A Rare 4.0-Liter Ferrari 250 GTO Is Being Sold Next Month

Until a single iconic Mercedes suddenly sold for $142 million, becoming the most expensive car ever, the Ferrari 250 GTO was the undisputed king of the collector-car world. Each of the 39 (or 36, if you only count the 3.0-liter cars that should technically be called "250 GTO" by Ferrari's naming conventions) cars is worth a princely sum, as no GTO has been sold for under $30 million since 2010. This one, a 4.0-liter car raced by the factory, could be worth significantly more.

This is Chassis 3765 LM, one of the few GTOs actually campaigned by the Scuderia Ferrari team. More importantly, this particular GTO was raced with a 4.0-liter variant of the Columbo V-12, making it one of just three cars built to regulations allowing larger engines. Of those three, this is the only "works" car.

GTOs are race cars, so this one has a competition history. This car won its class at the 1962 1000 kilometers of the Nürburgring, finishing second overall. It retired at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, but only after spinning while fighting for the race lead on the opening lap. During 38 years with its current owner, a different kind of competition followed in its retirement: In a 2011 concours showing of 23 of the 39 GTOs ever built, this car came in second. In 2012, it won best in show at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

In short, this is arguably the most desirable single example of what is definitely the most desirable Ferrari ever built. The record for a 250 GTO is $70 million, a number that once made it the most valuable car ever sold, until the 300SLR blew past the $100-million mark If you have that kind of money, the car is being auctioned in New York on November 13th. Registration is open through an RM Sotheby's mini-site.

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