Ferrari only built 12 275 GTB Competizione race cars in 1966 specifically for the great GT races of the day, including the mother of all endurance races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 11th car built is the one you see in the photos, chassis number 09079, which will go under the hammer on January 15 at the Bonhams sale in Scottsdale, Arizona.
275 GTB Competizione cars were given a lighter chassis than the traditional 275, larger double fuel tanks and a new 3.3-liter V12 engine factory-modified to deliver in excess of 300 hp. Chassis no. 09079 was sold to the well-known Swiss team owner Georges Filipinetti, who entered it in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans under his own colors.
The 275 GTB Competizione dominated the GT class from the very earliest stages and won it in the hands of the Swiss duo Dieter Spörry and Gianwirco Steinemann.
Two years later, the car took another big victory at the Spa-Francorchamps 1,000 km, which was also part of the International Championship for Makes. The car was driven by an all-Swiss team which included Jacques Rey and Edgar Berney, with Claude Haldi as the reserve driver. The latter duo also took the car to victory in the 1969 Imola 500km.
After its racing career ended, the 275 GTB Competizione changed hands several times and was restored in the late 1980s. The nut and bolt restoration was carried out in line with the original construction specifications and was certified as authentic by the Ferrari Classiche division in Maranello. With such a prolific racing record, the car is expected to fetch an eight-figure sum at Scottsdale.
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