Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione
The 275 GTB Competizione Clienti, just 10 examples left the factory in 1965, assigned with ‘7000’ series chassis numbers and sold to VIP customers and privateer teams in Enzo’s favor.
Perhaps the most obvious tells of this car’s competition credentials are the prominent quick-release fuel-filler cap on the right-hand sail panel behind the car’s signature trio of gills and the three cooling vents either side of that deliciously pert Kamm tail. Both are functional features that were race-proven on the illustrious line of competition 250s and get in-the-know Ferrari collectors and enthusiasts all hot under the collar today.
All 10 of the Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Clientis are short-nosed cars fitted with lightweight Scaglietti-built aluminum bodies, a feature which was an optional extra on the ‘standard’ 275 GTBs.
The wet-sump twelve-cylinder engines were essentially identical in specification to the ‘standard’ cars, though they were carefully built and balanced to more extreme tolerances and crowned with six thirsty Weber 40 DCN3 carburetors. Power was reportedly at an impressive 285bhp. Further back, there is a larger endurance-specification 140-litre fuel tank – that is an additional 46 liters over the ‘standard’ 275 GTB’s cell.
A left-hand-drive matching-numbers example finished in Rosso Chiaro over a black leather interior, chassis 07437 is one of just four Competizione Clienti cars with genuine period competition history. This car was raced extensively in Italy between 1965 and ’67 by Renzo Sinibaldi and Franco Failli, racking up a raft of class and overall victories.
Several of the cars were modified further by their owners – extra driving lights, quick-release bonnet catches, leather steering wheels and re-routed side-exit exhausts are all features we have seen, though do not believe to be ‘factory’ spec.
Max Girardo shines a light on what the Ferrari 275 GTB Competizione Clienti is like from behind the wheel and the model’s overall appeal in today’s collector car market. “For a spirited point-A-to-point-A drive, the Competizione Clienti is sensational and an extremely different car to the ‘standard’ 275 GTB“. Do not be fooled by the similar soft styling – this Ferrari feels so raw and racy and highly-strung. It is tangibly lighter and that commanding Colombo V12, breathing through six carburetors, has a sense of urgency and power that is intoxicatingly addictive.
https://girardo.com/features/girardo-co-s-guide-to-the-1965-ferrari-275-gtb-competizione-clienti/