One of the most popular hobbies in the world is collecting. Stamps, insects, minerals, artworks, antiques, and even the most costly automobiles in the world can now be the topic of this interest. By the way, the latter will be covered in this post.
You do not have to be a collector to realize that the most precious and unusual cars aren’t even sold in supercar showrooms. Such collections may be compared to fine wines: the older, more unique, and historically significant they are, the higher their eventual worth. And such automobiles are almost always available exclusively at special automotive auctions.
The most expensive Ferrari
Many experts consider it to be the finest Ferrari of all time. It’s ironic because it was this model that was homologated by the FIA to compete in GT races – for this, Enzo Ferrari performed a few tricks: First, serial numbers were assigned to each car at random intervals rather than sequentially (to give officials the impression that the company truly produced 100 cars); second when the inspectors arrived at the factory, they were told that all the cars were in different locations – the official delegation had to take a tour, during which Ferrari employees drove the same cars to different locations to give the inspectors the right impression.
Now you can also have the possibility to rent and drive these amazing vehicles. Of course, they cost a lot, however, thanks to the spreading network of rental companies, any option is available for hire! A lot of rental services can offer you such an opportunity, but Dubai is considered to be a leader in the rental field. Ferrari F8 Tributo Spyder, Ferrari SF90, Ferrari 488 Spyder – if you decide to take Ferrari rent in Dubai, it is possible with several clicks!
The Ferrari 250 GTO racing car of the 1962 Scaglietti body shop went under the hammer for a record $51.7 million at the Sotheby’s auction in New York. This was announced on November 13 by the event organizers on the official website. Initially, it was assumed that the car would be sold for $60 million, but the transaction amount was 51 million 705 thousand dollars.
This Ferrari is a one-of-a-kind 250 GTO of 1962, which took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports race more than 60 years ago, but the car failed to complete the 24-hour race due to overheating of the power plant. Despite this, the car finished first in its class at a distance of 1 thousand km in another race, which was held at the German track Nurburgring.
Initially, this car was equipped with a four-liter V12 engine layout – this is the only racing modification of the GTO, which received such a motor. Subsequently, the power plant was replaced with a standard three-liter unit.
In 1985, the car came to the United States and was in the hands of one owner until this year. For the last 38 years, this 250 GTO has been driving around the world auto shows and vintage car exhibitions.
Together with the car, the new owner, whose name is not disclosed, received the original documentation to prepare the car for the races at the Nurburgring and Le Mans, which significantly increased the value of the lot due to the confirmed historical value.
The most expensive car sold on Sotheby's
The model sold became the second most expensive car in history to be auctioned. The first was the 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe – in 2022, the race car was sold for 135 million euros.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR is one of two prototypes developed in 1955 by the company’s racing department headed by Rudolf Uhlenhout and is considered one of the best examples of automotive engineering and design. The car had a speed of almost 290 km/h, which made it one of the fastest cars ever created at that time. According to the organizers, the proceeds will be used to create a worldwide “Mercedes-Benz Foundation”, which will provide young people with educational and research scholarships in the field of environmental science.
What’s new on the market
In May, the legendary Lamborghini Countach LP500S 1982 supercar appeared on the secondary market in the USA for $ 695 thousand. The car, which was present at the 1982 Geneva Motor Show, became one of the first five copies of the LP500S version with a V12 engine increased to 4.8 liters – this is evidenced by the rarest 5S nameplate.
The copy found its first owner in Italy, who soon transported the supercar to Germany and the USA. In the United States, in 1985, the exclusive Countach LP500S was acquired by the guitarist of the glam metal band Quiet Riot, popular in the 1980s, Carlos Cavazo.
