By LAWRENCE TAN
While Ferrari offered up its last production F430 (with a
special silver and gold livery) for charity at the RM Auctions over the
weekend, it was another classic that stole the show at the 3rd annual
Ferrari Leggende e Passione auction in Maranello.
The vintage Ferrari in question – a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR,
chassis no. 0714TR – went under the hammer for more than $12 million, eclipsing
the previous record set by a 1961 250 GT California Spyder last year for the
most expensive motor car ever sold at auction.
Fully restored in its period race-correct black livery and
red nose, this 250TR was one of only 22 Testa Rossas ever built from 1957 to
1958 that featured the Scaglietti-designed 'pontoon-fender'.
The Ferrari 250 TRs are recognized by discerning collectors
as one of the most desirable and competitive racing Ferraris ever built, having
raced and won in 10 of 19 international championship races from 1958 to 1961.
0714TR was no exception, and according to Ferrari, was the
most campaigned of the 250TR cliente series cars, with its own proud ownership
and storied racing history to tell.
The car’s first owner, Italian racing
driver and coachbuilder Piero Drogo took it to a fourth placed finish in the
1000 km Buenos Aires in January 1958, competing alongside legendary names like
Phil Hill, Peter Collins, Wolfgang von Trips and Olivier Gendebien.
Since then, 0714TR has gone on to compete in the Grand Prix
of Cuba and Portugal, followed by a string of triumphs on the 1959 North
American racing circuit before bowing out at the Elkhart Lake 500 in June 1963.
The car’s new owner, whose name was not disclosed, has no
doubt not only scored a precious collector’s item but also a slice of Ferrari’s
racing history.
RM Auctions