A 1956 Ferrari 290MM driven by a who’s who of motor racing greats including Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss will headline the RM Sotheby’s Petersen Automotive Museum sale in December.
Chassis 0628 competed in the Mille Miglia, Swedish Grand Prix, Nürburgring 1000km and 12 Hours of Sebring, among other races, and is a historically important racing car.
It will go to auction on 8 December with an estimate of £17-20m ($22-26m) – and given its history, it might well exceed even those lofty figures.
The 290MM was conceived as part of Enzo Ferrari's plan to win the Mille Miglia – hence the ‘MM’ initials.
Three 290MMs were originally built, alongside three 860 Monza cars; all six used the same Tipo 520 chassis and were bodied by Scaglietti, but the 290 got a V12 engine while the 860 had an in-line four.
The car for sale was born as an 860 Monza, and competed as a works Ferrari throughout the 1956 season. Its first outing came at the ’56 Mille Miglia, where, driven by Peter Collins and Louis Klemantaski, it finished second; one of the 290MM variants came first.