[Llarry]

The long wheelbase (250GT Tour de France) and the short wheelbase (250GT SWB) berlinettas had their counterparts in open cars. While the coupes had very different styling, the open cars -- the California spiders -- were quite similar in styling despite the 200mm difference in wheelbase. As was typical during the era, detail differences could be found in individual cars.

I do not have a magazine data panel for a California spider but the power output -- 260 hp for LWB and 280 hp for later SWB cars -- and performance should be similar to of the coupes. The LWB cars have drum brakes, where the SWB spiders got discs -- just like their coupe counterparts.

California spiders are among the most valuable collectible Ferraris and sell for millions of dollars. Parts of that equation is supply: Just 50 long wheelbase California spiders were built in 1957-60 and just 56 short wheelbase California spiders were built in 1960-63.

The last attachment is a brief Sport Car Graphic data panel covering the LWB California spider along with its close counterpart, the 250GT Tour de France berlinetta.

As in other extremely valuable Ferraris, reproductions based on "regular" Ferraris (or fakes, if you prefer) are on the market. It's simple economics: Buy not-so-rare 250GT for a million dollars, spend perhaps $100,000 turning it into a reproduction/replica/fake rare model and sell it to an unsuspecting mark for ten million. For those in the vintage Ferrari market, serial numbers are the key, although even there some shenanigans have been observed.