As part of the festivities surrounding Monterey Auto Week in California, which wrapped up last weekend, several exceptional vehicles were auctioned off to the highest bidders.
Inevitably, one car always manages to drive bidding up more than the others. This year that honour goes to a 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti, an incredible and rare car to begin with, but also one that was driven by some very famous figures. In addition to Carroll Shelby, who would later join Ford in beating Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car was driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and by Phil Hill, Formula 1 champions both, as well as Enzo Ferrari himself.
That kind of pedigree is like catnip to collectors and was sure to send bidding skywards, which is precisely what happened at the Monterey auction organized by RM Sotheby's.
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The fact that Carroll Shelby won eight races in it only added fuel to the fire. Cherry on the sundae, on its fuel tank has an inscription that was added several years later by Shelby: “Mr. Ferrari told me this was the best Ferrari he ever built.”
In all, only two 410 Sport Spiders were built for racing by Ferrari with the 4.9L 24-valve V12 engine, which of course sits under the hood of this $22 million car. According to the auction announcement, the car is also “accompanied by the first (1956) and last (1958) trophies won by Shelby driving 0598 CM, along with the original 1957 Nassau racing license plate.”
In total, this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider competed in 40 races between 1956 and 1958. It finished on the podium 19 times, climbing to the top step 11 times.
Given its current value, it’s anyone’s guess whether it will be used again in vintage car races, including those held during Monterey Auto Week at Laguna Seca Raceway.
