In late 1957, just as production of Pinin Farina’s Series I Cabriolet was getting underway, Ferrari was in the process of developing a new, open 250 GT variant for the booming North American market. Ferrari’s leading US dealers, Luigi Chinetti and John von Neumann, impressed upon the factory the need for a simple, dual-purpose 250 GT Spider – a car that could be used to commute during the week and then raced with success on the weekend.

As a result, Ferrari produced the California Spider, a high-performance 250 GT with striking coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. As its name suggests, the California Spider was aimed at a very specific segment of Ferrari’s American clientele: young, well-heeled enthusiasts who wanted a stylish, thoroughbred sports car that was equally at home on road or track. Like other high-end European sports cars built for the American market, the California Spider featured a racy, swept-back windscreen, minimal interior appointments, a lightweight folding top, and supportive competition-inspired bucket seats.

The earliest examples were built on the long-wheelbase (LWB) chassis shared with the 250 GT Tour de France Berlinetta and Series I Cabriolet, and it was not until late 1959 that the California Spider was finally made available with disc brakes and tubular shock absorbers.

Faithful to its original concept, the LWB California Spider was often used as a GT racing car; several examples were factory-equipped with competition features such as aluminum coachwork, high-lift camshafts, and long-range fuel tanks with outside fillers. In this form, Ferrari’s California Spider achieved a remarkable degree of success in racing, including a 5th Place finish at Le Mans, a class win at Sebring, and many victories in SCCA B-production events.

With the introduction of Ferrari’s short-wheelbase (SWB) Berlinetta in 1960, the California Spider was thoroughly redesigned to complement its new stablemate. When compared to its predecessor, the 250 GT SWB California Spider benefited from a much more sophisticated chassis, standard four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes, a more refined suspension, and new outside-plug tipo 168 engines.

Scaglietti redesigned the California’s coachwork around the updated chassis, resulting in a much more aggressive and sporting appearance, with curvaceous front fenders and muscular rear haunches. While the earlier LWB California Spiders featured a rather spartan interior, the updated SWB variant was more luxuriously appointed. Stitched leather took the place of wrinkle-finish paint on the dashboard, wool carpeting replaced rubber mats, and redesigned seats made the new car more comfortable on long journeys.

Despite being more refined and well-rounded sports cars, the SWB California Spiders were true thoroughbreds, just like their Berlinetta counterparts. Several examples raced at major European events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Targa Florio.

Between 1957 and 1963, Ferrari built just 106 examples of the 250 GT California Spider – 50 of the early LWB version and 56 of the final SWB variant.

The Ferrari 250 GT presented here, chassis 3095 GT, is surely among the most desirable California Spiders as it is a SWB version featuring the preferred covered-headlight treatment that Scaglietti applied to just 37 examples.

According to the research of Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, this California Spider was finished in a dark blue metallic with red leather upholstery and fitted with an optional hardtop – one of approximately 25 examples so equipped. Copies of the factory build sheets confirm that 3095 GT was constructed with features typical of the late-production SWB models: a tipo 168/61 engine, three Weber 40 DCL6 carburetors, Abarth Lusso exhaust, white-faced Veglia instruments, and polished Borrani RW3591 wire wheels with Pirelli Cinturato tires.

Completed in December 1961, chassis 3095 GT was the 33rd SWB California Spider built. It was delivered new to Baron Emmanuel de Graffenried’s official Ferrari dealership, Italauto SA in Lausanne, Switzerland. Little is known of the car’s first owner except that his name was M. Babour and that his California Spider was serviced and maintained at the Ferrari factory’s Assistenza Clienti in Modena through May 1964.

In 1965, Stephen L. Safran, an American medical student living in Grenoble, France, purchased 3095 GT from Italauto SA. Over the next three years, he used the elegant California Spider as his daily driver, installing a discreet key-operated alarm to keep the car safe and modifying the accelerator pedal to aid in heel-and-toe shifting while driving at speed. Garage de Montchoisy SA in Switzerland and Piero Drogo in Italy maintained the California Spider for Mr. Safran until he moved to England in 1968. Soon after arriving in England, the California’s engine “swallowed a valve” and was sent to Maranello Concessionaires for a rebuild.

Later that year, Mr. Safran returned to the US and traded in his aging California Spider to New York sports car dealer Bob Grossman for a new Jaguar E-Type and cash. The entire deal was valued at just $7,500, and the blue Ferrari was then repainted red in hopes of attracting a new buyer.

From there, 3095 GT is thought to have remained in the US until it was sold to Pierre de Siebenthal of Lausanne, Switzerland, in the late 1970s. A fascinating character, de Siebenthal was an amateur racing driver, mechanic, and proprietor of a scrapyard famed for its sprawling collection of forlorn exotics where everything from Aston Martins to Lamborghinis could be found in varying states of disrepair. Though many remember him for these lesser cars, de Siebenthal owned several important Ferraris – from a 166 MM to a 250 LM – which he often entered in historic racing events.

3095 GT was surely one of de Siebenthal’s prized possessions and, in April 1981, he entered the California Spider in the historic races at Monza. A series of photos show the 20-year-old Ferrari in race-ready trim – wearing Swiss dealer plates, with its bumpers removed, and competition SNAP exhaust extractors fitted.

In the early 1980s, de Siebenthal sold the California Spider to an American enthusiast; however, it was not long before the car returned to Europe, eventually joining a private collection in France. In the 1990s, 3095 GT was sold to Emilio Gnutti of Brescia, Italy, a respected collector with a stable of outstanding road and racing Ferraris, ranging from a 375 MM Berlinetta to a Series 1 Cabriolet.

In 2004, both a FIVA Identity Card and an ASI Certificato di Identità were issued for the Ferrari, each bearing the desirable A/3 classification. Two years later, Mr. Gnutti had the California Spider certified by the Ferrari Classiche Department, which, in fall 2006, issued the Certificazione di Autenticita for 3095 GT and confirmed that the car retains its original chassis, body, engine, and other important mechanical components. It should be noted that the engine’s pad stamping is no longer visible due to machining, but the internal number stamping below (870 E) is clear and confirms this engine as the original, matching-numbers component.

Next, the California Spider was acquired by a prominent UK collector in 2012. During his ownership, 3095 GT was loaned to the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team to serve as the official parade car for Kimi Räikkönen during the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix.

Since 2015, this Ferrari has been maintained in significant private collections in the US. It benefits from recent attention, including new interior upholstery and carpeting, and presents as a well-cared-for, older restoration. Though it can most certainly be driven and enjoyed in its current condition, it’s 3095 GT’s original appearance that is most appealing.

There’s no denying that this covered-headlight SWB California Spider would look sensational restored in its former dark blue metallic livery with a matching hardtop and red leather upholstery. Unlike many top-tier Ferraris, 3095 GT has never been the subject of a full show-quality restoration; nor has it made the rounds at various concours d’elegance, offering its new owner the rare chance of being the first to debut such an important 250 Ferrari at the most exclusive international events.

In the decades since it was built, the California Spider has become recognized the world over as one of the most beautiful, desirable, and valuable road-going Ferrari models of all time – an undisputed automotive icon with a universal appeal, revered by casual enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike.

Any collector determined to own an SWB California Spider is strongly encouraged to give serious consideration to 3095 GT. After all, the opportunity to acquire a Ferrari Classiche Certified, covered-headlight example with a well-documented history, fascinating provenance, and brilliant original color scheme may well be the chance of a lifetime.