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Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

…Another Brandoli restoration masterpiece accomplished!

The important thing is to stand out from the crowd.

And this Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 cabriolet chassis 3783 has everything to capture your attention!

It’s come back to its native town, Maranello, in Italy, for a restoration from scratch after being auctioned by Gooding & Company in Monterey (California) in August 2017.

We at Brandoli have been responsible for the complete restoration of the shell and body: now we want to give you an overview of the restoration, completed in record time!

But first… some information on its history, between Italy and the United States.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Snippets from the past of 3783 GT

This example was one of the last of the Ferrari 250 GT Series 2 Cabriolets produced, in fact only two further examples were built after 3783 GT, these being chassis numbers 3803 GT and 3807 GT. It is understood that the rolling chassis was delivered by Ferrari to Pininfarina in May 1962, and the car was constructed on their job referencenumber Pf29998, reportedly finished in Grigio Notte (Night Grey) with a black interior, and supplied with the optional hardtop. From Ferrari paperwork it was returned to them on 27 October 1962, this paperwork also shows that it was a European specification model.

3783 GT was shipped by sea to the USA in March 1963, ordered by the USA importer Luigi Chinetti Motors in New York, with a specific colour request from their client: Giallo/Arancia (Yellow/Orange), with a blue leather interior.

The car lived many glorious years in the USA, passing throught a series of owners, including two well known members of the Ferrari Club of America.

At the beginning of the 80’s the car was carefully dissembled, with the myriad parts labelled and boxed up, but as with so many well intentioned restoration projects it never reached fruition.

3783 GT remained in dissembled form for the next 30+ years, until in the end it came to us in Montale Rangone.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

The restoration of the shell and body in Brandoli

Restoring a car disassembled thirty years before, can seem an impossible task!

This is how we went about it.

Firstly we carried out an analysis of the car’s condition.

The metal of the shell and body had evident signs of corrosion, in some cases also cracks. During initial inspection, we inevitably found that some components had been lost. In addition, there was a particularly arduous task: bringing out all the brilliance of the lines of the Pininfarina design.

The rear of the car was subject to extensive restoration work and involved the entire Brandoli team.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

We used 3D scanning technology firstly to make a study of the car and then to develop the model tailored for the car.

What’s the purpose of a model for the restoration of a classic car?

It’s the representation of the automobile in real size made of tubes in very robust iron and is used by the coachbuilder for beating the metal sheet following the correct design lines: in this case the lines created by Pininfarina.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Here you see a view of the entire manichino during the metal shaping process.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Before definitively mounting the rear onto the car, we carried out the normal testing procedures and a control of the lines and proportions. Finally, when every aspect had been checked, the rear was welded on.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

The restoration has been carried out on the whole car.

This, for example, is the door how it came to us. The corrosion of the metal was extensive: we’ve made it new again.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

In this article we have provided an extremely brief summary of the photographs that show the restoration process: the video that we will soon publish will show much more!

In this picture, the body is ready for the paintwork!

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Scaglietti or Pininfarina?

Many people ask if it’s “easier” to restore a Ferrari designed by Scaglietti or by Pininfarina. For us every car has its own restoration story.

One thing, however, is certain: while Scagliettis transmit the idea of speed, also with regards to the restoration, Pininfarinas are an incredible concentration of details.

I would add that, for us, the most beautiful car is always the last one. That’s because it becomes a part of us.

And that’s why we took it for a drive in the Modena hills!

A drive in the Modena hills!

Four months: that’s how long we took to return the shell and body to the brilliant lines drawn by Pininfarina.

And when the work of our expert colleagues had finished the painting (Cremonini Classic), the electrics (Gigi Santoro), the mechanics  (Toni Auto) and the interior (Interni Auto Maieli), we couldn’t resist the temptation to switch on the engine and go for a fantastic drive to Puianello!

We climbed on board with Egidio Brandoli and Andrea Toni from Toni Auto.

Would you like to see how it went? We made a video.

Restoration of the Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina series 2 Cabriolet

Credits:
Article by Cecilia Brandoli
History of 3783 by Keith Bluemell
Photos Francesco Reggiani, Cecilia Brandoli