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Lionel Messi Reportedly Bought the Most Expensive Ferrari Ever Auctioned

Last week, a 1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti became the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti sold for $35,711,359 9 photos
Photo: Artcurial Motorcars
1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti1957 Ferrari 335 S Scaglietti
The 1957 Ferrari was sold at the 2016 Retromobile Salon for $35.7 million, the rough equivalent of €32 million or £24.6 million. While there was a more expensive Ferrari sold at auction for $38.1 million, the 1957 car you see in this article’s photo gallery was more expensive because of current values Euro and British Pounds have in connection to US Dollars.

At the time, nobody knew who bought the car, but some reports suggested that famous football players (soccer, for our American readers) Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were interested in the car and placed bids.

According to a report started from a hint in the press release announcing the sale, Barcelona’s star player registered the highest offer and won, Sport.es reveals. However, the purchase has not been confirmed. Furthermore, sources close to Lionel Messi deny that the athlete is behind the acquisition.

The contradiction between a suggestion in the press release of the Proto Organisation, the company that used to own the vehicle, and that of sources close to Messi is unusual, but not uncommon in the world of expensive items. This is not the first auction where the buyer remains unknown with all efforts undertaken by media to discover the identity of a certain client.

Another coincidence that would make the rumors plausible would be the fact that Alessandro Proto, the Italian multi-millionaire who sold this Ferrari, is known for dealing with famous footballers and other athletes in real estate and other high-value items. We do not rule out the possibility that Messi did buy the vehicle, but there’s a chance he was just a bidder. Thankfully, Cristiano Ronaldo will not have the opportunity to crash it, like he did with his Ferrari 599 in 2009.

So, can we have a show of hands from the one who bought the most expensive car ever sold at auction according to currency conversion?

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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