This 1955 Ferrari 410 is 1 of 2 in Existence and Was Piloted by Carroll Shelby

Short history of the 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider

Ferrari built the 410 Spider with the intention of racing the 1955 Carrera Panamericana – a five-day rally that took competitors on the most dangerous roads of Mexico and up to the border near El Paso, Texas. However, because of the 1955 Le Mans tragedy – where a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR left the track and disintegrated in the crowd killing 83 spectators and injuring another 180 – the race was canceled.

Ferrari changed its plans and raced the 410 in the 1956 World Sportscar Championship racing season, beginning with the 1000 KM of Buenos Aires in January 1956. Both cars – chassis numbers 0596 CM and 0598 CM entered the competition, driven by the teams of Peter Collins and Luigi Musso, and Juan Manual Fangio and Eugenio Castellotti.

Both cars experienced problems during the race – one had tire issues and for the other one the differential gave way, and they were both sent to the factory. After this experience, John Edgar bought unit number 0598 CM and put Carroll Shelby behind the wheel. Shelby won the first race he entered and after that, 11 more victories and 19 podium finishes – out of 40 races he entered. In his words, the 410 Spider: “was the best Ferrari I ever drove.”

After that, the 410 Spider was bought by Luigi Chinetti as the first official Ferrari importer in the United States. He kept it in his collection until 1980 when he sold it to collector Howard Cohen. After that, it was restored and sold a few more times. In 2012, the car was returned to Nino Epifani and went through a three-year restoration process.

What powers the Ferrari 410 Spider?

For the 410 Spider, Ferrari developed an all-new chassis – the type 519/C. It had a low-riding tubular spaceframe and featured a shorter wheelbase with hopes to handle Mexico’s most uneven terrains better. It was powered by a 5.0-liter V-12
engine that delivered a total of 400 horsepower – an unprecedented output for a Ferrari sports car at the time. This amazing output was due to the use of a twin-spark ignition system and three twin-choke Weber 46 DCF carburetors.

When will the Ferrari 410 Spider be auctioned?

The Ferrari 410 Spider will be auctioned by RM Sotheby in Monterey, California, in August 2022. While there is no estimated price for this car, we expect it to easily sell for eight-figures

Source: RMSothebys