$4.29m Ferrari 550 GT1 shatters online world record

By Lizzie Pope

| 16 Aug 2020

Classic & Sports Car – $4.29m Ferrari 550 GT1 shatters online world record

This 2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive has set a new world record for a car sold in an online auction, achieving $4.29m (£3.28m) at RM Sotheby’s Shift/Monterey sale yesterday (15 August).

That means RM Sotheby’s has reclaimed the record from Gooding & Company, the former’s benchmark of $2.64m for an Enzo set in May eclipsed by Gooding’s 1966 Ferrari 275GTB Long Nose just last weekend when it sold for $3.08m.

And it is another Prancing Horse that has reclaimed the title for RM Sotheby’s, the $4.29m sale price comfortably within its $3.85-4.85m guide.

Ahead of the Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s auctions that traditionally form part of Monterey Car Week, a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet Décapotable consigned to Bonhams’ Quail sale lead the way with a $6.5-7.5m guide price.

However, several of Bonhams’ top lots failed to find new homes, the Wendler-bodied 1959 Porsche 718 RSK Spyder the top seller with a $2,232,500 hammer price against a $2.8-3.2m estimate.

The Porsche had the third-highest guide price going into the auctions on 14-15 August, the Ferrari 550 GT1 at number two in the pre-sale reckoning.

This world-record breaking 550 GT1 is the last V12-engined Ferrari to achieve an outright win at a 24-hour race, and the only one, thus far, this century, after it was driven to victory at the 2004 Spa 24 Hours, the same year in which Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin took it to the FIA GT Championship title.

Built for Prodrive, it was campaigned in 49 races, taking 15 pole positions and 14 outright race wins, as well as 29 podium finishes.

Ferrari Classiche Certified, it is said to be in historic race-ready condition and was sold with its full race log and mileage charts.

Maybe its new owner will return it to the race track, or perhaps that $4.29m price-tag now means it’s too valuable to be risked in the heat of competition.

Claiming second place at RM Sotheby’s Shift/Monterey online sale was another Ferrari, this time a 1965 275GTB clothed in Scaglietti bodywork (above) which achieved $1.98m against its $1.8-2m estimate.

And it really was all about Ferrari as a 1994 F40 sold for $1.386m ($1.25-1.5m), the Prancing Horse locking out the top three spots at the RM Sotheby’s sale.

Images: Remi Dargegen/RM Sotheby’s

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