COLLECTING PERFECTION

Andrew Pisker acquired his very first Ferrari – a 308 GT4 – at the age of 23. “I spent every penny that I had to buy it,” he recalls. “But it was the best decision I ever made because it was my gateway into the world of Ferrari. I was attracted by the special mystique that surrounds the Ferrari name. It’s about so much more than just driving. You feel part of something big, amongst like-minded people for whom, like me, cars are an integral part of life.”

In the 40 years since acquiring that first Ferrari, Andrew has owned an extraordinary variety of cars from iconic classics to special series moderns, from road cars to out-and-out racers. It’s been an ever-deepening immersion into the world of the Prancing Horse.

Above: a selection of Andrew Pisker’s cars shows his fastest current model, the yellow LaFerrari Aperta

He very much likes to drive his cars – all of them. And that includes two iconic road racers with stellar competitive records ‘in period’, both of which were built in 1957: a 250 GT ‘Tour de France’ 14-louvre that he’s had for 20 years, and a 500 TRC owned for over a decade.

The 250 GT ‘TdF’ is an alloy-bodied Scuderia Ferrari Competizione model that was ‘campaigned’ in the 1957 Mille Miglia, finishing eighth in class in what was the last competitive version of the event. One of only a handful ever built, its unique specification includes C-pillars with the desirable 14-louvre treatment, and a top-mounted windscreen wiper.

Above: the magnificently restored 500 TRC, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars in history

The other stellar classic, the 500 TRC, is a multiple Targa Florio entrant ‘in period’, notably with its first owner, Barone Bernardo Cammarota. “Despite being a competition Ferrari built in the same year as the 250 ‘TdF’, it’s quite different to drive,” says Andrew. “The 500 TRC’s lightness and agility, its handling and speed, are incredible. You experience everything acutely: the sound, the air, the passing scenery.”

As well as having taken part in the Mille Miglia no fewer than four times, including in his 250 GT ‘Tour de France’, and participated in many Ferrari Classiche Cavalcades, Andrew is also a great enthusiast of concours competitions. His cars have won awards at more than one Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, most recently at the 2023 edition where his 500 TRC won the M-2 Ferrari Competition class, following a monumental restoration by Ferrari Classiche.

From left: Andrew Pisker’s magnificent 'Daytona’ berlinetta pairing, and the Concours d'Elegance Trophy awarded at Pebble Beach last year to his beloved 500 TRC

“All my cars are Ferrari-Classiche-certified,” says Andrew. “I was a very early adopter, and my relationship with Ferrari Classiche is extremely close. Their enthusiasm is incredible, and they understand everything. It was only natural that, when I acquired the 500 TRC, it should be restored by Ferrari Classiche. They have the full historical archive and we sat down together and pored over all the original documentation and pictures.”

Discovering how the car looked in its 1958 Targa Florio guise, Andrew asked to have it restored to precisely that original specification. It was a lengthy and painstaking process: the restoration began in 2014, with ‘Phase One’ completed some three years later, in time for the car to take part in its first Classiche Cavalcade. During that same 2017, at the Ferrari 70th anniversary celebrations, it was the only car restored by Ferrari Classiche to triumph at the Concours d’Elegance contest at Maranello.

From left: when Pisker entrusted Ferrari Classiche to restore his 1957 500 TRC, he insisted its bodywork be hammered back to its original shape rather than use new panelling

There then followed yet more work that culminated in the 500 TRC’s triumphant presentation at Pebble Beach last year. “It’s been a tremendous collaboration,” says Andrew. “We’ve done everything together, including the Pebble Beach presentation.” The 500 TRC even made an appearance in the ‘Forza Ferrari’ episode of the Formula One Netflix documentary series, ‘Drive to Survive’.

It’s also fair to say that Andrew is an utter fanatic of Ferrari V12 engines. The astonishingly comprehensive list of V12 models he’s owned includes an 812 Superfast, an 812 GTS, and now an 812 Competizione A; plus what he describes as “the ultimate hypercar”, the V12 hybrid LaFerrari Aperta.

Above: Andrew Pisker bought his first Ferrari 40 years ago, and since then he has owned an extraordinary array of Prancing Horses, from classics to moderns to full-on racers

As with any car connoisseur, curating the ideal garage is a dynamic process but, for Andrew Pisker, the true stars are the cars that he’ll never let go: “When I find a car that’s just right, I keep it. How can you replace perfection? They feel like they’re part of the family.”

Cover image: this 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB ‘Tour de France’ was a ‘period’ Mille Miglia competitor, and remains one of Andrew Pisker’s most prized possessions

THIS STORY WAS TAKEN FROM ISSUE 63 OF THE OFFICIAL FERRARI MAGAZINE