Ferrari 330 America
1963 · Ferrari 330 America — Grand Tourer, V12, designed by Pininfarina.
The Story
The 330 America is the marque’s quietest sleeper of the early 1960s — a stopgap history almost forgot. After three hugely successful years of the 250 GTE 2+2, Ferrari needed a bridge to its next-generation four-seater. Rather than let the GTE line die quietly, the factory took the final batch of Series III 250 GTE bodies — Pininfarina-designed steel 2+2 coupes — and dropped in the new 4.0L Colombo ‘America’ V12 (Tipo 209, 3,967cc, ~300 PS at 6,600 rpm). The result, badged 330 America, looked all but identical to the 250 GTE it replaced but carried 60-odd more horsepower, good for ~152 mph. Only ~50 were built (late 1963–early 1964, chassis ~4953–5125 GT), all LHD — the name ‘America’ a nod to the US market it targeted.
What makes it matter is precisely that transitional role. It is, functionally, the last 250 GTE and the first 330 in a single car — the moment Ferrari’s big Colombo four-litre arrived in a road-going 2+2 before the all-new, longer-wheelbase 330 GT 2+2 was unveiled in January 1964. Marque expert Marcel Massini (via RM Sotheby’s) puts production at 50 before the line was retired. Because it shared the GTE’s familiar shape, period buyers and even later collectors often glossed over it; there were essentially no contemporary road tests, so it never built the press legend its successor enjoyed.
That obscurity is the whole appeal today. The 330 America delivers genuine four-litre Ferrari V12 grand-touring credentials in one of the rarest body counts in the GTE/330 family — a footnote car that, properly understood, is one of the most usable and overlooked entries into front-engined Ferrari V12 ownership.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Grand Tourer class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Pininfarina
Italy’s most storied carrozzeria and Ferrari’s principal design house 1952–~2012. Used as the credit where no individual stylist is documented (esp. 1950s GTs designed collectively in-house).
Studio Motors POV
The 330 America is the connoisseur’s loophole: genuine four-litre Ferrari V12 grand touring in the prettiest GTE body, at a fraction of the noise (and often the money) of its better-known siblings. As a true bridge between two eras — the last 250 and the first 330 in one car — it’s the kind of footnote that rewards the people who actually read the footnotes.
The Engine
Ferrari Colombo V12
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About 330 America
Worth Knowing About the 330 America
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- • It's essentially a 250 GTE wearing a bigger heart — the last ~50 Series III GTE bodyshells fitted with the 4.0L Colombo V12 instead of the 3.0L engine.
- • Only about 50 were built, all left-hand drive, on chassis ~4953–5125 GT — and only around eight have ever surfaced in public auction records.
- • The 'America' name was a 1950s revival — Ferrari first used it on the Lampredi-engined 340 America (1950) and 375 America (1953), both aimed at the US market, exactly as the 330 America was a decade later.
5 Fast Facts
- • ~50 built (late 1963–early 1964), all LHD.
- • Engine: Colombo V12, 4.0L (3,967cc), Tipo 209, three Webers.
- • Power ~300 PS at 6,600 rpm — roughly 60 hp more than the 250 GTE.
- • Top speed ~152 mph (245 km/h); four-speed gearbox with overdrive.
- • Body by Pininfarina, based on the Series III 250 GTE; bridged the 250 GTE and 330 GT 2+2.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
None verified as famous owners. Documented provenance (chassis 5113, the 48th built, per RM Sotheby’s): Luigi Chinetti Motors, New York (original US importer, Dec 1963); Dr. Charles Kirkpatrick of Denver (acquired 1984, restored the car). Named via auction provenance but neither is a public/celebrity figure.
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The headline is the rare 4.0L Colombo V12 (Tipo 209) — confirm matching numbers, ideally with Ferrari Classiche ‘Red Book’ certification. Because the 330 America is visually near-identical to a 250 GTE, verify the chassis falls in the ~4953–5125 GT band and that the larger engine is original to the car, not a later transplant. Values run ~$300k–$650k (recent benchmarks high-$300k to high-$400k; a 2022 sale near $435,750), trading at a discount to the more-numerous 250 GTE — exactly why it reads as an undervalued sleeper among 2+2 Ferraris.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Ferrari 330 America
- Class
- Grand Tourer
- Production years
- 1963
- Units built
- ~50 (all LHD)
- Variants
- Engine layout
- Front
- Engine
- V12
- Engine family
- Ferrari Colombo V12
- Displacement
- 3967 cc (4.0 L)
- Power
- 300 hp
- Torque
- 240 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 7 s
- Top speed
- 150 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 229 hp/tonne · 9.6 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 4-speed manual (w/ overdrive)
- Drivetrain
- RWD (4-wheel disc) · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2888 lb
Questions
330 America FAQ
What are the key specifications of the Ferrari 330 America?
The 330 America uses a 3,967 cc V12 producing approximately 300 hp, housed in the same 2+2 body as the 250 GTE — the designation 330 encoding the per-cylinder displacement of approximately 330cc across twelve cylinders. Ferrari produced approximately 50 examples in 1963-1964, positioning it as a transitional model between the 250 GTE 2+2 and the later 330 GT 2+2.
What role did the Ferrari 330 America play in Ferrari’s transition from the 250 to the 330 series?
The 330 America was Ferrari’s bridge car between the 250 GTE 2+2 and the more thoroughly revised 330 GT 2+2, allowing Ferrari to introduce the larger 4.0-litre V12 displacement into the 2+2 body while the definitive 330 GT 2+2 was finalised. It retained the 250 GTE body almost unchanged, making it effectively a 250 GTE with the new engine — a swift engineering evolution rather than a new model.
How does the Ferrari 330 America compare to the 250 GTE 2+2 it was derived from?
The 330 America uses the same Pininfarina 2+2 body and chassis as the 250 GTE but replaces the 3.0-litre V12 with the larger 3,967cc unit producing approximately 300 hp versus the 250 GTE’s approximately 237 hp. The result is a meaningfully quicker 2+2 grand tourer in the same package, produced in only approximately 50 examples compared to the 250 GTE’s approximately 950 — making it a considerably rarer version of the same formula.
What is a Ferrari 330 America worth at auction?
The 330 America market has appreciated — Hagerty shows about $370K for good condition; Classic.com shows a CMB around $429K; Sports Car Market cited a roughly $366K-$494K valuation range. Its 50-example transitional status (final Colombo V12 250 GTE with 4.0L 330 Americaengine badge) supports the premium.
Can you source a Ferrari 330 America through Studio Motors?
Yes. The 330 America is among the rarest and least-known 2+2 Ferraris — approximately 50 examples bridging the 250 GTE and 330 GT 2+2, with the larger 4.0-litre V12 in a familiar and practical grand touring body.
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