Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet

The Story

The 250 GT Cabriolet was the marque’s first series-produced open car and its most refined road-going convertible of the period — designed AND built by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina of Turin, the coachbuilder Enzo Ferrari partnered with to raise production volume. Built on the 250 GT’s competition-derived chassis and powered by Colombo’s 3.0L V12 (2,953cc), it traded outright sporting intent for comfort, interior luxury and elegant boulevard style. The first prototype, chassis 0655 GT, broke cover at the 1957 Geneva Salon and laid down the template — long hood, covered headlights, wind-up windows, a clean raked windshield.

The model splits into two chapters. The Series I (1957–1959, ~36–40 cars) was largely hand-built in Pinin Farina’s custom shop, each car carrying its own mix of covered/open headlamps, bumper, trim and interior choices — so varied that auction catalogues describe each Series I as ‘a virtual one-off bespoke grand touring machine.’ The Series II (1959–1962, ~200 cars) was a more standardized redesign — higher windshield, larger glass, more cabin and trunk space — made possible by Pinin Farina’s larger new Grugliasco plant.

Crucially, this is the formal Pinin Farina cabriolet — NOT to be confused with its sportier sibling, the Scaglietti-built California Spider for the American market. Both are open 250 GTs sharing the Colombo V12, but the Cabriolet emphasised refinement and grand-touring luxury while the California chased a slimmer, athletic look. The Cabriolet matters because it is Ferrari’s elegant, comfortable open V12 of the era — and, in Series I form, among the rarest and most coveted of all road 250 GTs.