Ferrari produced 106 examples of the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder.
The total covers two closely related versions built between 1957 and 1963: 50 long-wheelbase, or LWB, cars and 56 short-wheelbase, or SWB, cars. The change to the shorter chassis followed Ferrari’s development of the 250 GT Berlinetta SWB and gave the later open car more compact proportions and sharper handling.
The California Spyder was conceived as a road-going convertible with strong links to Ferrari’s competition-derived 250 GT family. North American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti helped encourage the model for customers who wanted an elegant open sports car with genuine performance. Sergio Scaglietti built the bodies, while Pininfarina influenced the styling.
The model’s rarity is sometimes obscured by rounded descriptions such as “about 100 cars,” which is why figures of 100 or 110 can appear in casual references. The documented total used by specialist sources is 106. Collectors also distinguish steel-bodied cars from rarer alloy-bodied examples and covered-headlamp cars from open-headlamp versions.
Its fame broadened after a 250 GT California Spyder appeared in the 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.