Ferrari 250 GTO sets world auto auction record, sells for $38 million - seattlepi.com (blog)
Six major auction houses are in town for the week and if yesterday’s event at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge Auction in Carmel Valley is any indication, those dollar bills (and euros) will indeed be flying. Bonhams sold a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for $38,115,000 , a new world record for any car sold at auction. Last year, a Connecticut collector sold his own 250 GTO privately for $52 million. Most of their owners are rich ( Ed. note: this just in. ) and most of these cars are stashed away in private collections. Frankly, they are beautiful cars, although I would put the 1963-64 250 GT Lusso up there with the 250 GTO. By today’s standards of performance car — you can buy any number of go-fast autos with 500-plus horsepower right off the showroom floor — the 250 GTO is fairly modest. It has a three-liter V12 engine that pumps out 300 horsepower (a new Mustang 5. 0 GT beats that by more than 100 horsepower and you’d still have $38,071,000 left over if you bought the Mustang instead of the Bonhams Ferrari. A few years ago, a generous owner took me for a ride around Sonoma Raceway in his 250 GTO and it was absolutely. Source: blog.seattlepi.com
