The classic crimson body, which was once a Ferrari race car but was later restored for road use, has been the property of an American collector for the past 38 years.
RM Sotheby’s, the auction house’s luxury car arm, expected a slightly higher selling price — in the region of $60 million.
It did not identify the buyer Monday for the car, which it described as “a speed machine so famous that it qualifies as the definition of legend.”
Sotheby’s expected a higher selling price of up to $60 millionPhotograph: Angela Weiss/AFP
A working Scuderia model, it has raced at the Nürburgring and Le Mans
The car, chassis number 3765, was initially built for the race track by Ferrari and fitted with a larger experimental 4-litre engine.
“As one of 34 GTOs built using the 1962 Tipo chassis, and the only example originally equipped with a 4-litre engine, chassis number 3765 has been featured several times in Ferrari-focused publications Jumping horse And Cavallinoand her racing career has been documented in magazines such as Drawing sports cars, Road pathAnd motorsport, Sotheby’s said about as much.
It finished second in the 1962 1,000-kilometre endurance race on Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschleife, as well as competing in that year’s legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, when the team was forced to withdraw due to engine failure. According to RM Sotheby’s.
“Ford v Ferrari” and other legendary racing films
Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, “Ford v Ferrari” explores a legendary era in racing sports. Below is a selection of famous films that feature Steel on Wheels in the lead role.
“Ford v Ferrari” (titled “Le Mans ’66” in the United Kingdom and other territories) is a new biographical sports film about the team of American engineers who in 1966 challenged Ferrari, the perennial winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world race. The oldest active endurance sports car race. Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, the film depicts the golden age of sports racing and how the will of individuals can overcome bureaucracy.
In 1971, a very lavish film was dedicated to the legendary 24-hour race held annually in Le Mans, France. Racing fan Steve McQueen stars as Michael Delaney in the action adventure. “Le Mans” barely contains any dialogue and in parts feels like a documentary. It also contains real footage from the 1970 race.
Photo: Image Alliance/Zomapress/Solar Energy Production
“Le Mans” was originally scheduled to be filmed in the mid-1960s, to compete with “Grand Prix”, which depicted a fictionalized version of the 1966 Formula 1 season. Directed by John Frankenheimer and starring James Garner, Yves Montand and Eva Maria Saint, the film won three Oscar Awards for his artistic achievements.
Photo: Imago Images/Prod.DB/MGM
The Indianapolis 500, along with Le Mans, is one of the most prestigious motorsport events in the world. Just like Steve McQueen, Paul Newman (left) was also a car racing fan. This is featured in the sports film “Winning”, which also features many original racing scenes.
Photo: Picture Alliance/Keystone/Rohnert
In addition to films depicting specific car races, fans of the genre also find excitement in action films that put fast cars in the spotlight. It was no coincidence that speedster Steve McQueen, who played the detective in the movie “Bullitt,” was driving the car in one of the longest and most thrilling car chase scenes in the history of cinema: a 10-minute drive through the streets of San Francisco.
Photo: photo-alliance/dpa/dpaweb/Warner Brothers
San Francisco was also the final destination in “Vanishing Point”. Director Richard C. Safarian’s film revolves around a former racing driver who bets that he can cover the distance between Denver and San Francisco in 15 hours. Conflicts with the police are inevitable. The film has achieved cult status, with director Quentin Tarantino repeatedly alluding to the film in his own works.
Photo: Image Alliance/akg-images
In the early 1970s, screenwriter Richard Matheson and director Steven Spielberg had a simple but ingenious idea: a heavy truck chases a man in his car across California. The question why is not asked; It’s all about how a man (Dennis Weaver) manages to escape his fanatical pursuer. “Duel” is a car movie in its purest form.
Monty Hellman’s existential philosophical road movie is about people and their preferred means of transportation. Two street racers (played by musicians James Taylor, above, and Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson) engage in an illegal race across the United States against a mysterious stranger.
Image: Image Alliance/United Archives/Empress
“American Graffiti” (1973)
“Duel” boosted Steven Spielberg’s career, and director George Lucas rose to fame with “American Graffiti.” Directors who later produced blockbuster films began with drive-in movies, an interesting footnote in cinema history. In “American Graffiti,” Lucas looked back at his youth and the role cars played at that time.
Photo: Photo Alliance/Mary Evans Photo Library
Robert Stevenson’s “The Love Bug” may not have entered cinema history for artistic reasons, but Disney’s production was remarkable. The film is about racing, racing drivers, and a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie. What made it special was its focus on a German-made car with a quirky, iconic look that people all over the world adore.
Image: Imago Stock & People
Brazilian Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna is a racing legend because he was successful, intensely focused on his sport – and because he died in a racing accident in 1994 at the age of 34. Director Asif Kapadia made a documentary about him 16 years later, based on it. Exclusive to original footage and only allowing off-screen commentary. The film is a fascinating document, and not just for racing fans.
Photo: Image Alliance/EPA/EPA
Chassis 3765, with Tipo bodywork by Scaglietti, was later restored and converted to road going specifications with a standard 3-litre engine where it was sold to private ownership in the United States.
Sotheby’s said ownership changed hands several times before ending up with an Ohio art collector, the seller on Monday.
The 1960s battles between Ferrari 250 GTOs and Ford GT40s at Le Mans became a legendary endurance racing story of the era and help explain the car’s continued high prices in the United States and Europe.
The 250 GTO’s popularity was also enhanced thanks to the famous Hollywood film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, in which the model featured heavily.
The owner of the 250 GTO in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was said to have never driven it, but would occasionally wipe his precious car with diapersPhoto: Image Alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Not the most expensive auction ever, but…
For decades, the 250 GTO was widely considered the most expensive car in the world, although many recent sales have been private with prices reported or just rumours.
The Uhlenhaut fetched €135 million, or $144 million at today’s exchange rate, which is believed to be at least $60 million more than any previous private car sale.
However, the completely unique nature of the model in question – the result of its heroic role in the deadliest racing accident of all time – explains the meteoric selling price in this case.
Only two road-ready 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe were ever built. A racing prototype was involved in a major accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans. It rolled into the spectator area, as did its engine and other large pieces of wreckage, killing more than 100 spectators and injuring many others.
Mercedes then scrapped its plans to build more SLR 300 hardtops for the road in the wake of the tragedy, and never sold the two road-built models it had built – until a shocking 2022 secret auction.
The most expensive car in the world – Mercedes 300 SLR
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Meanwhile, the 250 GTO can continue to claim to be the most expensive road car ever mass-produced and sold to the public. Another sold at auction for nearly $44 million in 2018, and private sales are rumored to have reached $60 million or $70 million.
