1955 Ferrari Europa GT Speciale

S/N 0393GT, One-Off Aluminum Pinin Farina Speciale Body, Displayed at the 1955 Paris Auto Salon · Lot R801 · Kissimmee 2027 - S/N 0393 GT - 1 of 4 250 Europa GT chassis fitted with a Pinin Farina-designed “Speciale” berlinetta body - The only one of the 4 factory-fitted with exaggerated rear fins - 1 of 34 Ferrari 250 Europa GTs produced - Ferrari Classiche certified in 2022 with Red Book - Often regarded as one of the “prototypes” of the 250 GT Berlinetta “Tour de France” (TdF) - Custom built for Parisian gentleman racer Andre Dubonnet, whose grandfather was the founder of Dubonnet aperitif of Paris - Pinin Farina worked with Dubonnet to design a custom, all-aluminum body that could be displayed at the Paris Auto Salon and raced at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans - 0393GT was fitted with upwards of 20 unique features not seen on other cars - Displayed at the October 1955 Paris Auto Salon with unique styling features such as the fastback-style rear window, front fender vents and quarter panel louvers - Dubonnet intended to run 0393GT at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans with Maurice Trintignant as his co-driver; Dubonnet broke his foot prior to the race and withdrew - Dubonnet drove the car until 1958, at which time it was sent to Joseph Cattaneo’s shop in Italy - American soldier Robert W. Spencer discovered 0393GT at Garage Moloff in Paris 5 years later - Spencer modified the car to look more like a TdF, removing the tail fins, adding a scoop to the hood and painting the car bright red - Spencer drove the car in Europe until receiving his military orders to return to the U.S. - To get 0393GT home to the U.S., Spencer sold it to Staff Sergeant Richard DeJagger, who painted the car in military flat gray paint and shipped it as a military vehicle - When the car arrived at the Air Force base in Hamlet, Indiana, DeJagger sold the car back to Spencer, who eventually took it home to Pennsylvania with plans of restoring it - Dr. Ron Mulacek of La Grange, Illinois, acquired 0393GT from Spencer on November 4, 1980 - A 10-year comprehensive restoration was undertaken by Mulacek, which included reconstructing the rear fender fins and refinishing 0393GT in Off White/Ivory - Acquired by Dennis Machul of Illinois in 1995 - Joined the Rare Wheels Collection in 2018, after which it was restored to its original Navy Blue and tan color combination, as shown at the 1955 Paris Auto Salon - Shown at the 2018 FCA International Meet in Watkins Glen - 2021 Sebring Florida FCA Meet Best in Show award - Displayed at the Pebble Beach Concours in 1993 and 2021 - Displayed at The Amelia Concours and Concorso Ferrari in 2023 - Displayed at the 2020 Cavallino Classic - Displayed at the 2021 Concorso d’Eleganza at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic - Large selection of period photographs from the Pinin Farina studio and Paris Auto Salon