Home in Maranello: The greatest Ferrari classic car auction ever seen
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For Ferrari enthusiasts, the RM Sotheby’s Leggenda e Passione auction on September 9 will be one of the most significant events not just of this year but possibly of the whole century so far.<br>
It’s being held in Ferrari’s home town of Maranello in the 70th anniversary year of the company first building a car under its own name, and everything on sale is either a Ferrari or a piece of memorabilia associated with the brand. The minimum estimate for many of the cars is well in excess of $1 million.<br>
Here is a selection of the finest cars in chronological order of build date from 1950 to 2012.
1950 Ferrari 195 Inter
The 195 Inter was the Grand Touring version of the 195 S race car, produced in very small numbers in 1950. This is the first one built, and one of only three with a body by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan.<br>
It remained in Italy for nine years before being shipped to the US, where it has remained ever since. Its most recent restoration was performed over a two-year period by Terry Scarborough Racing of Sonoma, California.
Originally metallic gold, it has been repainted several times. A few years ago it was red, possibly to encourage buyers who think this is the only colour for a Ferrari, but it is now dark blue.<br>
Estimate: $1,100,000-1,500,000 (approx. £853,000-1,160,000)
1953 Ferrari 250 Europa
Along with the shorter Export, the Europa was one of only two versions of Ferrari’s long-running 250 series fitted with a Lampredi V12 engine rather than the more usual Colombo V12. This one, the second of four with a body by Vignale, was immediately exported to the US, where it remained until it was sold in 2009 to Heinrich Kämpfer in Switzerland.<br>
Kämpfer is believed to have spent 3,000 hours restoring the car and a further 800 working with outside specialists on the project. The original engine block was found to be beyond repair, but a new one was cast by Ferrari Classiche. The car returned to North America in 2013.
Once used as an everyday car by one of its American owners, the 250 Europa has since 2011 won many awards at concours events on both sides of the Atlantic.<br>
Estimate: $2,800,000-3,400,000 (approx. £2,200,000-2,600,000)
1955 Ferrari 750 Monza
The 750 was a sports racing car with a three-litre four-cylinder engine created in 1954. Its darkest hour came the following year, when twice World Champion Alberto Ascari was killed in one in a testing accident.<br>
The car at the Leggenda e Passione auction is not the one in which Ascari met his end, nor the one Mike Hawthorn and Umberto Maglioli drove to victory in the 750’s first race at the Italian Monza circuit which gave the model its nickname. It was driven with more modest success in the 1950s, and was saved from a Venezuelan scrapyard in 1976.
A five-year restoration took place early in the 21st century, since when the car has run with its original gearbox and a period correct engine. Further restoration of the bodywork was done in 2013-14.<br>
Estimate: $3,400,000-3,800,000 (approx. £2,600,000-2,950,000)
1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina Series I
The Series I was the earlier and much rarer of two generations of 250 GT Cabriolet designed by Pininfarina. This one has spent much of its life in the US, though it was originally sold in Italy and was located in France for a brief period.
Two of its previous owners were the American ‘gentleman racers’ John R Fulp Jr and Robert Donner Jr, though since the Cabriolet was more of a road car than a competition one it’s unlikely that it was used much, if at all, for motorsport.
The car has had several colour schemes but is now in its original one of white bodywork with dark blue leather upholstery.<br>
Estimate: $4,900,000-5,700,000 (approx. £3,800,000-4,400,000)
1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder
The 35th of the 50 California Spyders built before Ferrari introduced a sharper-handling short-wheelbase version was sold in Venezuela to Dr Otto Rodriguez Vicentini, who was murdered at the wheel.<br>
The car was repaired and reconditioned, and later exported to the US in 1963. It was fully restored in 1987 and has been driven only around 700km since then. The current owner, who bought it in 1998, has stored it in a private collection, apparently bringing it out only once for the 2003 Palm Beach Cavallino Classic event.<br>
Estimate: $7,500,000-9,500,000 (approx. £5,800,000-7,400,000)
1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Pininfarina Series II
The first owner of this Series II Cabriolet was Umberto Agnelli, younger brother of Fiat chairman Giovanni Agnelli and himself CEO of Fiat as well as being a politician and president of both Juventus football club and the Italian Football Federation.<br>
Umberto’s Cabriolet was ordered with restyled headlights, bespoke leather upholstery and a unique dashboard layout, all of which it retains now along with its original engine and gearbox.
The car was exported to the US in the 1960s and has since had owners in Hong Kong and the UK, where it was restored in the late 90s.<br>
Estimate: $1,350,000-1,650,000 (approx. £1,000,000-1,300,000)
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB
This Series II long-nose 275 is special partly because it was one of the few built with an alloy body and partly because its first owner was US politician Adlai Stevenson III, the great-grandson of the 1893-97 Vice-President.<br>
Subsequent owners were based in Canada, France, Portugal and Switzerland. The car was fully restored once in 1984 and again in 2016, since when it has been driven for just 100km. Despite all the work done to it, it still has its original engine and gearbox, as confirmed by Ferrari Classiche.<br>
Estimate: $2,400,000-2,800,000 (approx. £1,850,000-2,200,000)
1966 Ferrari Superfast
The 175mph Superfast was the penultimate model in Ferrari’s America series of large grand tourers. The last one built, and one of very few with right-hand drive, it was sold new by Coombs and Sons of Guildford to a customer who specified several modifications, including a heated rear window, a compass, a larger brake servo and an anti-theft switch which cut off the fuel supply.
There were more conventional optional extras too, such as air-conditioning, electric windows and a rear wiper. No rear seats were supplied because the first owner didn’t want them.
The car stayed in the UK until the 1980s, when it moved first to France and then to Sweden. It has around 72,300 miles on the clock and is in very good condition.<br>
Estimate: $1,600,000-2,300,000 (approx. £1,250,000-1,800,000)
1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
The V12-engined 330 GTC coupe and much rarer GTS spider were produced briefly in the mid to late 1960s and were more refined than previous Ferraris. This GTS was built in 1967 and sold to an Italian customer, but has been in American hands since 1970.<br>
The present colour scheme of red paintwork and tan leather upholstery was created when the car was approaching 30 years old. Today it still has the original engine, gearbox, chassis and body.<br>
Estimate: $1,800,000-2,200,000 (approx. £1,400,000-1,700,000)
1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT
The relatively inexpensive Dino was the first Ferrari produced in large numbers and is therefore not particularly rare. This one, however, is special in that it is one of only a few left-hand drive GTS convertibles intended for sale in Europe fitted with the optional larger wheels and extended wheel arches.<br>
It was ordered for stock in 1973 by Garage Francorchamps in Belgium but did not sell until an Italian dealership found a buyer the following year. It has been in the same family ever since and, despite its impressive condition, has never been restored.<br>
Estimate: $375,000-450,000 (approx. £290,000-350,000)
1988 Ferrari 288 GTO
The 288 GTO was a homologation special of the 308 GTB built simply so that Ferrari could use it in Group B international motorsport. In fact, Group B was abandoned in 1986, so the 288 never competed at all.<br>
The 272 cars built were wider than the 308 GTB to leave space for larger wheels, and although the same 2.9-litre V8 engine was used it was mounted fore-and-aft rather than transversely (at the expense of rear luggage room) so that Ferrari could fit two turbochargers and intercoolers. Lightweight body materials helped to make it around 500lb lighter than the 308.
This particular car is one of what are believed to be 19 ordered without a radio or electric windows to reduce weight still further. Despite the performance and handling benefits, however, it has been driven for only 729km, all of it before 1993. After a long period in storage it was given a service, including a change of timing belts, in 2017, and is now perhaps a unique example of an almost brand new 288 GTO.<br>
Estimate: $3,250,000-4,000,000 (approx. £2,500,000-3,100,000)
1989 Ferrari F40
The F40 was the last car personally approved by company founder Enzo Ferrari. Intended for road rather than competition use, it nevertheless looked very dramatic, and was faster than any previous production Ferrari thanks to a slightly enlarged version of the twin-turbo V8 engine developed for the 288 GTO.<br>
Delivered new to Belgium, this car was exported to Japan in 1991 and remained there for 22 years. It was serviced on its return to Europe, and again in 2017.<br>
Estimate: $950,000-1,100,000 (approx. £735,000-853,000)
1994 Ferrari 333 SP
The 333 SP was the first Ferrari designed specifically for sports car racing in two decades. Fitted with a four-litre version of Ferrari’s 1990 V12 Formula 1 engine, it was very successful in international competition until it inevitably became outdated.<br>
The car being auctioned in Maranello is chassis 006, and was therefore the fifth of 13 built by renowned race car constructor Dallara. (Ferrari built the original prototype itself, and Michelotto was responsible for the remaining 27.)
Unusually, despite having had four owners, 006 has never been raced, though it was recently tested at Ferrari’s Fiorano track. The engine has run for one hour since being rebuilt by Michelotto along with the chassis, gearbox and suspension. Included in the sale are a basic spares package, an extra set of wheels and a period DOS laptop with software and cables.<br>
Estimate: $2,800,000-3,300,000 (approx. £2,200,000-2,600,000)
2004 Ferrari Enzo
The Enzo was Ferrari’s first supercar of the 21st century, with a carbonfibre body, ceramic brake discs and a 651bhp six-litre V12 engine which was new at the time, though based on an earlier V8. It could accelerate from 0-62mph in not much more than three seconds and reach a top speed well in excess of 200mph.<br>
One of only a dozen or so Enzos with black paintwork, this one has had two owners from new, both of them German. It has been carefully maintained, including two services per year as shown in the warranty manual.<br>
Estimate: $1,800,000-2,000,000 (approx. £1,400,000-1,600,000)
2012 Ferrari 599 GTO
This version of the front-engined 599 was only the third Ferrari ever to be given the name GTO, after the 1962 250 and the 1984 288. A detuned, road-legal derivative of the track-only 599XX, it was around 10% more powerful than the original 599 GTB, with a maximum output from its six-litre V12 engine of 661bhp.<br>
Ferrari said the 599 GTO was its fastest road car to date, capable of lapping the Fiorano test circuit one second quicker than the mid-engined Enzo.
Appropriately enough, Ferrari decided it would build exactly 599 examples. This one has been owned from new by a Swiss Ferrari collector and has covered less than 3000km.<br>
Estimate: $425,000-500,000 (approx. £330,000-390,000)