Unique 1975 Ferrari estate that turned heads at Monterey Car Week now up for sale

Ferrari caused quite a stir with the launch of its FF grand tourer in 2011. While it might have been the marque’s first factory-built car in the ‘estate’ format, it certainly wasn’t the first such prancing horse to hit the road.

Way back in 1967 American importer Luigi Chinetti commissioned coachbuilder Vignale to create a shooting brake body for a 330 GT, a car that subsequently ended up in the renowned Petersen Automotive Museum before being briefly owned by Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay.

In 1972, Chinetti also commissioned the conversion of a 365 GTB/4 Daytona into a high-speed station wagon on behalf of Florida real-estate mogul Bob Gittleman, tasking British firm Panther Westwinds with fabricating the one-off bodywork.

Panther was the Surrey-based builder of niche, retro-styled sports cars founded by designer Robert Jankel that, among other unusual models, produced the Tyrrell P34-inspired, six-wheeled, 8.2-litre Cadillac-engined Panther Six convertible of 1977.

And it was to Panther that the flamboyant Swiss car dealer Willy Felber turned in 1976 after receiving a potentially lucrative request from an Arab sheikh to supply a Ferrari that was ‘different’. Felber founded his Rolls-Royce and Ferrari dealership in the early ’60s, enabling him to make a fortune from Middle East clients with endless petrodollars to spend on statement cars.

In order to facilitate this latest project, Felber bought this 1974-manufactured 365 GT4 (that was displayed on the Ferrari stand at the ’75 Geneva Motor Show) from Swiss importer SAVAF in 1976 and asked Turin designer Giovanni Michelotti to sketch-out a shooting brake body.

Panther Westwinds completed the conversion in a matter of weeks – but Felber’s client backed out of the deal, leaving the unique car without a home.

Finished in Blu Ribot with  a white vinyl roof and equipped with a fridge and television set, the Felber Croisette SW certainly wasn’t for everyone, and not until 1979 did Felber finally sell it – to Bern garage manager Albrecht Guggisberg. He, in turn, offloaded it to a Zürich-based Ferrari fan for CHF45,000, and it remained in his hands until being advertised for CHF300,000 in 1990 (£240,000).

The most recent owner, garage proprietor and Ferrari collector Roger Imboden, acquired it last year to complete his trio of Felber Ferraris – the others being the spectacular 365GTC/4-based ‘Beach Car’ and the 166 Spider Corsa-inspired FF.

In August, the car made its first trip out of Switzerland in almost 50 years when dealer Andreas Wüest, who operates from premises in Halwill, shipped it to California as a distinctive ‘smoker’ in which to cruise around during Monterey Car Week.

Still to the original specification in which it left Panther Westwinds, the car retains its twin roof-mounted antennae and Pelle Beige Connolly hide – and has covered fewer than 50,000 miles from new.

Running well and nicely patinated, this custom-built, practical supercar is now looking for a new home . And wouldn’t it be something different to use for the school run?.

1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 croisette sw shooting brake

On sale with Andreas Wüest AG and OTS & Co. Asking: £385,000. otsandco.com

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