1967 Ferrari 412 P Berlinetta Sells for $30 Million

What makes this 1960s racer so desirable and expensive? Well, it's a classic Ferrari, and we can leave it at that. On a more serious note, the 412 P is regarded as one of the most beautiful race cars ever made. Second, it was raced by a handful of iconic drivers, including Richard Attwood, David Piper, and Jo Siffert. Third, it's rarer than a hen's teeth at only four examples made.

The 412 is part of a large family of sports prototype race cars produced by the Maranello outfit in the 1960s and early 1970s. The Ferrari P series was born in 1963 with the 250 P in response to the FIA's new prototype class in the World Sportscar Championship. It was followed by the 275 P and 330 P evolutions, all successful in Europe and the US.

Ferrari developed two brand-new cars for the 1965 season: the 275 P2 and the 330 P2. In 1966, Ferrari introduced fuel injection, and the 330 P3 was born. And this is where the story of the 412 P begins because this model was developed as a customer version of the 330 P3.

Ferrari made only four of them. Chassis 0844 was purchased by North American Racing Team (NART), while chassis 0848 went to Scuderia Filipinetti. Scuderia Francorchamps raced chassis number 0850, while the fourth car, chassis 0854, was bought by Maranello Concessionaires. The vehicle you see here is the latter.

And even though it's one of four 412 Ps, it's actually one of only two born this way. You see, Ferrari converted the NART and Filipinetti cars from P3s.

Not only a rare gem, the 412 P Berlinetta also has a rich racing history to brag about. The car debuted at the 1967 24 Hours of Spa, where Richard Attwood and Lucien Bianchi brought it home to a third-place finish. This Ferrari was also raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that year, retiring after 13 hours. David Piper and Jo Siffert drove the car to a second-in-class finish at the Paris 1000KMS in late 1967.

Piper raced the 412 P extensively in 1968 and 1969, scoring outright wins at Norisring, Hockenheim, and the Swedish Grand Prix. As with most race cars from the era, chassis 0854 suffered extensive modifications over the years.

What happened to the Ferrari once its racing days came to an end? Well, Piper sold it to the grandson of E.L. Cord in late 1969. The car changed a few US and UK owners until the 1980s, when it found its way into Japan. The Ferrari returned to British ownership after the collapse of the Japanese economy and traveled across the Atlantic again in 1997. The Berlinetta was restored to its final racing livery with Maranello Concessionaires in 2005. Almost 20 years later, the 412 P is just as gorgeous!

Although it sold for less than the initial estimate of at least $35 million, the 412 P Berlinetta is among the ten most expensive cars ever auctioned as of 2023. It's also the fourth most expensive Ferrari ever auctioned, toppled only by a pair of 1962 GTOs and a 1957 335 S.

Here are the million-dollar cars auctioned off by Bonhams at Monterey on August 18:

1. 1967 Ferrari 412 P Berlinetta - $30.25 million
2. 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta - $3.9 million
3. 1966 Porsche 906 / Carera Six - $2 million
4. 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 - $2 million
5. 1909 Lorraine-Dietrich 16.4 Liter - $1.27 million
6. 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe - $1.19 million
7. 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster - $1.18 million
8. 1932 Duesenberg Model J "Sweep Panel" - $1.12 million