Ferrari's highly successful 250 series was superseded in 1964 by the 275.

Pininfarina was once again called upon to work his magic for the Maranello concern, creating a true classic of sportscar design for the 275GTB.

Penetrative nose, long bonnet, purposeful side vents, high waistline, short be-spoilered tail: these were all ingredients of the recipe yet the result was so much more than merely the sum of its parts.

The tail spoiler and cast-alloy wheels echoed developments first seen on Ferrari competition cars, while beneath the skin there was further evidence of racing improving the breed, the independent rear suspension - seen for the first time on a road-going Ferrari - employing a double wishbone and coil-spring arrangement similar to that of the 250LM racer.

The adoption of a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle combining the gearbox and differential in a single unit helped improve weight distribution, and the feature would characterise future generations of front-engined Ferra...