RM Auctions believes it has just sold the world's most coveted car - a rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO. The marque (chassis no. 4675 GT), in unmistakable Ferrari red and with the prancing horses emblazoned on the hood, has an excellent pedigree. One of only 36 250 GTOs originally produced in 1962/63 and one of a limited few with Series II GTO bodywork, it left the factory in April 1963 and was subsequently raced by Guido Fossati, Jean Guichet, Oddone Sigala, Vincenzo Nember and Luigi Taramazzo, rarely finishing outside the top three in its class and achieving numerous race wins.
"The exclusivity of Ferrari's 250 GTO cannot be understated. As they rarely come to market, new owners become part of a very exclusive 'club' and are welcomed with open arms at literally any of the world's great concours events, races and rallies," said Max Girardo, Managing Director of RM Europe.
"We are pleased to have been able to unite this exceptional car with a new and immensely enthusiastic owner. It's fantastic that this car will now be used in earnest on the classic car scene around Europe."
In addition to being considered one of the most beautiful cars ever built by Ferrari, the GTO, with 302bhp (at 7500rpm) and a top speed of 174mph, won many World Championships for the Modenese car-builder.
Over the years, this car has received many plaudits from the world's motoring enthusiasts. The car moved garages for an undisclosed figure.
As a motor auction house, RM doesn't do too badly, either. It has achieved many impressive motor car auction results at prestigious locations around the globe, including the sale of seven of the top 10 Ferraris ever sold at auction.
The company generates an average of US$50 million in private treaty transactions each year.
So, if you're bitterly disappointed about missing out on the 4675 classic, RM is looking for a buyer for an extremely rare, race-bred 1967 Ferrari 330 P4 (chassis number 0858). Another one for your collection?
No word on the price of the coveted Ferrari, but a recent event, the inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco auction, reaped the following rewards.
Five automobiles fetched prices in excess of 2,000,000 euro (US$2,466,000) and two new world records were set. Bidders from 33 different countries made their intentions known on the telephone, over the Internet and assembled in the standing-room-only venue, and approximately 3,300 people watched the live streaming video coverage of the sale over the Internet.
The event's top seller was a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, s/n 3309 SA, setting a new world record for a Superamerica when it sold for 2,800,000 euro (US$3,799,600). A rare 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 'Birdcage', s/n 2470, also set a new world record for a Birdcage at 2,464,000 euro (US$3,343,648).
The sale's cover car, the 1937 BMW 328 MM 'Bügelfalte', s/n 85032, exchanged hands less than 24 hours after the sale's conclusion for a confidential sum.
Overall, 88 of the 105 pre- and post-war motor cars were sold for a total of 33,235,917 euro (US$45,101,139), making Sporting Classics of Monaco's debut one of the most successful automobile auctions ever held.
