Ferrari 275 GTB/4

I cannot imagine a more irresistible aria, a more haunting melody, a more soul-stirring howl, than a Ferrari V-12--especially one from the mid-1960s, inhaling through Weber carburetors and featuring all the clatter and well-machined sound that gives Ferrari V-12s such a compelling mechanical symphony. There's just nothing quite like the harmonics of 12 cylinders climbing in unison to ever higher, more intense registers.

Match that glorious 300-horsepower V-12 with some of the most pure, clean Ferrari bodywork ever to create the Ferrari 275 GTB/4, and you have an instant classic. The GTO, 250, and original Testa Rossa are beautiful cars from that era, but to me the 275 GTB/4, with its graceful long hood and short deck profile, is the most sensuous Ferrari ever made--an icon that even today's wonderful Ferraris are trying to match.

Now if I only had a spare million or two to spend on owning one ...

These photos are courtesy of user irrational at Flickr--his photostream is well worth checking out if you're a fan of classic Ferraris.

--Chris H.