Ferrari 330GTC

TIPPED BY: JAMES MITCHELL

What’s this, a less obvious Sixties Ferrari sneaking ahead of poster cars like the Daytona? Perhaps, but James Mitchell’s main reason for selecting the 330GTC is unashamedly superficial.

‘It’s beautiful. I think it’s far prettier than a DB Aston, just as fast and a lot more stylish. It also looks equally good in a wide range of colours, which you can’t say for every Ferrari.’

James particularly fancies the range of paler blues such as Azzurro Metallizzato and Blu Chiaro but in anything other than scarlet, the 330GTC is pretty understated as Ferraris go. This is connected to its fortunes in the market, as James explains, ‘Being a less obvious, less show-offish model, it hasn’t been a target for investors but it has been bought by enthusiasts. They tend to keep their cars a long time so the values are much more stable than for the Daytona, for instance. It won’t suddenly rocket up in price, but neither will it suffer those sudden falls you get with cars favoured by speculators.’

The 330GTC had a short production life from 1966 to ’68 but 600 were made so there’s always a modest choice. Underneath the attractive skin, this 2+2 is really the successor to the much more valuable 275GTB. When you know that the chassis is essentially the same – identical wheelbase, same independent rear suspension, same fivespeed transaxle – it looks an even better buy. But that chassis plan carried on again under the Daytona, so is the 330 as intimidating to drive?

‘No, it feels lighter and more nimble than a Daytona,’ reveals James. ‘It’s less raw, less brutish. Some people might think that makes it a less exciting car, but this is a Sixties Ferrari that you’ll actually want to use.’

Values? £400k-£450k, says James, with no real premium existing for right-hand drive in what is firmly an international market.