the history
When the 330 GTC first debuted on Ferrari’s stand at the 1966 Geneva
Motor Show, many enthusiasts thought that the rightful successor to the
venerable Lusso had finally arrived. Combining several design motifs
borrowed from other premium Ferraris, including the tail of the 275 GTS
and the front end of the 400 Superamerica, the GTC offered exquisite
Pininfarina styling and trademark Ferrari power. In late 1968, the
original GTC’s V12 engine displacement was enlarged to 4,390 cc, and the
365 GTC was born. Combining the luxurious quality and good looks of its
predecessor with improved acceleration, the new GTC saw only modest
styling changes that most notably consisted of the relocation of the
engine cooling vents to the hood. Only 168 examples of this more
powerful Gran Turismo Coupe were produced between late 1968 and 1970,
making it one of the rarest production Ferraris of the period. To this
day, the 365 GTC is considered by many aficionados to be the finest
all-around road-going Ferrari produced prior to the mid-1990s.11823 was the first 365 GTC to be built by Ferrari. Completed on July
26, 1968 the car remained at the factory as a test car for the Autumn
season. During that time 11823 was used by Carrozzeria Pininfarina, the
designer of the car, for all of its promotional photographs. Shots can
be seen in Angelo Tito Anselmi’s book “Le Ferrari di Pininfarina.”On January of 1969 the car received its Factory Certificate of Origin
and was delivered as a new car to Moto S.a.s. di Carla Allegretti, the
official Ferrari dealer in Rome. On February 6.1969 the car was sold for
8,000,000 lire to Vincenzo Gambino, a citizen of Rome. He had the car
serviced two months later at the factory in Modena with 5,786km (3595
miles) on the odometer.After almost two years of ownership Gambino sold the 356 GTC to Angelo
Pardo on December 23, 1971 for 4,800,000 lire. He in turn sold the car
about two years later to its third owner, Telefonica Costruzioni,
atelephone construction company in Aprilia, Italy. Certainly no Italian
would use a Ferrari as construction equipment, but at some point the
owner at Telefonica Costruzioni grew tired of the 365GTC and 11823 found
its way to the west coast of the UnitedStates in the late 70’s.11823 appears again in October of 1983 advertised for sale in Los
Angeles. Apparently the car went on to be purchased by Richard W.
Goodwin, President of Borrani America, who is listed as the owner in the
1986 Ferrari Owners Club USA membership directory. Next in the ownership
chain is Paul Forbes of Malibu, CA who listed it for sale in the June
25th1988 edition of the Ferrari Market Letter with a fresh transaxle,
new chrome, headwork, but in need of paintjob.At this point Tom Price purchases the 365 GTC and immediately takes the
car to award winning, Ferrari expert Wayne Obrey and his team of
craftsman at Motion Products in Neenah, Wisconsin. Once there, 11823 was
given a complete, ground up restoration and finished in black with a tan
interior. After the restoration was completed the car found a new owner,
Edith Arrowsmith of Arizona, and stayed with heruntil 2009 when 11823
was acquired by Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. He entrusted the car to
Winning Makes of Santa Barbara to maintain the 365 GTC, and make it the
best driving example around. They certainly accomplish that goal.The 356 GTC has been lauded as the best driving Ferrari of its area, the
perfect blend of racecar and roadcar, an achievement that only Ferrari
could accomplish. Thanks to a brilliantly executed restoration, and
years of careful maintenance 11823 certainly can be considered the best
of best.
