While the Porsche 911 GT1 Evo – to which we recently dedicated this article – was already quite the headliner for this May’s RM Sothebys Monaco auctions, the auction house just released that they will be auctioning a $25 million Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider as well.
This ultra rare 1 of 10 limited production Ferrari was the last NART Spider to be produced and the third-last Ferrari of the 275 series to be built. The open-top classic rolled off the assembly line in 1968 and is the only example to have sold new in Europe back in the day. The other nine examples of the NART Spider were all shipped to the U.S.
The only NART Spider to be sold in Europe with chassis number 11057, was also the only model to originally boast a Grigio Scuro paint job (20-E-166) in combination with a Nero interior (VM-8500). It was sold new through Concesionario Tayre of Madrid, Spain, to a Spanish Colonel of the Foreign Legion in February of 1968.
The Spider was supposedly registered with Spanish Sahara plates, although it remains uncertain whether the Spanish Colonel ever took the NART Spider across the Street of Gibraltar. Chassis number 11057 was later returned to Tayre and was then sold to José Segimon, also of Madrid, and registered on Spanish license plates M 3249 BP. Segimon wasn’t unfamiliar with the Italian supercar brand, having been a Ferrari collector all his life. His comprehensive collection included a 166 MM Barchetta and a 750 Monza.
By 1982 the Ferrari made its way across the pond to the UK, where it was refinished in red. In July 1983 it moved hands once again, as it was sold to a Swiss car collector named Albert Obrist. Obrist had the car fully restored in its homecountry and decided that the 275 GTS should be finished in dark grey metallic.
Sold by the Obrist family in 1995, the spider next passed through both Chris Cox and Carlos Monteverde’s distinguished collections before being purchased by Bernard Carl of Washington, D.C. The NART Spider would however never make it to the U.S. and was instead stored in back in the U.K. In 2000/2001 the car was again finished in a shade of red, the color which it retains today. Repainting the classic wasn’t the only job on the itinerary, as the Ferrari was additionally fitted with a set of Borrani wire wheels.
In 2007, the rare 275 GTS Spider was finally certified by Ferrari Classische, confirming its status as a fully matching-number example. In October 2009 the classic Ferrari changed owners once more, moving to Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s garage in the U.K. Lord Laidlaw had the car’s interior trim replaced by a beige one at O’Rourke’s Coach Trimmers in West-Sussex. Number 11057 was last spotted in public during the Classic Car Tour of Tuscany in 2011, being driven by Lord Laidlaw’s wife.
Over the course of this particular NART Spider’s illustrious history, the car changed hands numerous times, received several make-overs and is believed to be driven a fair bit. Despite all that, this true example of Italian beauty is in fine shape and is one of the most sought-after V12-powered Ferrari grand tourers of the 1960’s.
This 300 bhp Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider is for now believed to be the absolute top piece of RM Sothebys’ Monaco auctions with an anticipated selling price of €19.000.000 – €21.000.000. For more information about the car and its fascinating history, we invite you to visit RM Sothebys official website.
