A take on perfection: Peter Giacobbi’s unbelievable home built Ferrari

21 July, 2015

As a child, Peter Giacobbi was an avid fan of motorsport who admired legendary drivers like Juan Manuel Fangio and Wolfgang von Trips. He also admired their weapons of choice, holding Ferrari’s beautiful 250 Testa Rossa above all others.

Image: Petrolicious

So when he found a handmade, all-aluminium Testa Rossa body in Italy, it didn’t take him long to arrive at an ultimate conclusion that would see him embark on one of the most memorable and emotional restorations we’ve ever seen.

“I looked at it, and I said ‘I have to do it,’” Peter says.

The team at Petrolicious met up with Peter and his car to produce this amazing video, titled Building a Dream.

Image: Petrolicious

Weighing in at 2300 pounds, or just over one tonne, Peter’s near-authentic creation makes use of a 4.4-litre engine from a Ferrari 365, capable of 400hp. While the engine may not be original, it has similar aesthetics to the original, and is faster.

Only when he was finally able to get behind the wheel of his own comparable beast was Peter able to fully comprehend the challenge his childhood heroes faced every time they got behind the wheel.

“I discovered it after driving it and racing it several times. They’re not only heroes — they’re supermen.”

“It’s the most fun and the most rewarding project that I’ve ever worked on. If somebody offered me a real one in exchange for it, I don’t think I would take it. Because this is what I want.”

Image: Petrolicious

This isn’t just a case of ‘built not bought’, this is a passion for cars and motoring at its most raw. Bravo, Peter.

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.