Ferrari 330 GTC

A classic front-engined V12 Ferrari of the old school, the 330GTC was the standard company two-plus-two offering of the mid 1960s. Less exotic than the smaller 275 — forerunner of the Daytona — the Pininfarina-styled GTC was powered by a 4-litre, single-cam-per-bank version of the Colombo V12, for which 300bhp was claimed, running on three carburettors. It was to the 275 what today’s 465GT is to the 512TR, or the 412 was to the Boxer; tamer, more practical, arguably more elegant, but still very much a Ferrari.

The model was in production from 1965 to ’68, replacing the 250GT and preceding the 365GT. A few hundred were produced, only 21 of which were right-hand-drive. Its chassis was a definite step forward in sophistication over the 250, with wishbones for all four wheels and ventilated disc brakes all round. It ran on the same wheelbase as the 250 but in general layout was much more akin to the later Daytona, with the propshaft running to a rear transaxle which incorporated the gearbox in the interests of weight distribution.

In styling terms the progression from 250 to 365 can be clearly seen, elements of both apparent within the beautifully understated lines. Later models featured a fourheadlight arrangement but the two-light version is both more common and more elegant. First impressions on seeing the car for real are of how much smaller it is than you might imagine, though it still towers above the mid-engined machinery against which it competes in the Maranello Challenge.