David Letterman’s 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS heads to auction

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 12.06.2020

Multi-award winning Ferrari comes from the hands of a few famous owners

One of the main attractions at Mecum’s upcoming Indy 2020 auction, taking place July 10-18, is this multi-award winning 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS.

A special car in its own right, but perhaps made a little more so coming from the hands of a couple of famous owners.

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The first being Jon A. Shirley, former President, COO and Director of Microsoft; and later owned by David Letterman – the esteemed host of the Late Show, which he spearheaded for 33 years.

Visually, the 275 GTS stems from Ferrari’s storied 250-line of the 50s and 60s, but was an all-new model which shared its platform and drivetrain with the 275 GTB.

Many believed the more modern 275 GTB and GTS were released in tandem to cater for all buyers, with the GTS’ more classical styling offering a more traditional appearance from the 50s.

The 275 GTS and GTB were launched in 1964 with the triple-Weber 3.3lt Colombo V12 taking pride of place under the sculpted bonnet.

The 275 improved upon the 250 range with independent coil-sprung suspension and disc brakes at all four corners, as well as a five-speed transaxle which moved weight further back to aid balance and weight distribution.

The car is accompanied by a rare optional hardtop and a number of awards including Ferrari Club of America’s Best in 1974, Platinum Award in 2018 and a 2019 Cavallino Platinum award.

The car is also supported by Ferrari Classiche Certification, verifying its provenance and authenticity from the factory.

For the collector it’s the complete package: heavily documented, immaculately presented, and its fair share of notable provenance.

Mecum have yet to publish any pre-auction estimates, but AU$2-$3 million should get you within a shout.

You can view the car at Mecum here.

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