Mamma mia! 250 GTO smashes Ferrari auction record with £42 million sale

Who’s ready for a strong dose of envy? Well, a one-of-a-kind Ferrari 250 GTO has now become the most expensive Prancing Horse ever sold at an auction, following its £42 million sale by RM Sotheby’s in New York. Yikes.

This breaks the previous record set by another 250 GTO, which traded for £39.4 million under the same auction house in Monterey, California in 2018.

Aside from its supreme rarity, this specific 250 is the only GTO Tipo that was taken racing by Scuderia Ferrari, and it's spent the last 38 years under the stewardship of one (presumably very careful) collector. 

Its sporting pedigree is well-documented, having finished second overall at the Nürburgring 1,000km in 1962, before being driven at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year by Lorenzo Bandini. You know, that chap who kept trying to beat Christian Bale in Ford v Ferrari?

RM Sotheby’s also says this particular car - chassis number ‘3,765’ and car number ‘nine’ out of 36 - was originally fitted with a 4.0-litre engine before the 3.0-litre Colombo V12 was inserted instead.

Following its retirement from racing, this example has won the FCA Platinum Award, the Coppa Bella Macchina at the Cavallino Classic, and placed second in the GTO class at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it was pitted against 23 of its siblings. Quite the family get together, huh?

While £42 million is an eye-watering number, it isn’t actually the most expensive 250 GTO ever. That accolade goes to another that changed hands in a private sale in 2018, when it was bought by an American businessman for £52 million.

Crazy how much financial clout the 250 GTO badge has, isn't it? Perhaps we should stamp one onto a Pontiac Fiero, just to see what happens...

Images: Jeremy Cliff & RM Sotheby's