Father-Son Restoration Project: Could Our 250 GTE Be a Lost Prototype?

Marcel, thank you again for the input!

It helps to know that # 39739 was the 38th off the production line.

I do have some images of the frame which I’ll attach. But it’s stored at my business 1,000 miles from where I am currently, so I won’t be able to post any up close shots until I’m there again. Which may not be for a while (winter in Florida)
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good point! I bet this is exactly what happened.

 

I don’t have any close up images of the frame so it’s hard to say what the stamped number on the frame is without checking, which won’t be possible for a while.

I have some other metal from the frame, I’m not sure why or what happened with it.

Just to be clear, I am far from an expert on vintage Ferraris which is why I posted here.

 

As of now, I don't know the frame number. And it definitely was not original to the car. I purchased the frame with the body and was told it was from another GTE. He did have three or four of them in various conditions. I wish I could give you more information on the frame right now. I can have one of my staff take some close up pictures this week.

Side note: did many 250 GTEs have two tone paint jobs? I tried looking for one matching the specs you provided for 2263 GT but couldn't find anything like it right away.

Regarding the GTE body: we will slowly restore it as we are able to source authentic original parts for it. I do not plan a "rush job", so to speak. I would like to return it to original condition as much as is humanly possible. Obviously, the current owner of the original frame (and separate owner of the engine/drive train) will be hard to sell on tearing apart their cars so it is unlikely it will ever truly go back to original condition. It's a shame that so many GTEs were ripped apart!

 

Lots of work ahead indeed! And will only get more challenging to find reasonably priced original parts as time goes on. For now, I am very happy driving my 85 Mondial QV. This project may take 30 years but it will be worth it.

 

My original goal was to bring it back as close to original condition as possible, using vintage Ferrari parts. But I realized that was going to be an expensive endeavor! Lol. We purchased a 365 engine for it, but now I'm thinking I'll wait and save up cash for an authentic Tipo 128E or 128F. Someday I'm sure I'll find one.

 

As of now, I don't have any detailed pictures of the frame. I did not originally plan to use it, actually. It came with the car, but I was going to have a new frame built. After reading the comments here, I am definitely going to be using it. I never did look closely at it when I was at my shop and now I am in Florida for most of the winter, but I will be getting someone to take more detailed pictures of the frame here soon!

 

This is good input and I definitely see this perspective! I am 31 years old, and intend to restore this car very slowly over many years. Especially since so many of them were effectively destroyed. This being one of them, clearly. I think it's a good idea to take our time with the project and slowly accumulate the parts needed as we are able to. But I would like to bring it back to original status, even if the parts are from different 250 GTEs. I still have a lot of good parts. The big parts that will be harder for me to acquire are an original engine and transmission. I will be saving for quite a while to make that happen. And in the mean time, we can focus on the frame/chassis restoration and putting the rest of the car back together.

This is certainly a huge undertaking but I'm grateful to have the body of 2263 GT and will do what I can to do this project the justice it deserves! And maybe it will never truly be recognized, but like you said, it will be a great project for my dad and I to work on together!

 

I didn't know this, so thank you for letting me know! I did know the frame was cut apart. It did come with some other pieces I haven't pictured. Two elongated frame rails. But I do not have any detailed pictures yet. I will post them here when I do.

 

That was a replica being built by the former owner of the body of 2263 GT, who sold it to me earlier this year. I took the photos with the replica in the background in his shop. I believe at one point he had at least 3 250 GTEs, maybe 4, in various conditions. One of which he is cutting up and transforming into a GTO.

Personally, I want to bring this body back to as close as original as possible and I'm not interested in building a replica. But like many have stated earlier in the thread, it may never be recognized as a true Ferrari...perhaps the best we can hope for is to state that it's a reconstruction using parts from various 250 GTEs that have been ripped apart for replicas over the years.