Then there are the long boot hinges on the fastback (which
denote a four-cam), the front quarter-bumpers that so neatly arch into the
grille recess, the narrow, low-set egg crate grille, headlamps set unfeasibly
far back in their huge fairings, sunken sidelights so carefully placed, or the
indicators hidden away on the wing, halfway up the headlights. It sits,
wrongly, on Borranis (Ferrari switched to Campagnolo alloys for the GTB/4 after
fears over the wires’ strength) with, for now, non-standard spinners, and
proudly displays its Pininfarina lineage with badges under the four big gills
on the front flanks.
The bonnet aperture is narrow, but beautifully frames –
cuddles even – the work of art that is Colombo’s V12, the quartet of cam covers
rolling over the top of the engine like a huge cog.
It really does
feel like a cabin in which you could glide across continents, with immaculate
black trim and wonderful touches such as the delicate quarter light openers
The bright work is sparse but chunky, in a durable rather
than heavy-handed fashion. All that is conspicuously absent, in fact, is the
over-dose of badging that current Ferraris wear. And it is all the better for
that. This was an era when Ferrari exuded such confidence, when its cars were
so distinctive, that only scarce on-car advertising was necessary. You should
know what it is. If you didn’t, Enzo didn’t need you.
The 275 is a proper GT, the shallow boot big enough for a
couple of cases. Inside, the steeply raked ’screen turns the corners and,
combined with the surprisingly panoramic rear window, the all-round visibility
is excellent barring the hefty rear pillars. It really does feel like a cabin
in which you could glide across continents, with immaculate black trim and
wonderful touches such as the delicate quarter light openers.
There are contradictions, however. The door pull is smoothly
curved to the shape of your index finger and the trio of stalks are similarly discreet,
contrasting with the big window-winder handle that takes a full five turns to
lift or drop the glass by barely a foot.
The wooden rim of
the gorgeous three-spoke Nardi wheel shares that mien of chunkiness and beyond
it
The wooden rim of the gorgeous three-spoke Nardi wheel
shares that mien of chunkiness and beyond it, tilted gently towards the driver,
is an impressive bank of Veglia dials with a 180mph speedo and a rev counter
that runs to 8000rpm with the red-zone starting at 7600rpm.
The thickly padded bucket seats are cosseting and behind
them there’s just enough space for a bit softer luggage – overnight bags,
perhaps, for those stops in the mountains when you arrive late and don’t want
to disturb the long-term suitcases in the boot.
Five-minute warning from the marshals. Fire it up to warm
the engine. The urbane rumble of that willing V12 soon settles into a smooth
idle at 1200rpm. The 275 was introduced in 1964, and brought with it Ferrari’s
first transaxle and all-round independent suspension. Two years later, an
update introduced a steadying torque tube and a longer nose to prevent
high-speed lift. Then came the 300bhpfour-cam, for which the transaxle was
redesigned and the dry-sump 3286cc V12 was given a reduced valve angle of 54º
(from 60) and a sextet of Webers as standard. The upshot was a car capable of
toping 160mph, barely short of the brigade of missiles that would soon give
rise to a new term: supercar.
UK-registered and
painted Argento Auteil, the 275 arrives at Ferrari Classiche in NART Spyder
form, ready to be born again
Suddenly, a barrier lifts and a man waves us onto the track.
Slide your fingers into the thoughtful gearlever notches, ease it down and
towards you in the familiar gate then lift the clutch (big, but not heavy like
in a 330) and the 275GTB/4 trickles away obediently at slow speed. There is a
quick sprint down to the first corner, but with neither brakes, tires nor
gear-box yet up to operating temperature, you take it easy through that initial
tight right-hander.
It takes a whole lap for all of the mechanical elements of
the Ferrari to syncopate and then it is revelatory. At its absolute best
through long sweepers, where its poise comes into its own, the 275 also makes a
pretty good fist of a dash-through-the-gears drag-race, though that somehow
seems a little vulgar in this car.
