Legacy Metrics

1961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II

2489 GTroadItaly
Engine
Matching-numbers V12, outside-plug configuration
Colour
White with silver hardtop

Chassis 2489 GT is a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II, the 124th of just 200 built, bodied by Pininfarina at Grugliasco and originally finished in Amaranto Roma. Notably equipped with an exceptionally rare factory hardtop incorporating a sunroof, the car has remained with a well-documented sequence of owners across Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. A comprehensive ground-up restoration completed around 2011 in Florida included Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification confirming matching-numbers drivetrain components, and the car has since earned numerous awards at prominent concours events.

Ownership

  1. Auction sale
    Estimate US$1,500,000 – US$1,750,000

    RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →

  2. 1961 → 1976Private sale
    Mrs. Tora
    partial documentation

    Wife of a Zurich bank director; retained the cabriolet for roughly fifteen years before selling it on.

  3. 1961-06-01 → 1961Factory delivery
    J.H. Keller AG
    partial documentation

    Official Ferrari dealer in Zurich acting as distribution point; the car was sold on quickly to the first private buyer.

  4. 1976 → 1991Private sale
    Ernst Wanzenreid
    partial documentation

    Bern-based second private owner; held the car for approximately fifteen years before trading it to a dealer.

  5. 1991 → 1995Private sale
    Mario Bernardi
    partial documentation

    Respected marque dealer operating out of Hann. Münden, Germany; acquired the car as a trade-in and subsequently sold it privately.

  6. 1995 → 2005Private sale
    Reijnold van der Poele
    partial documentation

    Collector based in Joure, Netherlands; exhibited the car at a major Dutch concours and was featured in the Dutch motoring press during his ownership.

  7. 2005 → 2009Private sale
    New York collector
    partial documentation

    US-based collector who began exhibiting the car at American concours events, achieving Silver and Gold awards at successive Cavallino Classic appearances.

  8. 2009 → 2015Private sale
    Florida-based collector
    full documentation

    Commissioned a comprehensive ground-up restoration by The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach; the coachwork was refinished white and the cabin re-trimmed in red leather. Ferrari Classiche certification with Red Book was obtained during this ownership, confirming matching-numbers drivetrain components.

  9. 2015 → 2020Private sale
    Texas-based collector
    partial documentation

    Continued the concours campaign, presenting the car at Pebble Beach in 2016 and earning recognition in the 2021 Tour d'Elegance poster while still the owner.

  10. 2020 →Private sale
    Pennsylvania enthusiast
    full documentation

    Current owner who maintained the restoration standard and commissioned a V-12 rebuild by Vintage Motorsports of Malvern, Pennsylvania; invoices on file support the work undertaken.

Competition

  1. 2000
    2000 Paleis Het Loo Concours d'Elegance

    Exhibited by Dutch owner Reijnold van der Poele; no award result mentioned.

  2. 2006
    2006 Cavallino Classic
    Silver Award

    First of two successive appearances at this Florida concours during the New York collector's ownership.

  3. 2007
    2007 Cavallino Classic
    Gold Award

    Second consecutive year at the event; award level improved from Silver to Gold.

  4. 2012-08-01
    The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering

    Shown at the Carmel-area event in August 2012; no award result recorded in the prose.

  5. 2013
    2013 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
    Amelia Award
  6. 2014
    2014 Sports Sunday at Mar-a-Lago
    Class award

    Florida concours event; class win noted but no further detail given.

  7. 2016
    2016 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

    Exhibited by the Texas-based owner; no award result mentioned.

  8. 2021
    2021 Tour d'Elegance
    Depicted on the official event poster

    Selected to represent the year's Pininfarina styling theme on the commemorative poster.

  9. 2021
    2021 Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance
    Chairman's Award

    Shown by the current Pennsylvania owner shortly after acquisition.

  10. 2023Ferrari Club of America, Pennsylvania-New Jersey region
    2023 Pennsylvania Concorso Ferrari
    Gold Award
  11. Cavallino Classic
    Four Ferrari Club of America Platinum Awards across four appearances

    Post-restoration concours appearances under the Florida collector's ownership; exact years not specified beyond the general post-2011 timeframe.

Maintenance & restoration

  1. 2009Restoration
    The Creative Workshop

    Comprehensive ground-up rebuild covering the entire car; bodywork refinished in White, interior retrimmed in Red leather with gray carpets, and the original hardtop refinished in Silver. Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification obtained confirming matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle.

    Located in Dania Beach, Florida; work took approximately two years to complete and was commissioned by the Florida-based collector.

  2. Engine rebuild
    Vintage Motorsports

    Full rebuild of the matching-numbers V-12 engine, with replacement of pistons, cylinder liners, bearings, and timing chain; supported by invoices.

    Specialist workshop based in Malvern, Pennsylvania; commissioned by the current owner to ensure continued mechanical reliability.

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Each chassis record is compiled from public auction archives and links to its source material. Ownership, competition and maintenance entries are extracted from those catalogue listings by an LLM, which can make mistakes — please contact us with any corrections. The summary is Legacy Metrics’ own writing; we do not reproduce catalogue text.

“Full” and “partial” documentation labels indicate how well each entry is corroborated in the underlying sources, not an audit of the car’s physical paperwork. Names of recent or living owners are withheld for privacy.