Ferrari 330GTS driving impressions

I'm sure it will not have escaped most people's notice that Ferrari has launched a new front engined convertible the California. Most of the comments on the Ferrari forums question why Ferrari is moving into a new market but actually Ferrari made a number of more touring oriented convertibles in the 60's, and I had the opportunity to drive one of these a 330GTS recently.

The 330GTS was built between 1966 and 1968 and approximately 100 were made in that time. The GTS and its hardtop equivalent the 330GTC were the two seater touring Ferrari's of there time, softer than the berlinetta 275GTB but more sporting than the bigger 330GT 2+2. The chassis is broadly the same as the 275 riding on a 2.4m wheelbase (as did all 2 seater Ferrari's from the 250SWB to the Daytona) the 330 has a 4.0 liter 2 cam v12 rated at 300bhp, transmitting through a 5 speed transaxle gearbox. Styling wise the Pininfarina design is clearly from the same era as the Alfa Duetto and Fiat 124 Spider, and I would descibe it as subtly pretty rather drop dead gorgeous.

Initial driving impressions the design of the car feels much older than the Daytona even though the designs are only separated by 2 years. The dashboard has a wood veneer and the the steering wheel is a large wooden item. Although they share the same wheelbase the 330 has a narrower track than the Daytona and as a result it feels much more nimble on country lanes. The car was already warm when I drove it but even so I was suprised at how easy the gearbox was to use. The gears snick home with precision and the throws are shorter than the Daytona. The steering on the example I drove was a little vague around the straight ahead but otherwise as good as you would expect for a 42 year old car, and I found the car very easy to place on the twisty sussex lanes as we drove down to Goodwood.

Unlike the Daytona the engine whilst fantastically flexible does not dominate the car. The two cam wet sump engine has a mellow smooth sound. It has a good spread of torque ideal for cruising the riviera. The performance is brisk rather than quick although Ferrari claimed top speeds of around 150. Certainly a middling model Focus would have little trouble keeping up. Being an old convertible there is some flex in the body but not enough to corrupt the driving experience. The upright screen causes quite a lot of wind buffeting with the top down. The boot is large for touring but I assume for mechanical installation reasons the passenger footwell is quite small limiting legroom for the passenger. The driving position is more upright than the Daytona's but the seats lack shoulder support. The 330GTS was replaced by the 365GTS, basically the same car but with a 4.4liter V12 (still 2 cam). After this the touring and berlinetta lines where effectively merged and the 365GTS was replaced by the Daytona Spyder (or 365GTS/4 to give it its correct title). Until the limited edition 550 Barchetta this was the last of the open front engined V12s
The million dollar question (in this case literally as with current exchange rates that's probably what one is worth) is would I have one. Well it's a fantastic car but it doesn't quite get the pulse racing like the Daytona does. Then that's not its raison d'etre and I can't think of a finer car to be crusing along the moyenne corniche on the French Riviera.