The One And Only 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE Italian Police Car Is An Absolute Legend

Italy’s crime scene in the 1960s included lots of car chases, and the Alfa Romeo 1900s and Giulia 1600s police cars were becoming too slow to catch the bad guys.

In a never-before-seen partnership with an exotic carmaker, the country’s president reached out to Enzo Ferrari and convinced him to supply two 250 GTEs to Rome’s police department in 1962, at the request of Armando Spatafora, one of the most successful and famous police officers of the capital.

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Along with three colleagues, Spatafora attended a high-speed driving course in Maranello, and at the end of it, he was presented with the new squad car, a black Ferrari 250 GTE, with a 3.0-liter V12 engine pumping out 237 HP, that was capable of hitting speeds in excess of 250 km/h (155 mph). The vehicle was finished in black on top of a tan leatherette interior, with ‘Squadra Mobile’ decals on the doors, and equipped with emergency lights, siren and a radio.

Spatafora spent the next six years doing his job at the helm of a Ferrari, and this combination became so legendary that it was a matter of prestige in Rome’s criminal underworld to beat him in a car chase.

During its time as a squad car, the 250 GTE was constantly serviced and maintained in Maranello, ensuring that it was always in the best possible condition.

In 1968, the 2+2 car was retired and in 1972 it was sold through a public auction, ending up in the possession of a connoisseur who spent the next four decades preserving it. During this time, it was displayed in numerous events all over the continent, including the Coppa delle Dolomiti race, where it was reunited with the retired Armando Spatafora, who raced it and won the silver medal.

The legendary status secured it with a temporary spot in the Museum of Police Vehicles in Rome, where it was loaned in the early 2000s. It’s worth noting that to this day, this is the only private car in Italy that has a special permission to drive with the police livery, blue light, siren and all.

In 2015, it changed hands once more, and the following year, it was taken to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

This is the only surviving 250 GTE police car, as the other one was reportedly destroyed a few weeks after it left the factory floor, and Girardo has it listed for sale for an undisclosed price. It’s accompanied by the entire documentation, including the Ferrari Classiche certification obtained in 2014, and it’s dying to be reintroduced to the road.