In the opening video of this article, you can watch the Ferrari, which is officially the most expensive ever in the world and in history. It was originally a 330 LM model, which was converted to a civilian 250 GTO in the 1960s. Only 36 such pieces were made, and this one, with the number 7, is the most unique of all.
The auction house RM Sotheby’s in New York sold this car from the famous Italian brand on Monday, November 13, for 51.7 million dollars, i.e. for less than 1.2 billion crowns. It is separated by exactly 3.3 million dollars, or 74.6 million crowns, from the second most expensive car from the stallion’s stable.
The exceptionality of the car
Ferrari 250 GTO, number 7 is unique in that it was the only one of this model series used by the Scuderia Ferrari factory racing team. The other specials from this competition edition went directly into private hands. But this one was the only one to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1962, although it did not finish. In the same year, however, he took second overall and even first place in his category in the 1,000-kilometer race at the Nürburgring.
The racing career thus turned the car into a phenomenon. Although its final auction price was a record, it may have disappointed the experts. Even the auction company RM Sotheby’s itself previously estimated that it could break the threshold of up to 60 million dollars, i.e. almost 1.4 billion crowns.
The value of the car was also increased by the fact that the car was originally equipped with a four-liter twelve-cylinder engine with a power of over 300 horsepower (HP). No other GTO received this engine. The other pieces had “only” a three-liter twelve-cylinder. Today, however, number 7 has the same power unit as the rest of the series for safety reasons.
The original value has increased several thousand times
Even so, the price of the car remains a record – the highest among cars of the Italian brand and the second highest among all cars in the world. From the original value of six thousand dollars, for which it was sold in the 1960s, it has increased by more than 8,600 percent.
The entire first trio of the most expensive Ferraris in history comes from the 250 GTO model series. The second place is held by number 23 from 2018 for $48.4 million, and the third with a price of $38.1 million from 2014 was occupied by a piece with an unknown number – RM Sotheby’s only released its chassis number – 3851GT.
For the most expensive car in the world, the 330 LM / 250 GTO still has a lot to catch up on. The auction house in New York sold it last May for 135 million euros, i.e. about 3.3 billion crowns. It was a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut.
The new owner of the record Ferrari remains anonymous. But two bidders were competing for the car, and the winner was in person in the hall.
It is important to add that in 2018, one 250 GTO model was sold even more expensively, for 70 million dollars, i.e. roughly 1.6 billion crowns. However, it was a private sale, i.e. unofficial, without the supervision of the auction and the authorities.
