A super rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO is set to under the hammer and expert speculations suggest that it may be the most expensive car to have been auctioned in the world. RM Sotheby will be conducting the auction of what is being considered as the ultimate collector car, and is set to be its most exciting Monterey auction offering to date, likely to fetch about $45 million (approximately Rs 306 crore). Over the years, the 250 GTO has gone on to become the car collector’s “holy grail”, and that all comes from its incredible pedigree, but also because of a group of French collectors who brought together GTO owners for the first time in 1982.
Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 3413 could even fetch above the estimated price, considering other such recent sales. Earlier this month, German race car driver Christian Gläsel sold his 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO chassis 4153 privately for at least $70 million (approximately Rs 477 crore) to David MacNeil.
In 2014, 250 GTO chassis 3851 was sold for $38.1 million (Rs 260 crore), at that time the most expensive car ever auctioned. Another is said to have been sold privately in 2013 by American collector Paul Pappalardo, and fetched around $52 million (Rs 355 crore).
Ferrari expert and historian Marcel Massini recently told CNBC he expects a similar car, one that MacNeil bought, will sell for over $100 million in the next two to three years.
Ferrari’s 250 GTO was effectively the final evolution of the marque’s famous 250 model, which debuted in 1953 and ended with the last GTOs in 1964. In total, a mere 36 examples of the 250 GTO were ever produced, all of which have survived. Widely considered the most beautiful Ferrari design, the model was one of the most successful road/racing cars that the marque ever built, claiming overall victory or 1st in class in nearly 300 races worldwide.
“We are thrilled at the rare opportunity to offer a legendary Ferrari 250 GTO at auction,” says Shelby Myers, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s. “Due to the evolution of technology and safety regulations that followed, the GTO was essentially the final true road racer, marking the end of an era when drivers really got their hands dirty. This was the last car that you could park in your garage, drive to the track, win the race, and then drive home.”
