Photo: Bonhams
After months of hype, Ferrari 250 GTO chassis no. 3851GT finally crossed the auction block at the Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction yesterday. As expected, this magnificent and well-documented car ended up breaking the record for a vehicle sold at auction with a final selling price of $38.1 million (€28.5 million).
The selling price was exactly in the range of Bonhams’ pre-auction estimate of between $30 million (€22.4 million) and $40 million (€29.9 million), and things didn’t get as crazy as Hagerty’s $60 million (€48.6 million) to $75 million (€56.1 million) estimate. Either way, it still broke the previous auction sales record set last year by Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196R Formula One racecar, which Bonhams sold for $29.65 million (€22.13 million).
"It's been a genuine privilege to represent this outstanding car and we are absolutely delighted with today's results. We've always maintained that we would exceed the current world record and that the car would bring between $30-$40-million and today the GTO did just that," said Robert Brooks, chairman of Bonhams.
Only 39 examples of the Ferrari 250 GTO were ever built, and this one was 17th in line. French privateer Jo Schlesser purchased this car in 1962, and raced it in the 1962 Tour de France Automobile where it racked up 3,418 miles on its way to a second-place finish. This Ferrari 250 GTO was eventually purchased by Fabrizio Violati in 1965, and it was be among 10 cars from Violati’s Maranello Rosso collection that was auctioned off yesterday.
The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was definitely the highlight of the auction, but some of the other Ferraris included a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet, a 1978 British Grand Prix-winning Ferrari F1 racecar and a 1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta. This collection ended up selling for a combined $65.9 million (€49.4 million).
The Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction resumes this morning, and while prices won’t be as high as the Ferrari, excitement definitely won’t be lacking.
"It's been a genuine privilege to represent this outstanding car and we are absolutely delighted with today's results. We've always maintained that we would exceed the current world record and that the car would bring between $30-$40-million and today the GTO did just that," said Robert Brooks, chairman of Bonhams.
Only 39 examples of the Ferrari 250 GTO were ever built, and this one was 17th in line. French privateer Jo Schlesser purchased this car in 1962, and raced it in the 1962 Tour de France Automobile where it racked up 3,418 miles on its way to a second-place finish. This Ferrari 250 GTO was eventually purchased by Fabrizio Violati in 1965, and it was be among 10 cars from Violati’s Maranello Rosso collection that was auctioned off yesterday.
The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was definitely the highlight of the auction, but some of the other Ferraris included a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet, a 1978 British Grand Prix-winning Ferrari F1 racecar and a 1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta. This collection ended up selling for a combined $65.9 million (€49.4 million).
The Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction resumes this morning, and while prices won’t be as high as the Ferrari, excitement definitely won’t be lacking.
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