Ferrari 250 GTO is Most Expensive Car Sold at Auction
Sotheby’s sold this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for the princely sum of $48,405,000.
Ferrari 250 GTO chassis number #3413 is the third of only 36 built and one of only 7 upgraded to the Scaglietti Series II coachwork with no rear spoiler, and one of just two to feature the extended roofline. The coverage of this event has inspired a thesaurus of superlatives to be thrown at the this ultra-rare Ferrari, and the aptest of which being the “holy grail” for car collectors.
Word was already strong that the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was going to reach astronomical numbers, and we caught the news from Barron’s that bidding had started at a staggering $35 million before 3 collectors, communicating by telephone, pushed it to $44 million in just 10 minutes. The winning bidder remains anonymous.
GTO chassis #3413 started life as Ferrari’s official practice car for the Targa Florio race with the American racing legend Phill Hill at the wheel. After a few days use, #3413 was sold to the Italian racing driver, and close friend of Enzo Ferrari, Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi. He went on to campaign the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in Italian hill climb events with great success. It was then sold to in 1963 to Gianni Bulgari, a gentleman driver that went on to inherit the Bulgari watch company. He was the first to race it in, and win, the Targa Florio race.
The 250 GTO staked a claim on 15 class and overall wins during the 1962–1965 International Championship for GT Manufacturers seasons. Chassis number #3413 played a pivotal role in Ferrari winning the 1964 season by winning the Targa Florio race in the hands of privateer Corrado Ferlaino. It was under Ferlaino’s ownership that #3413 was sent by Ferrari to its official coachbuilder, Scaglietti, for the Series II coachwork upgrades.
Once chassis #3413 ended its official racing career, it then found its way into the hands of some seriously monied British and Japanese car collectors in the UK. Finally, the 250 GTO made its way to the U.S and into the hands of Gregory Whitten, the former chief software architect for Microsoft and then chairman of the major tech company Numerix. Throughout its later history, #3413 had a successful vintage racing career in the hands of various drivers. A career that is possibly still not over. In a press release, Whitten said, “My journey with the 250 GTO has come to an end, but I am excited to see how this fantastic car is enjoyed by the new owner.”
The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO may be the most expensive car sold at auction, but the title of most valuable car sold still belongs to another Ferrari GTO. That one was reported to be sold for the somehow even more mind-bending amount of $70 million. It’s hard to argue against #3413 being the most famous and important racing car in Ferrari’s history though.
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