A 1956 Ferrari 290MM raced by some of the biggest names in motorsport has sold for $22m, making it the tenth most expensive car ever auctioned.
The 290MM was campaigned in period by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss and is considered to be one of the finest Ferraris from an era in which the Prancing Horse dominated motor racing.
Offered at RM Sotheby’s Petersen Automotive Museum auction on Saturday (8 December) with an estimate of $22-26m (£17-20m), it duly made $22,005,000 (£17,447,980) after a lengthy bidding contest between three collectors.
The 290MM was born out of Enzo Ferrari’s desire to win the Mille Miglia; the team built three 290MMs and three 860 Monza cars specifically to win that famous event.
Chassis 0628 started life as an 860 Monza and was campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari for the 1956 season, finishing second in that year’s Mille Miglia behind a 290. Fangio drove it at the ’56 Swedish Grand Prix and it also competed in the Targa Florio.