Information and Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions
In the niche yet contradictingly wide realm of classic and collector cars, there is one segment that stands apart as the true apex of collectability, and within that already-elite group, there are those select few cars that rise above the rest, existing as singular creations of automotive excellence, unparalleled by any car to come before or since their inception. The Mecum auction-bound Bianco Speciale is one of those cars.
From the royal ranks of classic racing sports cars and piloted by the crème-de-la-crème of its class, the Bianco Speciale—a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO - 3729GT—exists now as it always has since the day of its creation. It is a one-of-a-kind, special-order racing Ferrari, the only one of the 36 total holy-grail 250 GTOs to be dressed by the factory in a color typically shunned by Ferrari brass: a glistening shade of pure, pearly white.
Strings were undoubtedly pulled, and rings may have even been kissed to make the birth of this beauty possible, but no matter the circumstances that led to its creation, it is here today as an anomaly of automotive majesty, and it will soon cross the Mecum auction block at Kissimmee 2026 in search of a new caretaker capable of celebrating and honoring its grandeur with all the reverence it deserves. In doing so, this individual will instantly become a significant member of the most exclusive car club in the world.
Ferrari’s Legendary 250 GTO
Ferrari’s 250 GTO is widely considered to be the most desirable and overall admirable vehicle ever created by the celebrated Italian marque. Rightly so, as no other car had ever possessed such a masterful blend of raw power, nimble handling, artful styling and extraordinary beauty. It took Enzo Ferrari establishing his company as the world leader of sports car manufacturing and advancing it to become the most recognizable brand in motorsports achievement to give rise to such a giant, and today, the 250 GTO stands atop Ferrari racing’s historic hallowed ground and is revered by collectors as the best Ferrari of all time. As a singular rarity and successful track star, Bianco Speciale is elevated yet a step above her kinsmen and remains miraculously true to her unique roots even today.
The Birth of the Mecum Kissimmee-Bound Blanco Speciale
Boasting an impressive pedigree and excellent provenance having been personally piloted in-era by racing heroes such as Graham Hill, Mike Parkes and Jack Sears, Bianco Speciale’s defining singularity is a quality that was bestowed at birth: its unique color and namesake feature.
The distinctive car was purchased new by British racing team owner John Coombs and sent to Scaglietti for coachwork designed by Bizzarrini after the initial build was completed on May 7, 1962. As a successful Jaguar dealer and brand loyalist, Coombs bought the GTO in an attempt to jolt the brass at Jaguar into making its sensational E-type more competitive with Ferrari. With his prominence in the industry, Coombs must have known people in the Ferrari fold as well; if he hadn’t, Bianco Speciale would likely have never come to be.
Ferrari has long honored a deeply rooted tradition of painting its cars red, so, when Coombs requested that his 250 GTO be finished in white, it was a huge deviation from Ferrari’s strict color conventions—one that required quiet internal approval. It is widely believed that Alfredo Reali, Ferrari’s discreet liaison for bespoke and sensitive client requests, played a crucial role in securing this unprecedented exception. Through his subtle influence and the pull that Coombs’ own status exerted, this car became the only Ferrari 250 GTO ever delivered in factory white, forever distinguishing it as Bianco Speciale.
Blanco Speciale Takes to the Track
Under Coombs’ ownership, Bianco Speciale made its competition debut with Roy Salvadori in the cockpit for the British Racing and Sports Car Club’s (BRSCC) Peco Trophy race at Brands Hatch on the first Monday in August 1962. A relatively short race on a hilly 4.26-kilometer road circuit, it was an excellent test for the new Ferrari 250 GTO’s brakes and suspension, with a total of six GTOs entered into the race.
Coombs also entered a Jaguar E-Type, to which he assigned his then-favored driver Graham Hill, a quickly rising star in the British racing scene, one destined to become the first and only driver to secure motorsports’ elusive Triple Crown achievement. Despite the driving prowess of the young Hill, it was ultimately Salvadori and Bianco Speciale that claimed second overall, runner-up only to fellow 250 GTO-pilot Mike Parkes.
Bianco Speciale at the BRSCC Peco Trophy race at Brands Hatch in August 1962.
Graham Hill Grabs the Wheel
From its Brands Hatch debut, Bianco Speciale went on to compete in the Royal Automobile Club’s (RAC) Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood. Still hoping to motivate Jaguar to action, Coombs this time paired his most promising pilot with the impressively performing 250 GTO.
With Hill behind the wheel of Bianco Speciale, the race was destined to be more than just a race; it marked the intersection of rising greatness and singular automotive exclusivity. While Innes Ireland in another 250 GTO ultimately took the win with a mere 3.6-second lead over Hill in second place, the race forever embedded Bianco Speciale into the exclusive fabric of motorsport history with another one-two-three finish for Ferrari’s 250 GTO, securing the marque’s eighth international championship in 10 years.
Graham Hill behind the wheel of Bianco Speciale during the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood Circuit on August 18, 1962.
Crossing Enemy Lines
An interesting twist in Bianco Speciale’s story came about after the ‘62 RAC race. Though denied by Coombs, it’s well documented that he did, in fact, lend his Bianco Speciale to the engineers at Jaguar for study. The Jaguar-brand loyalist that he was, Coombs was apparently determined to give the lagging brand a chance at matching or exceeding Ferrari’s racing success with its seemingly unbeatable 250 GTO. As a direct result of Coombs’ help, Jaguar was able to reverse engineer Bianco Speciale and refine the Lightweight E-Type with the information it gathered in the process, helping the company in its efforts to regain its competitive edge.
For the 1963 season, Coombs brought both Bianco Speciale and one of the new Lightweight E-Types to several races, pitting them against each other with varying drivers behind the wheels of each in a test to determine which car was best. While the E-Types were competitive in national events and scored some notable victories, they ultimately struggled to match the GTO’s blend of power, reliability and handling—especially in the longer, more prestigious international races.
In August of that year, Bianco Speciale earned a class win, scoring its first victory with Jack Sears at the helm for the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch. Sears placed fifth overall behind four sports prototype racers and is reported to have said that he fondly remembered this race as a friendly introduction and test drive for Bianco Speciale, which he later acquired in 1970 and owned for nearly 30 years.
The Race Track and Beyond
For the 1963 RAC Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood, John Coombs Racing and Maranello Concessionaires decided the best chance at victory was to place Hill in the new 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO and Parkes in Bianco Speciale. Going up against other GTO 250s and even one of Coombs’ own Lightweight E-Types, Hill and Parkes nevertheless managed to pull off a one-two finish, with Bianco Speciale coming in second place just 0.4 seconds behind its winning teammate.
Mike Parkes in Bianco Speciale pulls up alongside Innes Ireland in the Aston Martin DP214 at the 1963 RAC Tourist Trophy at Goodwood.
Though it may have arguably reached its peak, Bianco Speciale’s track days were far from over. The car went on to compete with the likes of Eddie Portman and Richard Ginther before its 30 years in Sears’ doting care. It was then sold to former COO and president of Microsoft Jon Shirley in 1999 in the United States, where it underwent a careful cosmetic refreshing, returning it to its proper state, and gained a new legion of followers through participation in various vintage racing and concours events. Like the gentlemen racers who owned the car before Shirley, he was astute in his efforts to keep the car exercised and in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition for both practical reasons and to ensure it retained its requisite majesty.
Bianco Speciale received its Ferrari Classiche Red Book in 2008 and is currently equipped with an engine built by Ferrari Classiche specifically for installation in the car; its upcoming sale will include an additional engine of Ferrari 250 GTO specifications that could be used for vintage racing endeavors. In the course of the car’s refreshing, due diligence was taken to ensure it retained as much original character as possible, and to this day, many Coombs-era modifications have been preserved on this legendary and historic racing phenom.
The 250 GTO and Blanco Speciale Legacy
The Ferrari 250 GTO earned its place in history as a dual-purpose grand touring machine—a car just as capable of dominating the race track as cruising the countryside, and doing all of it while looking like a piece of art on wheels. Even now, the Ferrari 250 GTO remains a masterpiece sculpture and a priceless historical artifact, of which only 36 were ever built. As a testament to the model’s enduring legacy and extreme desirability, all 36 examples still survive today, more than a half-century after their birth and through decades of high-stakes racing endeavors, effectively forming the most exclusive car club in all of the world.
Undeniably, each one of Ferrari’s legendary 250 GTOs is a tour de force unto itself, and just as irrefutably, it stands that Bianco Speciale is a singular rarity within that extraordinarily elite group—an unassailable giant among giants. Its next fortunate steward, to be determined this January at Mecum Kissimmee 2026, will instantly join those ranks.
