The Ferrari 275, a two-seater Gran Turismo racer that Ferrari produced from 1964 to 1968 and was voted as number three in Motor Trend Classic’s “Greatest Ferrari’s of all time.”  The Ferrari 275 had a front-mounted engine with a body that was designed by Pininfarina, the Italian automobile design company.  Only 970 Ferrari 275s were produced before it was succeeded by the Ferrari Daytona, but this number includes a few variants that included two coupes and two spider models.  The Ferrari 275 also included the introduction of Ferrari’s transaxle design, which combined the rear axle and transmission into an integrated unit.

All Ferrari 275s utilized a V12, 3.3 liter engine that produced anywhere from 280 to 300 horsepower.  The original 275s began production in 1964, with the coupe version developed under the 275 GTB and 275 GTC model numbers.  The 275 GTS was the roadster developed for the American market that was almost entirely different in terms of its body.  Both the original and spider Ferrari 275s employed a two cam engine.  Some Ferrari 275 GTB and GTCs utilized Dunlop tires and Borrani wire wheels.  The tires proved to grip the road so much that they would actually transfer too much stress to the spokes on the wire wheels, effectively breaking them.  No Ferrari used in competition since then has been fitted with wire wheels.

Later versions of the Ferrari 275 employed four cams instead of two.  These were built by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an Italian automobile design firm, and also featured a coupe and spider models.  The improvements to performance were remarkable over the two cam designs and also featured dual overhead cams.  The design also reworked the transaxle implementation by adjoining the transmission to the rear axle with a torque tube, which improved the car’s handling, vibration, and road noise problems.  This model also utilized Porsche synchronizers, synchronized transmission gear boxes, which further eliminated problems.

The 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 was outfitted with six carburetors on its four cam engine that enabled it to speed up to 165 miles per hour using 300 horsepower.  Not satisfied with this configuration, one American dealer sold what was known as the Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider, which was called “The most satisfying sports car in the world” by Road & Track Magazine.  Only ten NART Spiders were produced and fetch upwards of two million dollars in auctions and private sales today.  NART was an acronym for “North American Racing Team.”