Chassis no. 07841 There had been open-top Ferrari road cars before the advent of the 250 series, but it was the Maranello firm’s offerings on the latter chassis that established the convertible as a fixture of the Ferrari range. After the success of the 250 Cabriolet and 250 California Spyder, it was natural that the all new 275 range of 1964 should include an open variant as well. In his authoritative book on the 275, Jess Pourret commented: "The spyder combined the pleasures of a convertible (which had been missing at Ferrari for two years) with comfort and amenities until then reserved for the 400 Superamerica". In standard trim the Colombo-type, 3.3-litre, V12 engine produced 260bhp at 7,000rpm, some 20 horsepower less than when installed in the contemporary 275 GTB. The chassis followed Ferrari's established practice, being a multi-tubular frame tied together by oval main tubes, and for the first time on a road-going Ferrari there was independent rear suspension, the latter employing a double wishbone and coil-spring arrangement similar to that of the 250LM sports-racer. The adoption of a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle combining the now all-synchromesh gearbox and differential in a single unit helped improve weight distribution, and the feature would characterise future generations of front-engined Ferrari road cars. Produced between 1964 and 1966, the 275 GTS altered little during the course of its short life, apart from the adoption of constant velocity joints for the open prop shaft from the end of 1965. Just 200 were built.
