1957 Four-cylinder Ferrari Testa Rossa Spider Up for Grabs

Ever heard of a four-cylinder Ferrari? No, we are not talking about the special edition Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, but a veritable Maranello marvel, straight out of the pages of motorsport history books. What we have here is the Ferrari 500 TRC (short for Testa Rossa Type-C) Spider, which is one of the last such models sporting a four-pot ever built by the famous Italian firm, and it’s up for grabs at the upcoming Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.

Derived from the Monza, this was the first Ferrari to bear the Testa Rossa name for its red valve headers, and is pushed by an engine developed by Aurelio Lampredi for Formula Two and later adopted for sport racing prototypes.

Only 19 of these were ever made, all over the span of a single year. As a result, it is expected to fetch €2,600,000 to €3,300,000 ($3.6M to $4.6M at current rates) when it hits the auctioneer’s block.

This particular example – chassis number 0670 MDTR – was the sixth made, ordered by a wealy businessman and gentleman racer from Sicily who entered it in numerous races around the world in its glory days. While other 500 TRC Spiders went on to claim class victories at Le Mans and the Targa Florio, this one took its class win at the Monte Pellegrino Hillclimb in Palermo.

The car is earmarked for the latest RM Auctions' event at the upcoming Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, where it is expected to fetch a princely sum - €2,600,000 to €3,300,000 ($3,600,000 to $4,600,000). At the event, it will proudly sit a collection of Bertones, the Bugatti art-deco classic and the pair of Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeos.