. Of the 56 examples produced in short-wheelbase (SWB) configuration, just three were constructed with lightweight aluminium bodywork by Scaglietti. Two of those were built to full competition specification, and this is one of them.
The car has never before been offered publicly, and it comes to market with great provenance, period competition history and a painstaking restoration by respected Italian specialist Dino Cognolato.
The history of 2383 GT
Originally finished in Grigio Argento over blue leather, 2383 GT was delivered new to Stuttgart-based privateer racer Ernst Lautenschlager. As the only Ferrari he would ever own, Lautenschlager campaigned the car extensively across Germany and Austria, notching up victories in the Preis von Tirol, Schorndorfer Bergrennen and Eberbach hill climbs in 1961. His final race came at the Solitude GT in July 1962, where he placed fourth in class. The car’s distinctive competition pedigree is matched by its specification: a high-compression 9.5:1 Tipo 168 V12 engine estimated to deliver around 280bhp – some 40bhp more than standard – complemented by features such as a quick-release fuel filler, removable hardtop, and covered headlamps.
Following its racing career, the California Spider remained in continental Europe until 1968, when it was acquired by early Ferrari collector Lee Wilson in the United States. Wilson displayed the car widely, including at FCA events and at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. In the 1980s it joined the private collection of Hollywood producer and marque enthusiast Greg Garrison, where it was kept largely out of public view. From there it passed to its current custodian in 1999 and underwent a full restoration in Italy, during which it was returned to competition-ready condition and refinished in Grigio Fumo.
Over the past 25 years, 2383 GT has become a centrepiece of one of the world’s leading Ferrari collections. Its post-restoration outings include appearances at the Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Chantilly Arts & Elegance, Salon Privé, and the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court. Yet it has never been shown at Pebble Beach or Villa d’Este…
The car is offered with Ferrari Classiche certification, extensive period documentation, and a clear provenance stretching back to its first owner. With its $20+ million estimate, it’s possible that this 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spider Competizione might even eclipse the current Gooding Christie’s auction record of $22 million, set by a Duesenberg SSJ in 2018.
For more info, see goodingco.com
