1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $51.7 million (28 photos)

Auction house Sotheby's has set a new world record for the cost of a car sold at public auction. The rare Ferrari 250 GTO supercar from 1962 cost the new buyer $51,705,000 or 4.628 billion rubles.





The new record holder wears an additional index of 330 LM. Its appearance is due to the fact that this particular 250 GTO with chassis No. 3765 was prepared directly at the factory in 1962 for endurance racing, including Le Mans. To do this, the sports car had its chassis modified, its appearance slightly redesigned, and the standard three-liter engine was replaced with a larger 4.0-liter V12 from the Superamerica model.

The car made its debut at the Nürburgring 1000 Kilometers race, becoming the only 250 GTO in the works team that season. The Ferrari drivers were able to win their class and take second place in the overall standings. The next significant stage for the coupe was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for which the experimental engine was replaced with another V12 with six carburetors instead of three and output increased to 390 horsepower. However, the car was unable to finish due to engine overheating.

In November 1962, the Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO left the factory team - the sports car was repaired and sold to a private owner. After that, it changed owners and power units more than once and actively participated in racing, but since 1985 it has been kept in the same collection. This owner financed the restoration of the car to original specifications, although he retained the 3.0-liter engine that the coupe received back in 1963. Over the years, the Ferrari 250 GTO has won numerous titles at various concours d'elegance and classic car shows.

Previously, the most expensive Ferrari and the most expensive car in the world sold at public auction was also considered the 250 GTO coupe, which paid $48.4 million in 2018. At the same time, there is information that in private transactions the cost of such Ferraris reached 70 million. The absolute record for value belongs to one of the two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut coupes, which the company's factory museum sold at a closed auction last spring. An anonymous collector paid 135 million euros for the rarity.