Description
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/ 4 The four-cam’ 275 GTB, the ultimate 1960s GT Ferrari Matching numbers, original colour and Classiche certified One of just 31 right-hand drive 275 GTB/ 4 Ferraris built Fully restored for Eric Clapton by DK Engineering in 2003-04 Recent bare-metal body restoration to original Grigio Argento Fascinating early competition history in Africa and impressive history file For over sixty years the Ferrari 275 GTB has captivated car lovers the world over, and the ‘four-cam’ is the cream of the crop. Certainly the now-famous image of Clint Eastwood sat casually on the wing of his new silver 275 GTB/ 4 helped to cement the car’s image into popular culture legend, and a silver four-cam’ has been an object of extreme desire ever since. Eastwood wasn’t the only superstar to fall for the charm of the 275 GTB/ 4, Steve McQueen, Peter Sellers and Eric Clapton were also signed-up members of the exclusive owners’ club. The latter bought his first four-cam’ in 1970, before acquiring this example in the early 2000s. As a piece of engineering, the 275 GTB/ 4 is celebrated as the most refined, resolved and irrefutably beautiful 1960s Ferrari road car. Equipped with its namesake four-camshaft engine, the desirable torque tube and 5-speed transmission, and all-around independent suspension, the 275 GTB/ 4 strikes the perfect balance of occasion and usability. Just 330 examples of the 275 GTB/ 4 were built, plus one prototype, and only one-tenth of production left Maranello with right-hand drive. Chassis 09261 is one of those 31 RHD cars. Ordered by Maranello Concessionaires on 4th July 1966 for first owner Robin Houry, chassis 09261 was just the second RHD GTB/ 4 built. The extraordinary trove of Maranello Concessionaires correspondence on file is as impressive as it is interesting. It includes personal confirmation of the order from Colonel Ronnie Hoare to Houry on 19th September 1966, details of bespoke seat and steering wheel requirements requested by Houry through the following two months, and the invoice from Ferrari to Maranello Concessionaires for the finished car on 16th December 1966. Five days later the famed UK Ferrari importer invoiced their expectant client for a total of £4, 072. 18 4d excluding UK taxes, and offered £750 for the part exchange of Jaguar E-Type. While maintaining a home in London, Houry had business interests in Kenya and the correspondence outlines his plan to temporarily import the Ferrari to the UK for six months and then ship it to Kenya as a used car to avoid the 50% duty on brand new cars. Although this plan had been agreed with the Colonel, it seems no one informed the Ferrari factory who shipped 09261 directly to the port of Mombasa. Houry was of course furious and discussed turning the car around at the port and putting it straight back onboard the vessel “Yelsa” back to Italy. The correspondence doesn’t record what action Houry took, only his frustration and financial dilemma. Whatever the outcome, Houry’s tax affairs were sorted by 26th June, when he wrote to the Colonel to advise him that the GTB/ 4 had already been put to use in races organised by the East African Motor Sports Club. In the letter, Houry sought advice on wider rear wheels and competition tyres, having struggled to keep the powerful Ferrari’s “back end behind me.” Newspaper clippings confirm Houry’s ambition exceeding his adhesion and several photos of 09261 at the Nakuru circuit near Nairobi show the silver four-cam’ spun at an angle against the direction of intended travel. Colonel Hoare’s reply suggests that, as Houry was racing his car before any GTB/ 4 in Europe, he could only offer advice pertaining to his running of the earlier two-cam Competition cars. It’s therefore possible that 09261was the first 275 GTB/ 4 to ever race. By November 1968 Houry had sold the 275 GTB/ 4 to his business partner Brian Lees, who preferred to showcase its performance on the road instead. Entering into a bet with a bet with a DC3 pilot, Lees wagered that his V12 Ferrari could be in Mombasa before the twin-prop Douglas… he won, averaging over 80mph to cover the 300-miles from Nairobi in 3 hours and 40 minutes. The Ferrari was brought back to the UK with Lees in 1970 and, after having been impounded by customs first, was treated to a significant service at Maranello Concessionaires. The invoice totalled some £737. 12. 5d, which was enough in 1970 to have bought a brand-new Austin Mini. The following year, on 1st June 1971, 09261 was acquired by the man who’d become its long-term owner – the renowned automotive illustrator James Allington. With the five-year old GTB/ 4 priced at a still significant £2, 950, Allington part-exchanging his almost brand-new Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV for £1, 800 to acquire the Ferrari. His time as an engineer in the RAF...
