"The Most Beautiful Ferrari Ever Built" Might Be a $38 Million Dollar Affair

Chassis number 0738 TR, this Ferrari is one of the only 19 special cars bodied by the Italian coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti. Described as one of the most beautiful and desirable Ferraris ever to leave Maranello, the model is as good-looking as it is capable. Driven by Scuderia Ferrari, it checked 20 period races and four overall victories in a decade-long racing career.

The Testa Rossa model was the most successful sports racing car in Ferrari's history, with a total of four World Championships and four overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1958 and 1962.

In 1957, Ferrari somehow found out that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) was going to opt for downsizing and limit engine capacity for sports racing prototypes to 3.0-liter for the 1958 season under the direct supervision of Enzo Ferrari.

So the Maranello-based company went on developing their single-overhead cam 3.0-liter V12, which was then powering the 250 GT street-legal cars, to use it in the championship.

The spark plugs were relocated from the inside of the engine bank's V to the outside surface. The move made room for the reinforcement of the cylinder head's attachment to the block, thus increasing the engine's compression. Six Weber 38 DCN twin-choke carburetors aspirated the engine codenamed Tipo 128 LM. It generated 300 horsepower and had its head finished in red paint.

Ferrari tested it with success on various configurations. But then the pontoon-fendered customer car became the most desired among collectors. And that did not come as a surprise. Only 19 Scaglietti-bodied spiders survived.

Chassis number 0738 TR that we have here was ordered ne by the Official Central and South American Ferrari Concessionaire Carlos Kauffman in Caracas, Venezuela, for Jean-Louis Lacerda Soares of Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The car drove through the gate of the Maranello factory at the beginning of 1958 and arrived in Brazil in June of 1958. Soares took it racing right away. His team, Scuderia Lagartixa, was a professionally run gentlemen's driving "stable." Soares was a driver in his own team, alongside Chico Land and Luciano Della Porta.

14 races and half-a-dozen podium finishes later, the car was purchased by Giorgio Moroni, who immediately shipped it back to Italy, in Modena. He came up with a new 250 GTO-style body and took it to the race track, once in 1964 and again in 1965, before selling it to Claudio Klabin.

However, Klabin did not keep it for long, and in 1966, the car was in the hands of mining magnate Paulo Cesar Newlands. He, too, raced in it. Nine years later, he sold it to former racing driver Camillo Christofaro in Sao Paolo.

So the car went straight back to Brazil, where it remained in storage until 1986. It was then when automotive “treasure hunter” Colin Crabbe found it, purchased it, and took it to England with him.

Later on, American collector Robert Rubin took it home, where it shared the garage with a Ferrari 250 GTO. It was afterward sold to a connoisseur collector, Sir Paul Vestey. It was he who returned it to its original configuration with the help of the marque specialists at David Cottingham's DK Engineering. When it was completed, the Ferrari drove off painted yellow with a green nose band, a tribute to its Brazilian past.

Sir Paul drove the automobile to several events, such as the Mille Miglia Historical or the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He eventually sold it as part of a trade deal and got a 330 P3 instead in 1995. One year later, the Ferrari was purchased by collector and racer Carlos Monteverde, who took it to over 50 vintage races during his ownership. In 1998 and 2001, it was involved in vintage racing accidents, but it was properly repaired every time.

In 2013, Carlos Monteverde decided to sell the car and let Ferrari Classiche handle everything. It was then when the Ferrari 250 "Pontoon Fendered" Testa Rossa underwent restoration and was returned to its 'as it left the factory' configuration. The car was Red Book-certified as one of the few remaining TRs to retain the number-matching engine and gearbox.

The model, regarded as the ultimate Ferrari, is currently part of a prominent collection in the United States and is offered for sale for the first time in over a decade. It will be auctioned off by Sotheby's during an event set to take place between February 21 and 23 in Detroit, Michigan. The listing indicates "Estimate upon request." However, Forbes reports that it could sell for anywhere between $34 and $38 million.