There is perhaps no better archetype of a Ferrari model than the 275 GTB/4.

As one of the last Prancing Horses manufactured in the vintage era, preceding the wholesale shift to mid-rear engine placement, the GTB/4 was the product of all the lessons learned since the company’s 1947 inception.

Like the greatest Ferraris that preceded it, the model was defined as a grand touring berlinetta: a closed-body dual-use GT car that could be driven to the track and raced before being gently driven back home.

Introduced in 1964, the original 275 GTB was the first roadgoing Ferrari to be equipped with four-wheel independent suspension, and the first to employ a weight-saving transaxle, which also improved weight distribution.

When the GTB/4 iteration arrived two years later, it boasted dual-cam valve actuation for each cylinder bank, making it the first four-cam road car from Maranello’s stable.

This prodigy of mechanical performance was clothed in coachwork designed by Pininfarina and built b...