Record Breaking Classic Vehicles. Record Breaking Classic Vehicles.

Ferrari’s have been breaking records, winning races, and building a worldwide fanbase ever since they started racing in 1940 when the Tipo 815 appeared at the Mille Miglia in Italy. But there is much more to the story than consistent performance on the track.

Ferrari is not only among the favorites to win in Formula One with the likes of Unibet, but also a favorite among collectors, regularly setting breath-taking new highs as the most expensive cars ever sold.

The Ferrari GTO 250

The king of the classic car is the legendary Ferrari GTO 250. Just 36 were made in 1962 and 63, featuring a V12 engine with each of the cylinders having a capacity of 250cc, hence the name.

GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologato an FIA race category of the day. Producing 296bhp at 7500 rpm, the 250GTO had a maximum speed of 158mph – nothing special today but very impressive in the early 60s. The cars also had a unique sleek profile, earning them a place in the Ferrari show at London’s Design Museum in 2018.

Each one originally cost $18,000 – approximately $154,000 in today’s money – with individual buyers personally vetted by Enzo Ferrari himself. Yet few of those buyers could imagine what that investment would return in the auction houses half a century later.

Two record-breaking sales

With just 36 of them ever made, it is incredibly rare to find a Ferrari 250 GTO come up for sale, yet in 2018 not one but two of them were sold, each setting a record price. In June, US businessman and car parts tycoon, David MacNeil, added chassis number 4153 to his impressive collection of Ferraris in a private sale reported to be worth upwards of $70 million.

This was followed in August the same year by a record-breaking auction price of $48.4 million for chassis number 3413. This time the buyer was an anonymous telephone bidder at Sotherby’s in California. Unsurprisingly, the previous auction record was also held by a Ferrari 250 GTO, which sold for $38.1million in 2014.

What makes them worth so much?

James Knight, from Bonhams auctioneers, describes the Ferrari 250 GTO as ‘the motoring market’s equivalent of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers’, with many considering it the finest racing sports car ever made.

Its fans include fashion designer, Ralph Lauren, billionaire Lord Bamford, and rock star Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd. Ownership brings an exclusive invitation to join these, and fellow owners, at prestigious 250 GTO tour events held in some of Europe’s chicest cities.

The very best examples of the 250 GTO also come with a unique racing pedigree that proves that these are far more than mere playthings of the rich and famous. The $48.4m 3413, for example, won nine races in 1962 on its way to Italy’s National GT Championship and went on to win the Targa Florio endurance events in both of the following two years.

The $70m+ 4153 also saw real racing action, taking part in the legendary Le Mans 24hour race and the Angolan Grand Prix in 1963, as well as winning the 1964 Tour de France.

The world’s most collectible cars

In total, no less than seven of the world’s most expensive cars have been Ferraris’ underlining the fact that the prancing horse marque is a breed apart. If you are lucky enough to own one, you not only have a slice of history in your garage but a shrewd investment that will grow and grow. Just don’t let your teenage son anywhere near it, especially if his best friend is called Ferris Bueller!