A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO has been sold in New York for $51.7 million, becoming the second most expensive vintage car ever auctioned, according to Sotheby’s auction house.
The legendary Italian sports car, held by an American collector for 38 years, fetched a higher price than another 250 GTO sold by Sotheby’s for $48 million in 2018.
However, it fell short of the absolute auction record, set by a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, which sold for €135 million in 2022.
This particular Mercedes, one of only two in existence, was sold in a private auction in May 2022 at the German manufacturer’s museum in Stuttgart.
A spokesperson for RM Sotheby’s, the luxury automotive subsidiary of the auction house, said it was the most expensive car ever sold in the world, whether by auction or in private sales.
Despite swift bidding, the 250 GTO did not reach RM Sotheby’s estimation of “over $60 million.”
The legendary racing car from Scuderia, dated 1962, had a four-litre 390 HP engine and bore the chassis number 3765.
It won second place in a 1,000-km endurance race at the German Nürburgring circuit and in the famed 24-hour Le Mans race, where it was ultimately forced to withdraw due to engine failure.
After several years of competition in Italy and Sicily, the car was sold and exported to the United States in the late 1960s.
Having undergone restoration and modifications, the 250 GTO had numerous American owners before coming into the possession in 1985 of an Ohio collector, who sold it on Monday.
