1966-1970 Ferrari 330/365 GTC/GTS

As a design principle, "mix-and-match" doesn't produce great cars-except at Ferrari. Introduced at the March 1966 Geneva show, the 330 GTC (for Gran Turismo Coupe) allied the 275 GTB chassis and basic engine of the 330 GT 2+2 with a new Pininfarina body that blended the 275 GTS tail with a front end inspired by that of the 400 Superamerica. Such combinations are often disastrous, but this one worked very well, both visually and mechanically. Because it inherited the GTB chassis and its rear transaxle, the 330 GT 2 + 2 engine block had to be redesigned for the GTC to accommodate the different engine and differential mounts. As on late GTBs, the driveshaft passed through a torque tube. Naturally, four-wheel disc brakes and the all-independent double-wishbone/coil-spring suspension were retained, as was the 94.5-inch wheelbase. Competition and road cars were completely separate by this point in Ferrari history, so the new GTC made no pretence at being anything other than a grand luxe touring machine for two. Fast, comfortable, and quiet, it was the sort of car that allowed you to enjoy a good sound system at three-figure speeds. Even air conditioning was an option.

In October '66, a companion convertible bowed at the Paris Salon, designated 330 GTS. About two years later, both GTC and GTS were treated to a larger engine. This was created by boring out from 77 to 81 mm (stroke was left at 71 mm) for total capacity of 4390 cc. Designated 365 GTC/GTS, they gained 20 horsepower, up to 320 bhp at 6600 rpm, but nothing in top speed. Still, they were faster off the line and more plesurable to drive, thanks to the bigger engine's improved torque and low-rpm flexibility. Regardless of engine, these cars stand as some of the best Ferraris ever built. They make all the right sounds and have all the right moves yet are tastefully conservative in appearance, eye-catching but not extrovert. Naturally, they could be driven at the maximum speed permitted by prevailing conditions and driver skill and should be yet provided all the comfort and safety one would expect in a premium GT.

Paul Frere, the noted Belgian racing driver-turned-automotive-journalist, conducted the first test of a 330 GTC, which was duly published in the November 19th, 1966 issue the British magazine The Motor. He came away convinced: "The greatest surprise is the silence of the engine . . . In handling, the 330 GTC is exactly like all the Ferraris which I've driven before . . . It is close to being as neutral as one could want . . . But the most impressive feature of the handling of the new vehicle is the solidness with which it changes direction, particularly in S-bends, where it tracks with about the same precision as a modern race car."

Frere made two high-speed runs, lifting his foot only when he encountered traffic. By that point, the speedometer read 146 mph, but "the vehicle was still perceptibly accelerating." He concluded that the car would probably have equalled the factory's claimed 15O-mph maximum. In the standing quarter-mile, Frere measured the 330 GTC at a very lively 14.6 seconds. This dovetails neatly with the 14.9 seconds (at 95 mph) reported by Road and Track for its test 330 GTS. That publication listed top speed as 145 mph, exactly matching Frere's result with the coupe. The 330/365 GTC and GTS aren't the most excitng Ferraris ever built, but their fit and finish, smooth styling, high performance, great comfort, and superb handling make them some of the most sophisticated and elegant cars in the long line of Marinelo GTs. And with up to 150 mph on tap, who needs "excitement"