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There had been open-top Ferrari road cars before the advent of the‘250’ series, but it was, chiefly, Pininfarina’s offerings on the latterchassis that established the convertible as a fixture of the Ferrarirange. After the experimentation and variety which characterisedthe coachwork of the 250-series cars, the arrival of the ‘275’ in1964 brought with it standard bodywork, that of the 275GTS beingmanufactured by Pininfarina themselves. In Ferrari nomenclature ofthe period a model’s designation reflected an individual cylinder’scubic capacity, so the newcomer displaced 3.3 litres, up from itspredecessor’s 3.0 litres. In standard trim the GTS’s Colombo-type,60-degree, V12 engine produced 260bhp at 7,000rpm, some 20horsepower fewer than when installed in the contemporary 275GTB.The chassis followed Ferrari’s established practice, being a multitubularframe tied together by oval main tubes, and for the first timeon a road-going Ferrari there was independent rear suspension, thelatter employing a double wishbone and coil-spring arrangementsimilar to that of the 250LM sports-racer.The adoption of a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle combining thenow all-synchromesh gearbox and differential in a single unit helpedimprove weight distribution, and this feature would characterisefuture generations of front-engined Ferrari road cars. Producedbetween 1964 and 1966, the 275GTS altered little during the courseof its short life apart from the adoption of constant velocity joints forthe open prop shaft shortly after the commencement of production.By the mid 1960s Ferrari’s road cars were beginning to lose someof their rougher edges and take on a more luxurious mien, and the275GTS interior is notable for its generously sized seats and woodveneer dashboard, the latter appearing for the first time in a Ferrari.Even the most sybaritic of customers, though, would acknowledgethat the driving experience is the raison d’être of Ferrari ownershipand in this respect the 275GTS had lost none of its predecessors’aggressive charm.176 | Goodwood festival of speed