When we were young: Hooning Ferrari GTOs in the late 60s

A former GTO owner takes us on an intimate trip down memory lane as we watch some old Super 8 footage of him and his friends with their GTO Ferraris back when they were just used cars to play around with.  Oh to be a 19 year old in 1969 with my very own GTO!  The car belonging to the narrator is now in the collection of Ralph Lauren.  Here we get a glimpse of its wilder youth!  The part where they are painting the 250 GT California matte black is just outstanding. The footage is just perfect. In today's world of hipstomatic and After Effects filters, it's great to see real Super 8 footage that captures the time pefectly.

"It is so choice..."

"...If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Those were the famous words of Ferris Bueller describing his friend's father's 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California. Well, now the actual movie car is up for auction.  I think we all remember that heartstopping moment when the Ferrari is sent crashing through a plate glass window and into the ravine below.  In fact that car, as well as this one, were both replicas built by the studio specifically for the film (there were 4 replicas total).  A faithful recreation on the surface, the car is actually bodied in fiberglass, and propelled by a 4.7L Ford 289 V8 and automatic transmission.  The auction's estimate is 40 to 80 thousand pounds, but I just have a feeling the car could sell for far more than that because even though it is not a real Ferrari, this machine is basically the most famous car in cinema (up there with the DeLorean in Back to the Future) and as such is a desirable piece of pop culture history.  I hope it goes to the Peterson Museum in LA for their Hollywood cars section! Click here for the link to the full auction item description.

On a side note, the house in which the car was kept in the movie (formerly belonging to real car collector Ben Rose) has also been on the market.  Perhaps one lucky fan can own them both!