Octane  – April 2004

RUBY MAX by Robert Coucher 

Competition Ferraris of the Sixties have long eclipsed the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso in terms of value and image, but Robert Coucher is still impressed by this elegant Grand Tourer

The most desirable classic Ferraris have always been those models that have seen action in competition. These ‘comp’ cars like the Tour de France, SWB, GTO, 275 GTB/4 and - stretching it - Daytona have at some point benefited from Ferrari's racing provenance. It's the road cars that have tended to languish in dealer showrooms.

Now that the best Ferraris are in huge demand for historic racing and rallying prices have rocketed. More recently, some of the road cars have come into focus and they too are appreciated for what they are, rather than being ignored because of their lack of racing prowess.  

The Ferrari 250GT Lusso is a case in point. A cousin of the GTO and SWB, the Lusso was designed purely as a road car. Yet it  remains  very  exclusive,  with  only  350  examples  ever  built.  When the 250 SWB was 'the' model to have a decade or so ago, the Lusso was ignored like Cinderella before the ball. Lusso, meaning luxury, has long been a turn off for the weekend warriors but the Lusso is, at last, desired as a thing of beauty if not a snorting road racer. Some prospective owners in this market have also matured. They now realise that thoroughly sorted road racers are great on a track or on a timed run up the Stelvio Pass, but they can be highly strung and downright unpleasant on a Sunday drive to the nearest gastro-pub.

Many of you will know John Mayston-Taylor of Lynx Motors International. Renowned for his beautiful lightweight Jaguars and  Ford  GT40s,  Mayston-Taylor  is  a  perfectionist's perfectionist. His cars are always 'minters', but when I first glanced at his Ferrari Lusso, sitting in the bright sunshine at the Lynx works in St Leonards on Sea, the exquisite coupe was so dazzling I had to put on my sunglasses. Recovering from the visual onslaught my next thought was 'thank goodness it's not red'. Finished in ever so deep Rosso Rubino the car is simply beautiful, a full 100-point show car. The luscious plummy hue is set off by twinkling polished stainless and aluminium 72-spoke Borrani wires with their chariot-style knock-ons. Mayston-Taylor proceeded to explain how these spinners are correct because the centres curve inwards. Many Ferraris are fitted with the slightly later and incorrect spinners, but who would know? Mayston-Taylor does.

Walking around the Lusso I felt underdressed. The car has such an expensive and tasteful mien. The fresh tan leather upholstery is again in perfect harmony with the exterior colour.  The trim is the correct Connolly 'Luxan', a specific grain originally supplied to Ferrari. Mayston-Taylor called Jonathan Connolly of Connolly Brothers, who researched the  archives to find the  precise  replacement hides.  Rob O'Rourke at Moto-Technique, who is regarded as the best in the business, then retrimmed the interior.

Open the driver's door and you are enveloped by that lovely smell of proper Connolly leather. Slip into the fixed-back bucket seat and you feel like you have climbed into one of those impossibly expensive Hermes handbags. From the piped seats to the leather-covered transmission tunnel and quilted rear deck with its luggage straps in place, just sitting in the Ferrari interior is an event in itself. 

The cabin is light and airy with slim pillars and good visibility in all directions. The instrument layout, long regarded as plain odd, is now just quirky and not unattractive. The Veglia speedo and rev counter are located in the centre of the dash, aimed at the driver, with the lesser gauges straight ahead. The tall gearshift lever is a little less macho than usual with a nice two-finger indentation on the leading edge and it does without a racy exposed gate. The large wood-rimmed steering wheel feels cool and beautifully lacquered and I notice that the chrome ashtray is slightly patinated. Mayston-Taylor says he decided to leave it original, as with the Ferrari badge on the bonnet, to retain a link to the car's  rather unique past.  

This 1963 Ferrari 250GT, chassis number 4411GT, is the 26^th Lusso built. It was ordered by French actress Mylene Demongeot but she never took delivery. A Parisian gentleman bought it and used it for the long drives down to his second home in Menton in the south of France until the early 1980s. He then garaged the Lusso until it was sold in 1996 to an Englishman who stored it in London until 2003. Now registered 4411 RU, the Ferrari has only covered 59,000km. What a find. 

Later, looking at the photographs of the car in its original, unrestored and fine condition, I felt a pang of sorrow that it had not been left as it was: a slightly threadbare, careworn old Italian aristocrat with lots of drives and adventures under its Borranis. Mayston-Taylor felt the same but on close inspection the 40-year-old Ferrari was evidently tired and in need of refurbishment. So, in true Lynx style, 4411GT has been transformed into arguably the best Lusso in existence.

The Lusso is styled by Pininfarina but built by carrozzeria Scaglietti. It is very stylised, with its three-piece front bumper, a main centre section and two corner overriders curved under the sidelights. Some aficionados view the Lusso as slightly fussy. Certainly it has a bit more chrome and flourish than the stripped road racers but it is an elegant grand tourer and the overall shape is beautifully proportioned and graceful, from the low aquiline nose to its purposefully kicked up Kamm tail.

The engine is the classic Colombo-designed, short-stroke 60° V12, with two valves per cylinder and a single-overhead cam per bank. The displacement is 3 litres and each cylinder has a capacity of 250ccs - hence the Ferrari nomenclature of 250.  Power was quoted at 240 (Italian) bhp at a high-revving 7000rpm, with a maximum of 192lb-ft of  torque reached at a heady 6000rpm. With the engine rebuilt by Lynx, to standard spec but using modern components, Mayston-Taylor reckons it is now putting out an honest 230bhp. And the engine is a thing of beauty. Slung low in the frame it displays all the best Ferrari signatures: 12 cylinders topped by crackle-black cam covers; a smart line up of Weber carbs running down the centre and two bright orange oil filters standing to attention at the front.   Naturally there are twin distributors, twin coils and a Fiamm air horn to clear the way. Interestingly, it still retains a special French chassis plate next to the Ferrari one.

At last its time to head out and drive. The key is switched on and pushed against the spring loading. That unique Ferrari whir from the starter motor leads to a crackle and roar as the V12 catches. The three, twin-choke 36DCS Webers snaffle and pop as the fuel fills the bowls and soon the engine is running smoothly. It emits that special Ferrari V12 wail that grown men pay a fortune to listen to. It sounds urgent and busy and you can tell there is a lot going on under the bonnet. Talented engineers have worked hard to ensure the myriad mechanical components mesh and coordinate in syncopation and they want you to hear about it.

The throttle is a bit stiff as is the gearshift and clutch pedal but the Ferrari moves away with ease. All the controls are linear and allow for smooth progress but in today's power-assisted world you do have to readjust to using some old-fashioned muscle power. The thought that you might have to rev this engine hard to get any response is soon banished.

Low-end torque is ample and the car has a gentle fluidity. The power comes though in a steady swell as the revs rise. Ambling through the villages of Sussex the Lusso is a cooperative companion. The driving position is good for a driver of average size but those with long legs might suffer the close-set pedals.

The steering wheel is set high and while the low-geared worm and sector system is not as sharp as a good rack-and-pinion it is perfectly accurate for fast road use. The suspension is the standard 1960s Ferrari set up. At the front there are the usual coil sprung double wishbones and at the rear the perfunctory live axle suspended by coil-assisted leaf  springs and two radius arms for additional axle location.

As the country roads open up the Ferrari sharpens. The engine sounds glorious, it feels strong but not massively powerful. Mayston-Taylor has resisted the urge to turn it into a hot-rod and the sound that emanates from the four Ansa exhaust pipes is tastefully strident. With its beautiful controls and lovely ambience the Ferrari reminds you of a delicately  refined Lancia Flamina, and that's no put down. Then cresting a rise, you feel the solid rear axle thump, akin to an Alfa Romeo Giulia.The Lusso has Girling disc brakes all round assisted by a servo and they are more than up to the job but, as with the other controls, they do require a shove.

All the while the engine is zinging along happily and when the road becomes a fast dual-carriageway, you change down into third and let the Ferrari off its leash. As it's new the engine cannot be max'ed but as the revs rise you feel the power muster. As Derek Bell noted when he raced a Ferrari at the Goodwood Revival, albeit with a slightly different and race-tuned engine, you have to rev all Ferraris hard to access the last reserves of power that resides right at the top end. That means about 8000rpm, which is not going to happen here.

Pushing along a bit in top gear your brain tells you to go for the nonexistent fifth cog as this is one of the last Ferraris fitted with a four-speed gearbox. Many owners have upgraded to a five-speed but Mayston-Taylor has left this car original. In speed-restricted Britain a top speed of around 145mph is academic, anyway. Yes, it can get a bit fussy on the motorway but the mechanical sound should be savoured. Some purists mutter that the Lusso is too heavy and the engine, positioned well forward in the chassis, is not as well placed as the 250 SWB. Maybe so but driven as intended the Lusso does not succumb to understeer and the 250bhp engine is well up to hauling it along at quite a lick.  Undoubtedly the lavish trim adds a bit more weight, but the bonnet, doors and boot lid are all aluminium. Each skin is hand fitted and no skin from this car will fit another without a lot of fettling.

Becoming more familiar with the Lusso, we peel off the main roads at Rye and head out across the Walland Marsh towards Dungeness. While this is no track test it is possible to trot along at a fair old clip. The period Michelin XWX tyres are only 205 section, although they look fatter on the very offset wheels, and they do what is expected. Their adhesion is not high but the Ferrari's handling is benign in the real world. The car feels smooth and tracks as straight as an arrow, devoid of any nervousness. Over badly broken tarmac the ride does suffer and transverse ridges can cause choppiness. But this is a car of 1960s vintage and it is up to you to 'drive' and control it. That's the fun part.

In the distance we see a huge shape rising out of the mist, the Dungeness Nuclear power station. Pulling up to the beach front we are met by the sight of the largest shale beach in Britain. Along the flat and almost deserted expanse of beach are numerous small wooden houses. They resemble beach houses but without any of the frivolity or fun. The whole  area is like a weird  David  Lynch film  set,  the  Rosso Rubino Lusso looking like an impossibly large ruby washed up on the dull white shale. An extraordinary sight.

With photographer Bailie scrabbling around taking pictures Mayston-Taylor and I found lunch at the weather worn Pilot Inn where we enjoyed one of the heartiest and tastiest fish 'n' chips you can imagine.  We talked more Ferrari and I learnt that this car is valued at £230,000-250,000, a doubling of its worth in the past three years. Yes, this perfectly restored show car is now fully priced but it is still only a third the cost of a 250 SWB, so all things are relative.

Mayston-Taylor is a seasoned historic racer and it is very encouraging that he and many other Ferrari enthusiasts have realised that the 250 GT Lusso is a fine piece of kit. Sure, it is not the fastest Ferrari on the block but it is a pleasant way to motor down to the beach for a light lunch. Last year, Susan Mayston-Taylor took 4411GT to Paris for the 2003 Louis Vuitton Classic where it was awarded the Prix de l'Elegance. Then she and John were  invited to take part in the Italia Classica where only special examples of a marque are eligible. This Lusso made the draw and the car behaved perfectly, totally at home in the beautiful Italian countryside.

So, here we have a Ferrari for the grown up grand routier. The 250 GT Lusso is now appreciated as an ideal machine for those long and genteel drives we all feel we deserve at some point in our rat-race lives. It offers an attractive blend of elegance and languid insouciance as well as a good dose of panache. The Lusso is a full-blooded Ferrari but one that has sufficient brevity to offer you the chance to enjoy the poetry as well as the motion.