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october 26, 2022 - Bell Sport & Classic

Bell Sport & Classic reveals full details of benchmark setting, three-year restoration of concours-winning Ferrari 330 GTC

Markyate, Hertfordshire, UK, 26th October 2022: Leading Ferrari specialist Bell Sport & Classic is proud to reveal full details of the benchmark-setting restoration of a 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC, which secured a convincing victory at the 2022 Salon Privé Concours d'Elégance in September against world-class opposition.

The concours award and the car's Ferrari Classiche Certificate stand testament to the intensive
three-year-long restoration and rebuild at Bell Sport & Classic's Hertfordshire headquarters. Led by the company's expert team, who together have many decades of experience in Ferrari restoration, every component on the 330 GTC has either been restored, overhauled or reverse engineered, with the very latest restoration and engineering techniques employed.

Like all Bell Sport & Classic's restorations, a beyond obsessive approach was applied through an unmatched blend of experience and expertise, creating a car that is in every facet better than when it left the factory - and what is quite probably the finest Ferrari 330 GTC in existence.   

The gentleman's Ferrari

"Unveiled at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show the 330 GTC took its chassis from the 275 GTB Berlinetta and its 300hp four-litre V12 engine from the 330 2+2 Coupé. Cloaked in an achingly elegant Pininfarina body, it made an immediate impact and was very much a car for the more discerning driver. It's the kind of Ferrari that you could imagine Enzo using as a daily driver," explains Tim Kearns, Bell Sport & Classic's Managing Director. 

"Maranello built 600 examples between 1966 and late 1968 and this example was built during the initial year of production," adds Bell Sport & Classic's Head of Acquisition & Sales, Peter Smith. "It first came to us six years ago having clearly had a good amount of use, the car initially sold into Switzerland had spent time in the US and was eventually found in Venezuela. Although the engine wasn't running and it had been repainted blue, literally every nut and bolt was original, so it was a good example to start with - but we knew we could make it as close to perfect as possible."  

Two weeks were spent methodically removing all the Ferrari's interior components before the restoration team, led by Elliot East, turned to the exterior trim and began carefully stripping parts, including the brightwork, bumpers, headlights, and glass. Only after that stage was completed was attention turned to the drivetrain and suspension components. 

Restored to factory-fresh specification

Bell Sport & Classic's exacting approach means that the same effort is lavished on every element of the car – whether visible or not. The 330's heavily kerbed and severely corroded original 14-inch cast magnesium wheels were restored and elevated to gleaming concours-winning condition; this same approach is applied throughout the car – even to components that will remain hidden from view, deep in the fabric of the machine. 

As Matt Wilton, who oversaw the project and has a lifetime of experience at the highest level of Classic Ferrari Restoration, explains: "Several of the imperfections were relatively minor, and would most likely never be seen by a customer, but for a Bell Sport & Classic restoration, everything matters. Yes, it's highly time-consuming, but it gives our customers complete confidence that a car they receive from us is perfect in every detail."

A month was dedicated to stripping the suspension down, and the components sandblasted, before undergoing repainting and replating as required. The original shock absorbers, suspension arms and springs were all refurbished and retained. 

"The steering arm and every little bracket that had been nickel-plated originally, were replated," continues Matt Wilton. "Other components, such as the anti-roll bar drop link, were restored to their original satin nickel finish. Absolutely everything on this car is in the same condition, or better, as the day it left the factory."

Walnut shells for that delicate touch

The process that would eventually ensure an exquisite exterior finish utterly devoid of even the slightest blemish began more than two years before painting was scheduled, and involved blasting the car's body, not by sand, but by crushed walnut shells.

"One of the disadvantages of using sandblasting on the delicate areas of the larger panels is that it can put heat into the steel and cause it to distort. However, that doesn't happen with walnut-blasting," continues Elliot East. "It's a technique that's always best for the potentially more fragile areas."

When the car arrived at Bell Sport & Classic it was a pale blue and had clearly been painted several times over its life.  As part of the team's restoration research process, the original factory build sheets were sourced confirmed that 330 GTC Chassis No. 9069 left Maranello a beautiful and unusual pale green.  Before the body was painted and the Ferrari returned to its stunning original light green metallic Verde Chiaro Metallizato, the team undertook a complete dry build. While this process of reassembling and then stripping back down again before painting takes time, it's integral to every restoration project undertaken by Bell Sport & Classic.

Further information in the press release to download

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