Description
The Ferrari 330 GTC Speciale was a rare, bespoke variation of the standard 330 GTC, created by Pininfarina for a handful of Ferrari’s most exclusive clients between 1966 and 1967. While mechanically similar to the regular 330 GTC, the Speciale featured unique bodywork and detailing, often reflecting the personal tastes of the customer and the coachbuilder’s desire to experiment with design. Only four examples are believed to have been built, making it one of the rarest 1960s Ferrari road cars.
The Speciale retained the Colombo-designed 3,967 cc V12, producing around 300 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. This combination allowed for performance figures very close to the standard 330 GTC, including a top speed of roughly 240 km/h and strong mid-range acceleration, while offering the refinement expected from Ferrari’s grand tourers. The chassis was also derived from the 275 GTB, with fully independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes, ensuring balanced handling and precise road manners.
The main distinction lay in the bodywork. The 330 GTC Speciale’s design was more flamboyant than the production model, borrowing cues from Ferrari’s top-tier models of the time, such as the 500 Superfast. It often featured a sharper nose, different headlamp arrangements, unique grilles, and more sculpted body sides. Some examples incorporated hidden headlamps, chrome highlights, or distinctive rear-end treatments that set them apart from the standard GTC. These changes made each Speciale essentially a one-off, blending the GTC’s proportions with the exclusivity of a coachbuilt Ferrari.
The interiors of the Speciale models were lavish and fully customized, often trimmed in rare leather colours, with bespoke dashboards and luxury fittings. They maintained the 330 GTC’s reputation for blending elegance and comfort with sporting intent, offering a quieter, more refined cabin than Ferrari’s more track-oriented cars, but still with a strong emphasis on the driving experience.
Today, the 330 GTC Speciale is among the most collectible Ferraris of the 1960s, valued not just for its extreme rarity, but also for its position at the crossroads of Ferrari’s bespoke coachbuilt tradition and its shift towards standardized production models. Each surviving example is a highly prized piece of Ferrari history, representing the ultimate in exclusivity for the 330 series.