Leading Ferrari specialist Bell Sport & Classic has revealed its latest project, a benchmark-setting restoration of a 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC, which has since gone on to secure a convincing victory at the 2022 Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance back in September.

The concours award and the car’s Ferrari Classiche Certificate stand testament to the intensive three-year-long restoration and rebuild by the Hertfordshire company. Led by their expert team, who together have many decades of experience in Ferrari restoration, every component on the 330 GTC has either been restored, overhauled or reverse engineered, with the very latest restoration and engineering techniques employed.

Unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show the 330 GTC took its chassis from the 275 GTB Berlinetta and its 300hp four-litre V12 engine from the 330 2+2 Coupé. Cloaked in an achingly elegant Pininfarina body, it made an immediate impact and was very much a car for the more discerning driver. It’s the kind of Ferrari that you could imagine Enzo using as a daily driver.

Two weeks were spent methodically removing all the Ferrari’s interior components before the restoration team turned to the exterior trim and began carefully stripping parts, including the brightwork, bumpers, headlights, and glass. Only after that stage was completed was attention turned to the drivetrain and suspension components.

A month was dedicated to stripping the suspension down, and the components sandblasted, before undergoing repainting and replating as required. The original shock absorbers, suspension arms and springs were all refurbished and retained.

The process that would eventually ensure an exquisite exterior finish utterly devoid of even the slightest blemish began more than two years before painting was scheduled, and involved blasting the car’s body, not by sand, but by crushed walnut shells.

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Before the body was painted and the Ferrari returned to its stunning original light green metallic Verde Chiaro Metallizato, the team undertook a complete dry build. While this process of reassembling and then stripping back down again before painting takes time, it’s integral to every restoration project undertaken by Bell Sport & Classic.

Once the V12 was reassembled, two days were spent on dyno-testing, assiduously checking for the most minor issues, such as potential minute oil leaks. Then, after the car was rebuilt and the engine placed back in situ, it was subjected to 500 miles of road testing. The fully rebuilt engine produces 300hp – precisely the same as in period.

The gearbox was exposed to the same in-depth strip-down and rebuild process as the engine. And while every effort was made to maintain optimum originality, certain new parts were required to ensure a sublimely smooth driving experience.

Bell Sport & Classic entrusted the restoration of the car’s cabin to O’Rourke Coachtrimmers and Suppliers. Based in Rudgwick in West Sussex, the company has decades of experience in restoring Ferrari cabins to concours-winning, period-perfect condition.

So, when the customer wished to change the colour of the leather, it was a straightforward task for O’Rourke’s to outline the range of options offered by the factory more than half a century ago. As a result, the car’s new owner was able to select the precise Ferrari Conolly VM 218 fawn leather colour, which was matched with period-correct detailing, including the colour and weave of the carpets and the headlining, right down to the vinyl on the binding of the carpets, with all material sourced from Italy.

The gentleman’s Ferrari