Building on the technical sophistication of its 365 GTC4 predecessor, the 365 GT4 2+2 added a contemporary angular look that was just right for the 1970s. Under the skin, the GT4 was very similar to its C4 predecessor, which was the first 2+2 Ferrari to receive independent rear suspension. Also part of the specification was the legendary Colombo V12, in 4.4 liter quad cam form with six sidedraft Weber carburetors. This makes them, somewhat famously among Ferrari cognoscenti, some of the best-sounding Ferrari road cars ever made. The car evolved into the 400, which lost the six rear lamps and knock-off wheels. Carburetors gave way to Bosch CIS fuel injection on the 400i and so the 365 variant remains, among enthusiasts of the model, the one to have.
The model debuted in October of 1972 at the Paris Motor Show and at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show, this car, s/n 18255, was displayed on the Ferrari stand. Finished in blu ribot with beige Connolly leather interior, the car was at that time completely stock, having been completed by the Ferrari factory in December 1974. After being displayed at Geneva in March of 1975, the car was supplied by the Ferrari importer SAVAF to the Ferrari dealer Willy Henri Felber not far from Geneva, who sold it to its first owner. The following year, when a Sheikh requested a unique coachbuilt Ferrari, Felber purchased 18255 back and commissioned the legendary designer Giovanni Michelotti to design a shooting brake version of the car.
The car, together with Michelotti’s plans, was sent to Robert Jankel’s coachbuilding firm Panther Westwinds, which would become known for their neo-classical models such as the J72 and De Ville. There, the car was converted to a shooting brake with cream colored everflex roof, spoiler on the trailing edge of the roof, and subtle contrasting dark blue accents (such as in the body side scallops) offset by hand-painted cream colored coachlines, all of which the car retains today. Inside the car, a few special touches were added, including the fitment of a television for rear seat occupants. Given the name Croisette, the car remained a one-off, unlike some of Felber’s other Ferrari creations. The Sheikh who commissioned it was unable to complete the purchase of the car and thus it remained in Switzerland until 2024 with three owners, including a single long-term keeper from 1979 to 2023.
That owner, Henri Taxer, purchased the car from Swiss dealer Albrecht Guggisberg, whose business was called Oldtimer Garage. Taxer was a passionate steward of the car, maintaining it carefully, including an engine rebuild in 1996. A thick file of invoices shows the high standard to which he kept the car, which he retained until selling it to a Swiss Ferrari collector named Roger Imboden, who also owned two other Felber-commissioned Ferraris of the era. One of these was a Michelotti-designed “beach car” without doors (displayed at Geneva in 1976), built on a 365 GTC/4 and finished initially in light blue metallic with blue denim interior, and later refinished in gold with blue leather interior. The other was called FF (Felber Ferrari) and was built on a 330 GTC. Finished in purple with white leather interior, it has cycle fenders evocative of an early postwar racing car.
During Imboden’s ownership, the Croisette was displayed in the Michelotti class at the Swiss Concours d’Elegance at the Chateau de Coppet. At this event, the car was photographed with Giovanni Michelotti’s son Edgardo, and among the car’s copious documentation is correspondence with Edgardo Michelotti confirming that his father penned the car. Other documentation includes conceptual sketches of the car, period photos, and correspondence with Willy Felber and Ferrari SpA confirming the car’s history.
Penned by Giovanni Michelotti and built by Panther Westwinds, this extraordinary coachbuilt Ferrari is an impossibly cool one-off. In any form, the 365 GT4 2+2 is a connoisseur’s choice, offering understated styling, unusual practicality (for a Ferrari), and performance that remains exciting today, not to mention fantastic V12 and Weber noises. The Croisette enhances this appeal further with a fabulous 1970s vibe coupled with the intrinsic coolness possessed by long-roof cars.
