Classic Ferraris – 2019 Ferrari 812 GTS

Some may decry the omission of the F12, but truthfully, that car was only the beginning.

What it would become was the 812 Superfast, a stunning long-legged super GT with the power of a hypercar.

Its 6.5-litre V12 has all of 800PS (588kW) at its disposal and while that sounds like too much, the 812 deploys those numbers with decorum (and hooliganism, if you so wish).

200mph is academic for a grand tourer with such potency.

Then, Ferrari went and finished the job by popping the top, making it arguably the ultimate all-round Ferrari of the last 25 years.

The noise, the quality, the luxury, the performance, the looks. It does it all, as the SWB and 250 GT California did over 60 years ago.

2015 Ferrari Sergio

When Sergio Pininfarina, son of the founder of the eponymous coachbuilder Pininfarina, passed away in 2012, the company wanted to pay homage to his own immense legacy.

Hence, a very special Ferrari was created in tribute—the Sergio. Just six of these $3 million roadsters were built in 2015, based on the underpinnings of Ferrari’s 458 Speciale and featuring a totally customized body.

One of the six, and the only one painted in this stunning shade of purple-blue, is owned by Miami collectors Constance and Mike Fernandez, who presented the car at the Cavallino.

“The way it honors the great Sergio Pininfarina is why we love it,” explains Constance.

“That, and the fact that it’s truly one of the rarest modern-day Ferraris in the world.”

It’s also fast; the Sergio comes with the 458 Speciale’s 590 hp, 4.5-liter naturally aspirated V-8 that loves to scream to 9,000 rpm.

Classic Ferraris – 2013 LaFerrari

Truthfully, most Ferraris were really quite excellent from the F430 onwards, save perhaps for that original California, but the LaFerrari arguably finished the job the 355 began.

That job was a range of Ferraris that were excellent in almost all situations and in 2011, only the hypercar halo model was left to revolutionize.

An F40 is reportedly a nasty thing to drive around slowly. The F50 supposedly rattles you to death. The Enzo is just harsh, with an irritable transmission.

The LaFerrari? It’s every bit the dual-clutch, road-ready cruiser the FF is, minus perhaps some luggage space and of course, with a little more NVH.

It was the Ferrari hypercar without compromise – astonishing on track with truly biblical power, and with the majesty of those looks married to a howling V12 in the middle, that you could then drive home, drive to the shops, drive on a continent-crossing tour, in shocking comfort and refinement.

1985 Ferrari 288 GTO

Formerly owned by Ralph Lauren, this Ferrari 288 GTO now belongs to Allan McDonnel and just might be the most well-traveled example in the world.

Last year, fresh out of an exhaustive, year-long Ferrari Classiche restoration, it was displayed at Cavallino Concorso events in both Modena and Abu Dhabi, and took part in the Ferrari-run GTO Legacy Tour through the Italian Dolomites to celebrate the 288 GTO’s 40th anniversary.

On the Cavallino lawn outside The Breakers, the car looked sensational.

“I always wanted a GTO, and when I got it, I decided I wanted it to be the very best,” says McDonnel, who acquired the 9,000-mile car in May of 2023.

Being “the best” not only included that massive restoration, but a full engine-out detailing of the engine bay after it got splattered by mud in the rain-drenched Legacy Tour.

Classic Ferraris – 1984 Ferrari Testarossa

Made famous by Miami Vice, the Testarossa is by far the most ‘80s Ferrari to make our list, with its angular design, pop-up headlights, and gill-like side air intakes.

7,177 units were built between 1984 and 1991, powered by a 4.9-litre longitudinally-mounted, flat-12, producing 390PS (289kW) and torque of 490Nm (361lb ft).

This potent powertrain allowed the Testarossa to accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, with an estimated 180mph top speed. 

Some really hate the Testarossa’s looks, but, to our eyes, it oozes the very best ‘80s cool. 

On top of that though, hindsight has made us realize the Testarossa really is the good ‘80s supercar, that’s usable, comfortable, generally quite reliable and drivable on the road. 

1969 Ferrari GTB/4 Daytona Speciale

The Cavallino isn’t just about immaculately restored, 100-point Ferraris. A few, like this one-of-one 1969 GTB/4 Daytona, are a little, shall we say, rough around the edges.

Showing the patina of 56 years of use, it was a worthy winner of the Cavallino’s Preservation award.

Owned by St. Louis–based Ferrari collector Jack Thomas, the car is unique in having a fixed roof, a stainless-steel roll hoop, and a removeable clear-plastic rear window, similar to that of an early Porsche 911 Targa.

The car was the star of Ferrari’s display at the 1969 Paris Salon auto show before becoming part of the world-renowned Matsuda Collection in Japan.

Thomas bought it in 2010 and has since used it extensively on classic rallies.

“We’ll never restore it, it’s just too perfect as it is,” says Dustin Wetmore of Wisconsin-based restoration house Motion Products, the outfit that looks after the car.

Classic Ferraris – 1967 Ferrari Dino 206 S

Some would argue that Ferraris don’t come more beautiful than this. The pint-sized Dino 206 S was a lightweight sports prototype produced by Ferrari in 1966 and 1967.

Only 18 were built, and this well-known ex-Scuderia Filipinetti racer was one of the stars of Cavallino, winning the coveted Outstanding Classiche-Certified Ferrari award.

Detailing the car’s history, passionate owner Hassan Moghadam still gulps when he shows us the photo of this vehicle slowly being engulfed in flames during the 1967 1000 km of Nürburgring race.

“It burned for half an hour. It must have been horrible to watch,” says the Canadian oral surgeon.

Rebuilt in the mid-1980s, it wasn’t until Moghadam bought the car in 2015 that it was dispatched back to Ferrari for a two-year, nut-and-bolt restoration.

What’s it like to drive? “Absolutely scary,” he says.

1964 Ferrari 250 GTO

At some point during 1964, it seems as though every single Ferrari Formula 1 driver piloted this hard-driven 250 GTO.

From world champions Phil Hill and John Surtees to Le Mans–winner Jean Guichet to Ludovico Scarfiotti and Lorenzo Bandini to Pedro Rodriguez.

“It is amazing whose hands have held its steering wheel,” says Chris Parker of Los Angeles Ferrari restoration house Parker-Newton, caretaker of the car for owner Aaron Hsu.

One of just two 250 GTOs built with the so-called “1964” body design, it was bought by Ferrari enthusiast Pierre Bardinon in 1972, finding a home in his legendary Mas Du Clos collection.

After his death in 2014, the car was acquired by Hsu and subjected to a four-year, world-class restoration.

It won Best in Class at Pebble Beach in 2021 and Best in Show at the 2022 Cavallino Classic.

“Nothing compares,” is Parker’s opinion of this Prancing Horse.

Classic Ferraris – 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

Stephen and Kim Bruno don’t like “trailer queens,” cars that never see motoring action.

While their well-known, one-of-a-kind 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta Tour de France is worth millions, they spend plenty of time behind the wheel.

In the last two years, they’ve added over 5,000 miles to the odometer, entering the car in the 1,000-mile Colorado Grand rally, the California Mille Miglia, and 500-mile Ferrari Cavalcade in Italy.

“It’s just a great driver’s car, with phenomenal V-12 performance and huge brakes,” says Stephen.

One of 77 Scaglietti-bodied Tour de France 250 GTs built, Bruno’s car is the only one ever painted in Ferrari’s version of British Racing Green.

Powered by the intrepid 3.0-liter Colombo V-12, the TdF is much-loved by enthusiasts for its dual capability of being a brilliant daily driver as well as a hard-charging weekend racer.

Says Stephen, “We bought it to drive it.”

1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti Spyder

Perhaps no other Ferrari can boast so many racing greats who have spent time behind its wood-rimmed wheel—Fangio, Hill, Hawthorn, Collins, Von Trips, Trintignant, and Portago, to name just a few.

It won the Cuban Grand Prix in 1958 with Stirling Moss, came in second in the Mille Miglia and sixth at Sebring.

Now it’s the pride and joy of Ohio collector Brian Ross, and the worthy winner of Cavallino’s Outstanding Competition Ferrari award.

“Even now it is extraordinary to drive,” says Ross. Powered by a 390 hp, 4.1-liter four-cam V-12, it has a top speed of close to 190 mph.

At Le Mans, in 1957, it set the fastest lap at an average speed of 120 mph.

No wonder it is widely considered one of the greatest Ferraris ever built. 

Classic Ferraris – 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta

“I think we kept the guy in the chrome shop busy for three years,” says collector Tom Peck of his orange-and-gray 1954 375 Mille Miglia coupe.

The shimmering chrome work—part of a three-and-a-half-year, 15,000-hour restoration—paid off, as the car took Cavallino’s top Outstanding Ferrari GranTurismo award.

While Ferrari built 26 examples of the 375 MM between 1953 and 1955, all but two were racers.

Peck’s car wasn’t only a grand tourer, it was bodied by the famed Carrozzeria Ghia in Turin, rather than Pininfarina.

A true race car for the road, it is powered by a 340 hp, 4.5-liter Lampredi V-12 that, according to Peck, still imparts impressive performance.

“It’s a wonderful cruiser,” he says of the vehicle, “but a true wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

1952 Ferrari 342 America Cabriolet Speciale

Enzo Ferrari didn’t always build low-slung sports cars and racers.

Back in 1952, he came out with the V-12-engined 342 America grand tourer for his top clients, such as King Leopold of Belgium.

Only six examples were built, and of these, just three were droptops.

But it’s this example that’s the rarest, being the only one with an elegant grand-touring body by Vignale (the others came from Pininfarina).

Wisconsin collector Dennis Garrity has owned this spectacular, white-walled, metallic-blue 342 America since 2017 and has shown it everywhere from Italy’s Villa d’Este to London’s Salon Privé to California’s Pebble Beach.

Says Garrity, “It’s a really special car that, to me, represents the golden era of Ferrari.”

Classic Ferraris – 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Vignale Cabriolet

Depending on how the sunlight hits it, this Vignale-bodied 212 Export Cabriolet looks either black or a very deep shade of red, the latter being its actual color.

Commissioned by Italian noblemen Count Sanseverino of Naples, the V-12-engined 212 Export is one of 27 examples built by Ferrari for racing, but only one of just two with flowing, open-top coachwork by Turin’s Carrozzeria Vignale.

Los Angeles collector Michael Weisburg is the current steward, after the car had been with respected UK Ferrari specialist David Clarke for more than 40 years.

In 2023, the 212 was painstakingly restored. Explains Dustin Wetmore, of restorer Motion Products: “When we got the car, it was painted maroon, but as we discovered, not the right maroon.

We found a sliver of the original shade on the firewall and repainted it.”