Ferrari 250 GTO sells for a record £52m

The sale sets the world record for the
highest fee ever paid for a classic car

One-Minute Read

According to the US-based motoring site Autoblog, the 250 GTO from 1963 is rumoured to
have been snapped up by American businessman David MacNeil,
the chief executive of the car accessory firm
WeatherTech. 

The sale price is almost double that of the previous
record holder, says Autoblog. The previous record dates
back to 2014 when a 250 GTO sold for $38m (£28m) at the
Bonhams annual auction in Monterey, California. 

The new record holder has had an illustrious
career in motorsport, says Top Gear. It finished fourth in the 1963
Le Mans 24h and came first at the ten-day Tour de France
road rally the following year. 

After its success in France, the historic racing car competed
across Europe and Africa before becoming “the prized jewel” in
several private collections, the website says. During the 1990s,
the Ferrari, which is one of only 39 examples ever made, was
restored in the UK.

Ferraris are particularly appealing to car collectors. According
to Autocar, seven of the ten most expensive cars
ever sold were built by the Italian carmaker and three of these
were 250 GTOs. 

The most valuable car not adorned with a Ferrari badge is
a Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 machine from the mid 1950s, the
magazine says. 

Meanwhile an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato is on course to
become the most expensive British car to sell at a European auction
when it goes under the hammer next month at the Bonhams Goodwood
Festival of Speed. 

The car, which was raced by two-time F1 champion Jim
Clark, is expected to fetch up to £15m.