Classic: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California

The late Paul Newman. James Garner. Steve McQueen. Clint Eastwood. James Coburn. Hollywood's car guys of the 1960s and 1970s. They played hard together-on and off the silver screen. Cars, bikes, and racing were woven into many of their films. Newman once raced a Ferrari Daytona owned by Eastwood. McQueen and Garner raced against each other in Baja. They are studs from a time, as Archie Bunker put it, "When girls were girls and men were men."

He's credited with turning Steve McQueen on to the cars from Maranello, and in the early 1960s, owned them two at a time. One was a 250 GT Lusso, the other, the 250 GT Spyder California on these pages. Colloquially referred to as the "Cal Spyder," it's a car that makes more all-time-greats lists than Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan combined. The Cal Spyder was lighter, faster, and sportier than the lusher, more luxury-minded 250 GT Cabriolet model. Mechanically, it was typical Ferrari fare for the day: tubular chassis, Scaglietti body construction of a Pinin Farina design, 60-degree 3.0-liter SOHC V-12 running triple-downdraft Weber carbs rated at 280 horsepower, four-speed manual transmission, Borrani knock-off wire wheels.

James Harrison Coburn was born August 31, 1928, in Laurel, Nebraska. The lanky, silver-haired actor with the big grin, big voice, and big heart began his career with a television appearance on "Studio One" in 1957 and capped it 42 years later with an emotional, well-deserved Oscar win. Besides acting, Coburn wrote, produced, and directed. His memorable performances range from "The Great Escape" (with McQueen and Garner) to a voice-over in "Monsters, Inc," from the Bond-like "In Like Flint" to that gritty Academy Award-winning performance in "Affliction," plus more TV work than one can count. And Coburn loved Ferraris.

Like Faberge eggs, Cal Spyders combine rarity and timeless, eye-searing beauty that's perfect in proportion. The first of them was completed in late 1957, the last built in early 1963. While it's unlikely any pair of them is exactly alike, there were two principle variants. The long-wheelbase (LWB) Spyder measured 2600 mm-102.4 inches-between the wheels and was the first to market. The sportier-yet version was dubbed the SWB, for its 200mm-shorter wheelbase. Design differences are too numerous to detail, but aficionados also identify Cal Spyders as "open headlight" or "covered headlight" models, the latter having elegant, aerodynamic plastic covers over the front lights. A "Tastes Great, Less Filling" style debate rages over which Cal Spyder configuration is the most desirable, but it matters little. They're all fabulous. Estimates vary, but approximately 46 LWB Spyders and between 50 and 57 short-wheelbase examples were produced.

1961 250 GT SWB Spyder California chassis number GT 2377GT was sold new through Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps, Ferrari's importer in Brussels. When the first owner was ready to move on, Swaters arranged the car's sale to James Coburn in 1964. Number 2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver, and possibly red. The car lived at Coburn's Beverly Hills area home and was often serviced at Max Balchowsky's Hollywood Motors. Balchowsky is best known for building and racing his American V-8-powered Old Yeller sports cars, often beating high-priced thoroughbreds in the process. He also did the suspension and frame modifications on those iconic 1968 Mustang GT fastbacks used-and used up-in the filming of "Bullitt."

Coburn sold the Spyder in 1987 after 24 years of ownership (over time, he also owned the above-noted Lusso, a Daytona, at least one 308, and a 412P sports racer). 2377 changed hands a few more times since then on its way to a starring role in RM Auctions' Legenda e Passione all-Ferrari auction, held at the factory in Maranello, Italy, last May. It was on this hallowed ground we sat down beside her.

I won't waste words on how this triple-black Spyder looks; that would be like someone needing to explain that Angelina Jolie is sexy. What photos don't convey is how compact and tidy it is; Ferrari's new California is massive by comparison. Sinking into the same low-backed leather bucket in which James Coburn sat for more than two decades causes a shiver. Turning the slim ignition key and depressing it to ignite the Colombo-designed V-12 results in a bigger one.

Car magazine road tests of the day often describe the sound of a Ferrari in syrupy terms, such as "the ripping of raw silk." I'm here to tell you: It's all true. I've driven several early-1960s, 3.0-liter Ferraris, and this one feels particularly crisp. It idles easily and pulls to 7000 rpm without a burp. As I point the Coburn Spyder out of the pits and onto Ferrari's private Fiorano test track (where the F1 team tests), it begins to rain. Note to self: This car is to be auctioned within 24 hours, and people have traveled from far and wide hoping for the opportunity to spend millions of dollars for it. Best not to ball it up.

Besides thrilling you in a vintage sort of way, the other descriptor that comes to mind is direct. The manual steering feels as if it's actually connected to the front wheels. The slim shifter moves metal gears in the transmission. The brakes give a response commensurate to input. Zing the throttle, and you can feel your foot's connection to the carbs. Your butt rides inches off the ground. Instrumentation is spread across two-thirds of the dashboard, fresh Italian air swirls around your head, and your ears are filled with the heady intake, exhaust, and valvetrain sounds. Intoxicating. An MX-5 will easily outhandle this Ferrari great, but it is straight-line quick for any era.

The rain has picked up, hastening the need for cover. My moment as a James Coburn wannabe is over. Everyone has his favorite Ferrari. For me, that has for decades been the 365 GTB/4 Daytona (black, wire wheels, gray leather interior). But then, along came a Spyder.

EpilogueOn May 18, 2008, 1961 250 GT SWB Spyder California chassis GT 2377GT was sold by RM Auctions in association with Sotheby's for 6.4 million Euros, or $10,894,400 (at then-current exchange rate, including bidder's premium), setting a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction.