1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sets auction record
The only factory-produced 4.0-litre 250 GTO Tipo becomes the dearest Ferrari ever auctionedA 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Tipo has become the most expensive Ferrari ever to sold at auction after it went for a dizzying $US51,705,000 ($A81m) in New York over the weekend.
The 250 GTO is already an incredibly rare and valuable machine but this particular example, chassis number 3765, is on another level as the only Works GTO fitted with a 4.0-litre engine from the factory.
This very car made its competition debut at the 1962 Nurburgring 1000km, in which its finished second outright and first in its class, and is still the only one of its kind to be campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari – as opposed to privateers.
In 1963 the car was retired and sold into a life of privateer racing after being reverted to the usual 250 GTO specification, but was then sold back to the factory in 1967 and subsequently rereleased into the privateer world.
Eventually the vehicle was sold to then Ferrari Club of America chairman Fred Leydorf, who drove and displayed it for the best part of a decade before selling it to the current owner.
It has since been it lovingly restored, cleaning up the global concours scene with dozens of blue ribbons and high-profile media appearances.
Factory documentation was included in the price, outlining its various builds, modifications and motorsport compliances, including factory preparations for the Nurburgring race and an ill-fated Le Mans appearance.
“Now publicly offered for the first time in 38 years, a period characterised by diligent and fastidious upkeep through almost four decades of single ownership, this truly remarkable GTO is nothing short of a legend,” said auction house RM Sotheby's.
“For true automotive connoisseurs, our eyes now tell us what our souls already recognise – that the offering of such an automotive legend as 3765 is a rare moment of opportunity that will transpire faster than the streak of a shooting star, or a flash of lightning.”
The vehicle was initially tipped to surpass $US60m ($A94.1m) and even to set a new record as the most expensive Ferrari ever sold, but ultimately fell short – not that $US51.7m would disappoint anyone.
So the title of the world’s most expensive car ever sold remains with a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe (one of just two), which sold last year for €135 million ($A226.5m).
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