Just A Car Guy: Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione chassis No. 6885, believed by some to be the most valuable car in existence. It is one of three 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciales ever built and it's the only one with a racing history.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione chassis No. 6885, believed by some to be the most valuable car in existence. It is one of three 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciales ever built and it's the only one with a racing history.

The 275 GTB C was constructed around a new tube steel chassis that, while designated Tipo 563 like the production model, was manufactured from smaller tubing.

The body was half the thickness of the production car, and it featured a specially reinforced roof and allowed the engine to be mounted lower in the chassis, improving torsional rigidity while lowering the cg.

Engine output was up around 69 hp from the road cars. It had a dry sump, was lighter alloy aluminum than the regular block and fitted with a magnesium sump, intake manifold, cam cover, with other special parts including a balanced, lightened crank, better pistons, high lift cams plus widened intake ports and exhaust manifolds.

All windows except the front windshield were replaced with plexiglass, the seats were replaced with aluminium buckets

Summed up, the competition version of the 275 was around 10% smaller and weighed in at 870kg (dry) compared to 1100kg for the standard production model.

These were also the first Ferraris with independent rear suspensions and rear transaxle gearboxes.

Campaigned by Ferrari's satellite race team Ecurie Francorchamps of Belgium, at the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans it won the GT class and finished third overall behind a pair of Ferrari 250 LMs.

After 6885 was returned to the factory, re-painted red and sold to Luigi Chinetti who exported it to North America.

Later that year, chassis 6885 was transferred to Ferrari's North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) in whose hands it won the Nassau Grand Prix

Chinetti entered 6885 in one more round of the 1965 World Sports Car Championship, at a 500km race at Bridgehampton on 19th September 1965, part of a three-car NART entry alongside a 365 P2 for Pedro Rodriguez and a 275 P for Mario Andretti, the GTB C qualified 20th out of 24 starters behind a trio of Shelby Cobras which outperformed the Daytona Coupe’s on a twisty circuit.

With 6885’s competition career over Chinetti sold the car to Harley Cluxton in Arizona.