Classic Ferrari 250 GTE used by the Polizia in Rome in the 1960s is up for sale

Arguably the rarest, most-elegant and coolest police car of all time is now up for sale.

The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE Series II, one of two used by the Italian Polizia in the 1960s, has been made available to well-heeled collectors who can afford to splash out around seven figures on an iconic cop car.

In an intriguing history, the 250 spend six years in service chasing criminals through the streets of Rome, making it the most stylish paddy wagon to have patrolled the roads.

The car has been listed for sale for an undisclosed fee by vintage car dealer Girardo & Co based in Milan.

How much is it being offered for? Unless you have the funds readily available, the classic car collector won’t reveal the fee. 

We’ve squeezed the company – which also has a showroom in London – for a figure, but have come up wanting.

To put the value into perspective, auctions by famed houses RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams in the last three years have seen examples of the 250 GTE Series II from the same year swap hands for sums of around half a million euros. 

With this particular car being of iconic status and rarity, we can only imagine the purchase figure will dwarf these previous prices paid.

What makes chassis #3999 more valuable is that its sister car was written off within weeks of it being put into service by the Polizia. 

This 250 GTE stood alone as the heart and soul of the force for the next six years, earning it iconic status among servicemen, the public and criminals alike.

And since that service, despite a 250 GTE Series II being a highly coveted car, its owners have kept the Ferrari in its original police car state.

While its current price will be one of the most prominent questions, another will be how on earth two Ferraris of such acclaim and value were even used by the Polizia in the first place.

The story goes that it was the brainchild of one of Italy’s most revered and successful police officers, Armando Spatafora.

He suggested the force got their hands on a seriously quick fleet, as in the early 1960s a vast number of crimes in Rome were being committed using getaway cars, with car chases a common occurrence. 

The biggest problem faced by police at the time was that most of the getaway cars were much quicker than the traditional Alfa Romeo 1900s and 2600s used at the time – which were known as Pantera for their engine roar and black paintwork.

As well as having faster machinery, the criminals were also handy at the wheel, with those tasked with evading the Polizia honing their skills at the nearby Vallelunga race track some 26 miles north of the capital.  

Spatafora’s request for a suitable vehicle for high-speed pursuits, specifically a Ferrari, was – somewhat incredibly – accepted. 

A hand-picked group of four officers from Roma were chosen to attend a specialised driving course at the home of Ferrari, Maranello, to ensure they had the skills to handle the pricey cars in chases. 

After gelling with the 250 GTE on track and delivering excellent lap times, Spatafora was then presented with one of two cars made available – which is this one, chassis number 3999.

As with all 250 GTE road cars, it had a 3-litre V12 engine that produced 240bhp. Top speed was a claimed 144mph – more than enough to strike fear into Rome’s criminal underbelly.  

Completed by Ferrari in November 1962, it was specially finished in police-spec black paint with a resilient tan leatherette interior. 

A copy of the original Ferrari build sheets accompanies the sale of the car, noting it as being a ‘vett. Polizia’, or Police car, in English. 

The combination of the talented Armando Spatafora and his Ferrari on night patrol became so legendary that beating him in a car chase became a matter of pride in Rome’s criminal underworld.

Chassis #3999 was retired from active service in late 1968 and went on to be used for emergency blood deliveries to Naples, where it was rumoured to have repeatedly completed the 125-mile motorway journey in just 50 minutes. 

Despite this incredible life the car was in remarkable condition and remained that way through to 1972 when it was sold via a public auction of army surplus.

It was bought by Italian collector, Alberto Cappelli, who spent the next 40 years preserving its incredible originality. 

The 250 GTE was reunited with Armando Spatafora at the Coppa delle Dolomiti race in 1984 – some 16 years after he had last driven it. 

Incredibly, the retired policeman managed to secure the second fastest time overall in his trusted patrol car. 

Even today, this Ferrari is the only private car in Italy with special permission to circulate with siren, blue light and the police’s ‘Squadra Volante’ livery. 

It was last sold in 2015 to another Ferrari enthusiast, who has now made the car available again.  

Certified by Ferrari Classiche in 2014, the car still retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox and rear-axle – even despite more than half a decade in active police service. 

While the Polizia and cop in Dubai have showcased Lamborghinis and other four-wheel exotica as patrol cars in recent years, most have been PR stunts by the manufacturers, with the machines barely used by policemen, let alone in high-speed chases.

That makes this Ferrari 250 GTE, in our eyes, the most iconic cop car of them all. Certainly more impressive than the BMW 3 Series’ and Volvo V70s most often used by British road policing departments today.