1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena Coupe

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena Coupe
Sold for $687,500 Including Commission
RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2013
Chassis no. 0807GT
Engine no. 0807GT


220 bhp, 2,953 cc SOHC V-12 engine, triple Weber carburetors, four-speed synchromesh manual transmission, independent front suspension with unequal length wishbones, coil springs, and tubular shock absorbers, live rear axle with leaf springs, Houdaille shocks, and twin trailing arms, and four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 102 in.

•Winner of virtually every Ferrari Club of America award, including three Platinum awards and nine Best in Class awards
•Featured in Forza magazine
•Ferrari Classiche certified


Bearing the distinctive long-nosed "Ferrari look" created by the factory's principal design house, Pinin Farina of Turin, the first series of 250 GTs included 82 cars coachbuilt by Carrozzeria Boano. At the end of 1957, Mario Boano departed the company to set up the styling department at Fiat and his son-in-law, Ezio Ellena, took over with veteran partner Luciano Pollo. The renamed Carrozzeria Ellena produced a further run of fifty 250 GTs, known as the Ellena Coupes, with improved body proportions and headroom, courtesy of a slightly raised roofline, the adoption of a standard four-speed gearbox shift pattern, larger brakes, a ZF steering system, and the fitment of a single distributor to the engine. Passenger comfort and luggage accommodation were much improved from earlier Ferraris, and the panel and trim fit throughout was described by period road tests as being "superb."

Equally superb was the performance of the famed Colombo-designed V-12, which, with 240 horsepower, could propel the Ellena Coupe to a top speed of 127 to 157 mph, depending upon the selected final drive gear ratio. Such performance is not surprising, as the mechanical specifications of the Ellena, including the engine, gearbox, rear axle, suspension, brakes, wheels, and tires, were the same as that of the 250 GT Tour de France, Ferrari's then-current GT racing car. Even such interior aspects as the steering wheel, instrument panel, gauges, and door hardware were identical to the TdF, as well as the California Spider.

Minimal build numbers and the sad fate of many of the parts sources for Tour de France and California Spiders means a low survival rate for the 250 GT Boano/Ellena series. Marcel Massini estimates that only about fifteen 250 GT Ellena Coupes remain in their original form.

The Ellena Coupe offered here, the 23rd of the 50 built, was delivered new through the Ferrari representative in Hollywood, California. In the care of Beverly Hills resident Cy Yedor in the early 1990s, it underwent a total restoration by Gary Thieltges, of GT Motors in Glendale, refinishing the car in dark red with a tan interior.
Yedor displayed the restored car at the 1996 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, as well as at the Beverly Hills Mercedes-Benz Concours, the Huntington Beach Concours, and the Stanford University Concours the following year, winning its class at all three events. For the 34th Annual Ferrari Club of America Concours, held in West Virginia, Yedor drove his Ferrari the 2,900 miles to the event, and literally drove away with a Platinum Award, a Coppa Bella Machina, a Coast to Coast Award, and the Luigi Chinetti Trophy—an absolutely unparalleled roster of awards, and a testament to the Ferrari's outstanding mechanical and cosmetic condition. At the 1997 Concorso Italiano at Quail Lodge, the Ferrari was awarded the Luigi Chinetti Award for the Outstanding GT, Best of Show, as chosen by the Ferrari Club of America. Yedor also captured the Coppa Bella Machina, Luigi Chinetti. The car continued its winning streak with a First in Class and the Coppa Bella Machina Award at the VII Palm Beach Cavallino Classic and a Platinum Award at the Ferrari Club of America Concours, both in 1998.

The winning record was continued in the care of later owners, Mark Templeton (Gold Award, X Cavallino Classic) and Diego Ribadeneira (Platinum Award, XIII Cavallino Classic).

Today, the Ellena's outstanding restoration still appears exceptionally fresh, with virtually no signs of aging or significant flaws. Chrome bumpers, mirror, emblems, door and trunk handles, taillight housings, and grille surround are all impeccable, and the car rides on mirror-polished, correct Borrani wire wheels. The interior appears as-new and in excellent, well-detailed condition, with the correct Nardi flat-wood steering wheel and IPRA heater.

This car is a recipient of the very important Ferrari Classiche certification and is accompanied by original books, a factory tool roll, copies of build sheets, select records from current and previous ownership, and a copy of the May 2002 issue of Forza magazine, where this very car is the subject of a feature article, "A Renewed Appreciation," on page 46, recognizing it as one of the few Ellenas to have undergone a total, perfectionist-minded restoration.

Robert Myrick Photography