The Ferrari 275 NART Spyder: The Car Enzo Didn't Want to Sell
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Quick Takeaways
- Only ten Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spyders were ever built, making it one of the rarest open-top Ferraris in existence.
- The car was commissioned by Luigi Chinetti — Ferrari's North American distributor and the man who effectively introduced Ferrari to the American market — against Enzo Ferrari's wishes.
- It appeared on the cover of Road & Track in 1967 and became instantly iconic; Steve McQueen tried to buy one and was turned down.
- With the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance celebrating Ferrari as its featured marque this August, the NART Spyder is exactly the kind of car that deserves attention right now.
Luigi Chinetti and the Car Enzo Refused to Make
Luigi Chinetti won Le Mans three times as a driver, twice for Ferrari. When he transitioned to the business side of the sport, he became Ferrari's importer for North America — the man responsible for building the American market that now sustains a significant portion of Ferrari's business. He had credibility with Enzo that very few people outside Maranello enjoyed.
In the mid-1960s, Chinetti wanted an open-top version of the 275 GTB/4 — the berlinetta that was already considered one of the finest road cars Ferrari had ever built. Enzo was resistant. Ferrari's design direction had moved away from spyders and toward closed coupes. The market, as Enzo saw it, didn't need another open car.
Chinetti pushed. The result was a compromise: Ferrari would build ten cars to Chinetti's specification, sold through his North American Racing Team (NART) operation. Ten cars, no more. If Chinetti wanted them, he could have them. Enzo was reportedly not enthusiastic about the arrangement.
The Ten Cars
The NART Spyder used the 275 GTB/4 mechanical package — the 3.3-liter Colombo V12 with six carburetors and four camshafts, producing around 300 horsepower — in a new open body designed by Scaglietti. The proportions were close to the berlinetta but softer, the absence of the roof changing the car's character from purposeful to genuinely sensuous.
Chinetti took delivery of all ten and began selling them to American customers. Steve McQueen, who had the taste and the money to buy anything, attempted to acquire one and was unable to — all ten had already found homes. Road & Track's 1967 cover photograph, featuring a NART Spyder against the California coastline, introduced the car to a broader audience that included a generation of enthusiasts who would spend the following decades trying to own one.
The Pebble Beach Connection
This August, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance marks its 75th anniversary with Ferrari as the featured marque. NART competition cars are specifically cited among the displays being planned. It would be surprising if at least one NART Spyder isn't present — these cars have appeared at Pebble Beach multiple times over the decades, and on the event's most significant anniversary, the likelihood is high.
The NART Spyder represents everything the Pebble Beach judges look for: rarity, historical significance, mechanical excellence, and a design that holds up under the kind of scrutiny the concours field provides. The story behind the car — Chinetti's persistence, Enzo's reluctance, the ten cars that resulted — is the kind of provenance that adds weight to what's already a beautiful object.
Bottom Line
Enzo Ferrari didn't want to build the NART Spyder. Luigi Chinetti made him do it anyway. The ten cars that resulted are now among the most valuable open Ferraris in existence — which suggests that Chinetti, as usual, knew something Enzo didn't.
