A 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE supercar that had been converted into a racer once went up on sale in Paris, France several days ago and ultimately went for €387,500.
Ferrari has produced its legendary 250 lineup in 1952 through 1964. These cars had between 2.4 and 2.6 meters (7.87–8.53 feet) of wheelbase and utilized a 3.0-liter V12 rated up to 300 PS (296 hp / 221 kW). Rumor has it the company had struggled to stay competitive at the time and was only saved by the massive success of its 250 GT 2+2 model.
Rumor has it the original 250 GTE (see video) was designed upon a personal request of the company founder, Enzo Ferrari. Pininfarina built a body for it. Slightly less than 1,000 units have seen the light of the day – much more than Ferrari normally produced.
The example sold at the Paris auction had an engine rated at 240 PS (237 hp / 177 kW) and a four-speed manual transmission. Surprisingly, the listing points out that the engine is still in stock condition after all these years. It is even more unusual if you consider that the car was purchased by an Italian racing team in 1986 and rebuilt for pro racing – in particular, it had participated in Targa Florio Classica and Coppa del Appennino races.
Later on, someone bought it out and had it reverted to factory condition by removing all the motorsports upgrades. They also had it resprayed in its original blue color and retrimmed in light beige leather.