Rare Ferrari 250 GTO aims to beat world-record sale of $52 million

Is it possible that the selling of an exclusive Ferrari 250 GTO, worth tens of millions of dollars, can be deemed boring? With so many fancy old Ferraris hitting the auction block over the last few years, you'd be forgiven for feeling tiresome at the news of another. But this particular 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta, set to hit Bonhams' blocks in August, has quite the back story and the timing to potentially set the record as the most expensive car ever sold.

From the Maranello Rosso Collection, chassis number "3851 GT" was the 19th 250 GTO Berlinetta of 39 to roll of the assembly line, and it has remained within the same family for the past 49 years. Prior to Fabrizio Violati purchasing the car in 1965, and hiding it from his parents — only driving it in the death of night when the rest of the world slept — the car was delivered to leading French racer Jo Schlesser for use in high-profile events like the Tour de France Automobile – a race that was dominated by Ferrari 250 GTs and GTOs during the 1950s and '60s.