Ferrari 250 GT Nembo Spyder

The Ferrari 250 GT Nembo Spyder cars were a series of rebodied Ferrari sports cars built by Neri and Bonacini in collaboration with American designer Tom Meade. Three Ferrari 250 GT Nembo Spyder and one Nembo coupe were built, all based on 250 GT chassis and engines. Like all Neri and Bonacini-bodied cars, they were individually hand-built and differed in many details. The first Nembo spyder used a 1960 250 GT PF Cabriolet S2 donor car and was built in 1965 for Meade’s customer Sergio Braidi. Bradi wanted an open spyder-bodied car inspired by the 1964 series II 250 GTO, and initially proposed using a GTO chassis. Meade convinced Bradi to use the longer 250 GT chassis as he believed the extra length would result in a more harmonious design. The final steel bodywork was reminiscent of both the Series II 250 GTO and the 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder. The car was originally painted a very dark blue, almost black. The second Nembo spyder was built during 1967-68, based on a wrecked 250 GT SWB. This car was commissioned by Bill Dixon, who asked Tom Meade to replicate the appearance of the first Nembo spyder. The body was again built by Neri and Bonacini, although the two ended their business partnership while the car was in progress. Although designed similarly to the first Nembo spyder, there were differences in body work mandated by the shorter wheelbase of the donor chassis. A removable hardtop was also provided. Meade equipped the car with then-new Weber 40 DCN carburetors, which required significant tweaking to run well for street use. This car was originally painted in a dark burgundy color. Fabrication of a third Nembo spyder was begun concurrently with the second one. It was based on a 250 GTE 2+2 chassis. The body of this car differed from previous Nembo spyders, with a “sharknose” like the 156 F1 and a rounded tail like the 250 GT SWB. This car was ordered by a customer in Lebanon through a dealer in Paris. The car was never completed but was shipped to Lebanon as an unfinished body and chassis at the request of the dealer.