CALIFORNIA LOVE The proverbial sports car hall of fame is full of models that claim one triumph or another, but very few exude the power and charm of Ferrari’s 250 GT California Spider.

Maranello had achieved great heights with its 250 GT platform ever since the FIA changed displacement limitations following the disastrous 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, finding remarkable success in sports car competition with the Tour de France and Testa Rossa models.

Alongside these wondrous racing machines, Ferrari built a magnificent lineup of roadgoing 250 GT coupes and cabriolets that came to define the peak of engineering and style.

In 1957, however, one man dared to push the boundaries even further.

John von Neumann was a California-based importer and co-founder of the local sports car club who had become a Ferrari distributor on the West Coast.

He proposed the idea of a dual-use open Ferrari that could be driven to the track and raced before being driven home, in the tradition of Maranello’s g...