Gooding Christie’s has a way of finding the cars that stop collectors mid-scroll, and its latest headline lot is no exception: the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S NART Spider, delivered new to Steve McQueen, will make its first-ever auction appearance at Retromobile New York. The sale marks the debut of the Paris show’s New York edition, with Gooding Christie’s serving as the official auction house for the November 19–22 event.
A Ferrari With Hollywood Provenance
Plenty of Ferraris are wonderful, but few are truly extraordinary, and this open-top 275 sits near the top of that short list. Chassis 10453 was delivered new to the actor, racer and Hollywood icon through Luigi Chinetti, the man who persuaded Ferrari to authorize a limited run of the 275 GTB/4*S built by Scaglietti.
The recipe is pure Ferrari at its most desirable: the berlinetta’s 3.3-liter, four-cam V-12, a five-speed transaxle, independent suspension and disc brakes, all dressed in elegant open coachwork. A discreet North American Racing Team badge on the tail panel is the only hint of the car’s racing-bred DNA.
The Sixth NART Spider, Made Personal by McQueen
This car is the sixth NART Spider built, and it left the factory in Blu Sera (Evening Blue) over black Connolly leather, the first of just two finished to that specification. Extensive documentation accompanies the car, so a future owner can examine even the exact tire, wheel and instrumentation specifications.
The story gets better after the car landed at LAX in the fall of 1967. McQueen’s verdict on the color was famously blunt, and he had it refinished in a dark metallic blue. He also had the bumpers removed and added a quick-fill fuel cap, a rally-style mirror, a radio console and new trim for the seats. A $15,000 purchase in 1967 would be roughly ten times that today, but movie stars like what they like.
Rarity That Is Hard to Overstate
McQueen’s ownership has been documented extensively by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, and the car has had just two other owners since, the most recent holding it for four decades. It has been seldom seen in public and never offered at auction, which makes it a so-called hidden figure classic: one of the greatest open Ferraris ever made, and an if-you-know-you-know car.
Massini himself calls it the ultimate icon, uniting two global legends in a single machine, and expects the first auction appearance to mark a monumental moment in car history. The ad anticipates a result in the tens of millions of dollars, though perhaps the new owner will be inclined to share this one with the world.
For anyone planning to attend, Gooding Christie’s Retromobile New York auctions take place at the Javits Center this November, and the catalogue includes plenty of other models for Ferrari tifosi to browse. This 275 NART Spider, though, is the one everyone will be watching.
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Shawn Henry 
Kyle Matthews