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The only factory-owned example of the Ferrari 330 LM – a racing relative of what was once the most expensive car ever sold – is set to cross the auction block in November.
An example of the 1962 Ferrari 330 LM race car – a relative of what was once the most expensive car ever sold, the Ferrari 250 GTO – is heading to auction in November.
While each of the 36 Ferrari 250 GTOs produced – comprised of 33 ‘Series One’ and three ‘Series Two’ cars – is special, this vehicle (chassis 3765) is even more special, as the only car that was owned by the Ferrari factory and raced by the Scuderia Ferrari team.
It is not a regular 250 GTO, rather a relative known as the 330 LM used for motor racing – with a longer floorpan designed to accomodate a larger 4.0-litre engine.
This car placed second overall in the 1962 Nurburgring 1000km race, and competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the same year, surviving 56 laps before a crash ended the car’s race.
Powered by a 4.0-litre V12, the 330 LM delivered 287kW – approximately 30 per cent more than the ‘regular’ 250 GTO’s 221kW from a 3.0-litre engine.
Chassis 3765 continued in team competition for a number of years before being sold for $US6000 in 1964. It changed hands in the 1980s, under ownership where it was restored to mint ‘concourse’ condition, winning a number of awards and accolades in the process.
Now for the first time in almost forty years, this 1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO will be auctioned in New York on November 13 by RM Sothebys, for what is estimated to be in excess of $US60 million ($AU94 million).
It is not an unreasonable estimate, as in 2018 a 250 GTO sold for $US70 million ($AU110 million), without the ownership pedigree of this car.
The most recent 250 GTO sale was also in 2018, for a less-appealing Scaglietti-bodied car which sold for $US48 million ($AU76 million).
With such a rare car available after such a long time, there is a chance ‘chassis 3765’ could set a new record for the marque.
So if your tax return is looking especially healthy, do as Ferris Bueller suggests and “if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”
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