1967 Ferrari 330 GTC

Description

1967 Ferrari 330 GTC

Chassis # 10521

Assembly Sequence # 337

Body # C0412

Motor # 10521

Original Colour Blu 19391

Original Interior Beige VM3309

Matching Numbers

In 1967 a brand new Ferrari 330 GTC was delivered to a Mr. Luigi Santovetti.

Now, Mr. Santovetti was in the wine business, which he was very passionate about.

He was also very enthused about fine automobiles.

In fact, years prior, he was involved in the automotive industry.

He had worked at Alfa Romeo and was the boss of none other than a young Enzo Ferrari…

They must have gotten on well, because he took delivery of a number of shiny new Ferrari’s over the years.

When Luigi was done with the 330, it ended up back at the selling dealer, Sports Auto of Rome.

This information was gleaned from Luigi Santovetti’s nephew, who remembers his uncle and this car well.

I’ve included a picture of the original owner, it’s obvious he was quite the character!

From there it ended up in Switzerland where it was painted in the hue of historic Dino Rosso and had a set of Recaro Sport Seats installed.

It is assumed that the tan interior was re-done in black during this time period as well.

The car was imported into the U.S. in 1978, I think this period of the cars life is best summed up by the gentleman who owned the car next, he had this to say:

"I bought the car from Harley Cluxton III, who owned GTC Inc. The company still exists, but Harley sold the Ferrari dealership and now does megabuck restorations on classics. Last time I was at his shop (several years ago), he had a Maserati Birdcage, a 427 Cobra, and a 250 GTO in for restoration. No kidding. He gave me a ride in the latter.

Back to the 330 GTC. In early 1978 I was in the market for my first Ferrari and wanted a 275 GTB or a 330 GTC. As an impecunious soldier, I was bottom-fishing. As a former soldier himself, he understood I didn't have a lot of money to spend. I eventually had the choice of a rusty 275 or a mechanically sound but "incorrect" 330. I chose the latter. Harley bought the car from Rob de la Rive Box in Switzerland and imported it. When I bought the car it had a white CH football centered under the rear bumper and a Rob Box circular multicolored sticker on the upper left of the rear window. I paid $15,500 for it. The car had new Pirelli CN36 tires in 215/70VR14. It drove perfectly. It was missing an aluminum heat shield, from I think the driver's side. The air conditioner actually worked. I drove the car at night several times across the desert between Sierra Vista and Bisbee at 135 mph, which was as fast at it would go. I think the altitude (about one mile above sea leve) took its toll on performance.

In mid-1978 I was transferred from Fort Huachuca, AZ, to the Presidio of Monterey, CA. I drove there via Las Vegas, where some jealous low-live slashed one of the tires. At the time, no one was importing Pirellis in that size into the USA, so I put two Dunlop 205/70VR14s on the front and left the Pirellis on the rear. In Monterey I was living right on the beach and the car was being covered by a salty mist, so I bought a VW to get around town in and rented a garage for the Ferrari inland. I drove it on the weekends or for special occasions. While in Monterey I replaced the mechanical fuel pump, the plug wires, and the rear main seal. In mid-1979 I was ordered to Belgium and decided to sell the 330. I sold it for $16,500 to the Mazda-Peugeot dealership in Salinas, CA. I was under the mistaken notion at the time that that if I wanted another 12-cylinder Ferrari, I'd just have to find $15 or 20,000 to be able to pick up a nice "driver." Haha!"

Such a great story, I can just picture this young guy being so excited about this amazing car, and enjoying it so much….

I’ve included some photographs of the car he supplied to us from 1978.

The car remained in the Monterey area until sometime in 1981. At this point it was purchased by a gentleman in New Jersey and remained in his care until 2014. Not much is known from this time period, although it appears to have spent most of this time in storage.

By 2015 #10521 had found its way back to the Bay Area and into the care of a real Ferrari enthusiast. He is also in the wine business, notice a pattern here?

Although there were no major issues with the car it was clear that it had been years since it had been driven. The following is a list of items that have been completed in the last year:

Rebuilt Fuel Pump, new fuel lines

Rebuilt Alternator

Rebuilt Radiator

Restored Wheels

Restored Steering Wheel

Restored Grill

Restored pan Under Radiator

Restored Airbox

Restored Battery Box

Restored Exhaust Hangers

Restored Engine Compartment that is 100% Correct

Restored Original Hardware

New Correct Lucas Cooling fans

New N.O.S Exhaust System

New Correct Headlights

New Correct Michelin Tires

Correct Koni Shocks done by Performance Shocks in Sonoma

New N.O.S. Tie Rod Ends

Door Sills re-done correctly

Rear Under-pan re-done properly

Correct License Plate Lights installed

The Bay Area is home to some of the very best vintage 12 cylinder Ferrari mechanics in the world, all the above work was performed by the best of the best, to excellent standards.

New, Old Stock Parts were used whenever possible, or the originals rebuilt to maintain a maximum amount of authenticity.

Mechanically the car is excellent, literally needing nothing.

It starts immediately, doesn’t smoke or leak fluids, and has excellent oil pressure. The gearbox shifts perfectly, the clutch has positive engagement and shows no sign of slippage. The suspension and steering function perfectly as well as the braking system. The car is an absolute pleasure to drive, an excellent example of one of the best driving vintage Ferrari’s out there.

The paint and interior were left until last, which makes sense. You don’t want to be messing up a brand new interior and scratching fresh paint while you are doing mechanical work.

At this point the proper seats were sourced, and the proper leather was procured from Connolly, to the tune of $5k.

Suddenly, the owner was distracted by thoughts of a 275 GTB 4 Cam……

It was decided that #10521 would have to once again, find a new home, so here we are.

Now, I’ve bought, sold and owned many special cars over the years. I photograph hundreds of cars a year, literally. Every once in a while I come across a car that really strikes me as special. A few cars have a special charisma, an aura so to speak, this is one of those cars. After spending the afternoon with the car I was struck with how amazing this car is. At this point I didn’t even know the history behind it. I had hoped that one of my friends could buy #10521, but the timing just isn’t right for any of them. I wish that I could afford to buy it myself, I’d finish the interior, and enjoy it! I wouldn’t mile it to death, but I would drive it! In a few years, when it’s doubled or tripled in value I’d probably force myself to sell it. At that point I’d have it painted back to it’s original colour and shed a tear or two as it moved on to its next care taker.

They only built 800 330 GTC’s total, I can only imagine how many are left in existence. Not only are these some of the best driving vintage cars ever built, I would argue that they are undervalued in relation to other vintage Ferrari’s.

We all have seen what the vintage Ferrari market has done over the years. It may ebb and flow, but it always ends up increasing.

The car is located in the Bay Area; inspections are welcome with prior notice.

I’ve known and done business with the current owner for a dozen years, he’s a great guy and will be accommodating in every way possible.

We are happy to help arrange shipping, nationally or internationally.

Feel free to email or call for more information.

Please scroll allthe way down to see all 200 + images.

Josh 503-475-8078