Widely regarded as Maranello's most elegant 1960s grand tourer and one of the most beautiful GT cars of all time, the 250 GT/L represented the final iteration of the 250 series. Known as the 'Lusso' (Italian for luxury), the car first debuted at the 1962 Paris Motor Show becoming an instant hit for its curvaceous and perfectly proportioned Pininfarina design, which was built by hand at Sergio Scaglietti's Modena workshop.
Only 350 examples of the Lusso were built over its brief two-year production run, and it remains one of the most desirable Ferraris of all time. The elegant interior featured true bucket seats with leather upholstery and a unique instrument panel centered by two large dials for the speedometer and rev counter angled towards the driver for optimal functionality. Under the hood, a 250hp, 3.0-liter V12 engine is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. This particular example was the fourth to last car built and thus represents one of the last of the legendary 250 series Ferraris.
It also marked the end of a golden era of Ferrari production that included the iconic 250 GTO. Having passed through several hands that all took great care preserving the car, in 2010 it was treated to a full rotisserie restoration in Italy consisting of a thorough mechanical rebuild and a brand new interior of proper black leather. The restoration also included a high quality bare-metal repaint in the car's original blue metallic color, Azzuro Metallizzato. On June 28, 2011, the beautifully restored Ferrari, with its original matching numbers engine and original color scheme, was issued a Ferrari Classiche certification.
Next month it will cross the auction block with RM Auctions in Monaco on May 11 & 12, when some of the world's most discerning collectors will part with staggering sums of money in order to pick up rare models such as this. There are no estimates at time of writing, but in 2007 Steve McQueen's 1963 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso sold in auction for $2.3 million, and two years ago an example from 1964 went for $1.6 million.