Combining the elegant nose of the exclusive 500 Superfast with the more rectangular styling of the one-off 330GTC Speciale show car, the 365 2+2 was much more sophisticated than the four-seater Ferrari coupes that came before it. Under the steel bodywork, as usual from the pen of Pininfarina, was an all-new chassis with unequal length wishbones and coil springs at the rear instead of the live rear axle of the 330GT 2+2. The model also pioneered the use of self-leveling rear suspension on a Ferrari road car, the Koni-supplied hydro-pneumatic units taking into account the variations in load. Another first was the adoption of power steering and air conditioning, underlining the luxury touring car personality of the 365GT 2+2.
Not that it was a slow car – fitted with a 4.4-liter single overhead camshaft per bank V12 engine delivering 320 bhp, the 365GT 2+2 was god for 150 mph with handling and roadholding qualities to match. Easily the best four seater Ferrari, it was a success for Maranello, the 800 units sold accounting for half of the company’s V12 road car production between 1967 and 1971.
Finished in metallic blue with a rich Bordeaux leather interior, this 365GT 2+2 is a very original car showing a probably genuine 84,748kms. The corrosion-free state of the body backs this up to some extent. Fitted with a period radio, the car drives well with a smooth and powerful engine, though the exhaust silencers will probably have to be replaced before long.
{analysis} SN 12267 was sold at the Christie’s 16 May [1996] auction in Geneva, Switzerland for $39,123 including commission. Sales of these “family Ferraris” continue to hover in the $30,000 range, although the better examples are continuing to tick upwards in price.
The Ferrari 2+2 pecking order seems to start with the 250 GTE being the most popular although least drivable, and then is followed by the 365 GT 2+2, infinitely easier to live with but lacking the earlier car’s visual appeal.
Lost in the netherworld of visual mediocrity and marketplace indifference are the 330 GT 2+2s of all flavors (do you really think subtracting two headlights can turn a frog into a prince?), the 365 GTC/4 2+2s and the bland 400 models.
For those looking for a 12-cylinder Ferrari, with occasional back seats, that will actually stop and go around corners, the 365 GT 2+2 should be a first choice. Values are likely to remain in the present range for the foreseeable future. – ED.
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