A
Ferrari 250 GTO
from 1962 has been sold at an auction for $51.7 million (or about INR 430 crore) in New York, making it not only the
most expensive Ferrari
ever sold, but also the world's second-most expensive car to ever have been sold. The one-of-one
1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
was sold by RM Sotheby's on November 13, 2023 to an anonymous bidder.
This particular
1962 Ferrari
250 GTO (chassis no.
3765) began life as the ninth car built by date, and number 14 of 34 made with the Tipo coachwork. It was built as one of the four 330 LMB GT racing cars (with LMB standing for Le Mans Berlinetta) that were built in 1963. This is also the only GTO Tipo 1962 raced by Scuderia Ferrari, with its racing pedigree including a class win and a 2nd overall finish at the 1962 Nürburgring 1000 KM.
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It was also driven by Mike Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini for Scuderia
Ferrari
at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, and also secured the position of runner-up in the 1965 Sicilian Hillclimb Championship. Previously owned by a chairman of the Ferrari Club of America, it won an FCS Platinum Award and the Coppa Bella Macchina at the Cavallino Classic, placed 2nd in the GTO class at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and received a Best of Show at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
The 1962 Ferrari 330 LM / 250 GTO Chassis number 3765 is the only Works GTO example that was originally equipped with a 4.0-litre 330 engine producing 390 hp at 7,500 rpm, but the end of the 250’s racing career with Scuderia saw the engine replaced with a 3.0-liter GTO developmental engine, which it is still equipped with today. To ensure that the engine-swap was completed properly, Ferrari had John Surtees, Formula 1 and motorcycle World Champion, test drive the car at the Modena Autodromo.
This 330 LM / 250 GTO is also documented with factory records that clarify its early history, including two sets of build sheets (one each for the factory preparation for the Nürburgring and Le Mans), and a third spec sheet that outlines the factory modifications to 250 GTO specifications conducted for privateer racing in May 1963, including installation of the currently fitted engine. It only falls second to the Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe that fetched €135 million (INR 1,202 crore) last year at an auction in Germany.
