250 GT SWB

Covered heat lights are more sought after assuming they originally came that way and were not converted at a later date.

 

Are you talking about the car known as SWB or about the cali spiders as well ?

Only 2 250 SWB's had covered headlights that looked like a pre 275 GTB..


One is going to be auctionned at gstaad this week end.
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Picking it up? I won't be there for a while, you know, and this isn't Giallo (although I think this is more fitting). The problem is, however, that you now rule-out brunette. Must settle for blond due to the Rosso. C'etait un problem!

--Dan

 

I'm assuming he means SWB Californias. They made somewhere around 100, right? I'm not sure waht the breakdown is on headlights, but I feel like its 60/40 ?

 

Andrew
You would look good in that...

 

LOL - I wanna be there when Dad receives the call... "Hey Dad, I was at this auction in Gstaad over the weekend, and youll never guess what I did!"

is that rossa scuderia by the way?

 

did they have rosso scuderia back then? could just be very faded and in need of a respray

 

The total production of California Spyders, both Long Wheelbase and Short Wheelbase was less than 100.

According to George M. Carrick's "The Spyder California-A Ferrari of Particular Distinction" published in 1976, there were approximately 46 LWB Spyder Californias produced from December 1957 to February 1960.

The SWB Spyder California production began in May, 1960 and ended in February, 1963 with approximately 50 examples produced.

He doesn't give a breakdown in headlight configuration, other than to say that there was no pattern to the use of the covered versus open headlights. Also, because the covered headlight version was so popular, a lot of open headlight cars were converted to covered headlights.

Carrick's production numbers are probably a bit obsolete now as research since 1976 likely has more positively identified the chassis numbers of all the Spyder California production.

John

 

Hold on, here, I forgot that I also have Stan Nowak's "Ferrari Spyder California" published in 1990.

He lists 51 LWB Californias and 55 SWB Californias produced, although a few cars are listed as unconfirmed Californias (i.e. possibly produced as other cars).

His breakdown of headlights:

LWB

Covered 36
Open 10
Unknown 5

Total LWB 51

SWB

Covered 36
Open 15
Unknown 4

Total SWB 55

So the open headlight configuration is much rarer than the covered headlight version, for whatever that is worth!

John

 

James,

Unfortunately i cant make it to Gstaad this week end...I ll have to find the 2nd one !

 

Andrew

I'm quite sure that they would accept a phone bid on the SWB. Alternately, you could pay me expenses (only) to attend as your bidding representative! ;-)

It could be a looooonnnnng time before another covered headlight SWB Berlinetta becomes available!

John