The 68 to 80 or so examples of the Ferrari 250 GT coupe built for Enzo Ferrari by Turin-based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Boano are considered some of the most collectible Prancing Horses ever made. Yet of those, the fabled few that came with their bodyshells hand-formed in lightweight aluminum instead of steel—for increased speed on the track—are the rarest of the rare. Now, one of those is up for grabs at Broad Arrow Auction’s Villa d’Este sale during this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como on May 16.

Of the only 14 examples of the Ferrari 250 GT Boano Alloy Coupe, the one crossing the auction block is perhaps the best in existence, with a racing pedigree, an exhaustive restoration, matching engine and transmission numbers, and coveted Ferrari Classiche Red Book certification.

Chassis No. 0565 GT carries select competition equipment, such as triple Weber carbs, an Abarth exhaust system, and a wood-rimmed Nardi steering wheel. “It is the Holy Grail of the Boano-bodied 250 GT coupes,” Jakob Greisen, senior car specialist with Broad Arrow Auctions, tells Robb Report. “It gives the next owner entry into the world’s greatest vintage driving events, from the California Mille, the Copperstate 1000, and Colorado Grand, to the Mille Miglia Storica itself.”

According to a report compiled by noted Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, the car was completed by Carrozzeria Boano in November of 1956. At the time, Ferrari was using Boano to help meet the demand for the 250 GT coupe, so a rolling chassis, complete with a 250 hp, 2,953 cc Colombo V-12—mated to a four-speed manual gearbox—was transported to the Turin coachbuilder. There, Mario Boano and his team hand-formed the bodyshell, fitted it to the chassis, and then sent it back to Maranello for completion. The car was subsequently shipped to Ferrari’s U.S. distributor, Luigi Chinetti Motors in New York, but not before being diverted to the Bahamas where it was entered in the 1956 Nassau Speed Week that December. 

Finally arriving in Manhattan in January of 1957, it was quickly sold to its first private owner, Marc Merlin. Later that year, it was sold again and began a four-decade stay with various caretakers in California. In 1997, it was acquired by Swiss collector Ralph C. Bruggmann of Basel, who kept it for two years before passing it on to Cengiz Artam of Istanbul.

Under Artam’s stewardship, it took part in the 2000 Mille Miglia Storica and raced at the 2001 Goodwood Revival. Records show that, in 2015, Artam commissioned a near-two-year mechanical restoration of the car with acclaimed U.K.-based Ferrari specialist DK Engineering—a project that cost more than 112,000 British pounds (roughly $145,000 at the time).

In 2019, DK Engineering orchestrated the sale of the coupe to the Zurich-based Sahli family, who paid a reported 975,000 euros (approximately $1.09 million). Part of the family’s business interests include the Sahli Karrosserie restoration shop, which embarked on a complete restoration of the car. This included stripping the vehicle of its red paint—it was resprayed Ferrari red in the late 1950s—and returning it to its original Blu livery complemented by an Avorio (ivory) roof. The interior was also fully restored with rich, tan leather. Even the original tool roll was brought back to near perfection.

“This is an unrepeatable opportunity for the discerning Ferrari collector to acquire one of the great Ferraris from the company’s golden era,” says Greisen. “I feel the 250 era from the 1950s and ‘60s produced some of the very best and most iconic models. These were cars you could drive to dinner in the evening and take to the track, and win, the next day.”

Examples of the Ferrari 250 GT built by Boano have commanded impressive prices in recent years—a similar 1956 car once owned by the band Cream’s bass player, Jack Bruce, sold at the RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale sale in 2021 for $1,352,500. But Greisen sees a shift in the marketplace, which is reflected in Broad Arrow giving chassis No. 0565 GT a price estimate of between $1 million and $1.18 million.

“While the big money is coming from more modern-day Ferraris, like the Enzo, F40, and LaFerraris—even some 360 Challenge and 430 Scuderia models—there seems to be less interest in models from the ‘50s and ‘60s, says Greisen, “which makes them a fabulous opportunity for knowledgeable Ferrari collectors.”

Click here for more photos of this 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Boano Alloy Coupe.