Vintage Ferrari Sells for £8 million -
July 2009
While the government might be trying to purge our roads of older cars through its new scrappage scheme, here’s one old car you won’t be trading in for a new Citroen: a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. This thoroughbred racing beauty recently set a new world record as the most expensive car ever to be sold at auction after it was bought by an anonymous collector for almost £8 million ($12.2m).
The sale price represents almost £1.75 million more than that previous record holder, another Ferrari bought by DJ Chris Evans in 2008. Evans stunned onlookers when he paid over £5.5 million ($10.9) for a black 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider which boasts Hollywood icon James Coburn on its V5.
So despite the recession, this is apparently a boom time for the classic car market; Chris Evans’ treat to himself smashed a record which has apparently stood since 1987. And it seems collectors can’t get enough of the Ferrari marque, with half of the ten most valuable cars in the world right now hailing from the Italian town of Maranello.
So the message is, forget the Bugatti Veyron. If you want to show your neighbours you’ve really made it, a vintage Ferrari is clearly the way to go.
The ten most expensive cars sold at auction:
1. 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa ($12.2 million)
2. 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider ($10.9 million)
3. 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe ($9.7 million)
4. 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa ($9.2 million)
5. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster ($8.2 million)
6. 1929 Mercedes-Benz 28/250 SSK ($7.4 million)
7. Rolls-Royce 10hp Two-Seater ($7.25 million)
8. 1931 Bugatti Royale Berline de Voyager ($6.5 million)
9. 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO ($6.2 million)
10. 1953 Ferrari 340/375M Berlinetta Competizione ($5.8 million)
Source: http://classiccars.about.com/b/2009/05/19/ten-most-expensive-cars-sold-at-auction.htm