Regarded as one of the most beautiful Pininfarina designs, the Lusso, or GT/L, sold as a road-going car and directly benefited from the successful line of Ferrari 250 GTs. It was developed from the dual-purpose 250 GT Short Wheel Base (SWB) which was delivered as both as a full-on competition or a steel-bodied grand touring car. When the SWB's time was up, its road-going version was replaced in 1962 with the more curvaceous 250 GT Lusso.
The very first Lusso appeared in October of 1962 at the Paris Salon and generated lots of interest with its exquisite proportions. It became instantly recognizable with a sweeping side profile, full-length fenders, slim pillars, truncated tail and an odd three piece bumper.
Although the Lusso's primary intent was grand touring, it still shared many racing features with the all-conquering 250 GTO race car. Both had the same wheelbase, disc brakes, Boranni wheels, suspension and all-aluminum engine. Despite the Lusso's less robust chassis, steel bodywork and more forward mounted engine, many owners rigged their cars with a harness and went racing when a GTO couldn't be ordered.
Around 350 examples of the Lusso were constructed with the same steel body designed by Pininfarina and executed by Scaglietti with aluminum doors, boots and hoods. Nearly all were delivered with the same specification except for a few cars that received custom rear end ratios, 5-speed gearboxes and competition spec carburetion which may have been added after delivery. Sometimes, custom body and interior alterations were executed by Pininfarina, including faired-in headlights, extra venting and air conditioning, but these factory modifications were rare.
