Ask a Ferrari fan which car with the prancing horse is most legendary, and chances are the 250 GTO will rank number quite high in responses. Build to homologate Ferrari’s submission for the FIA Group 3 Grand Touring Car class, the 250 GTO began production in 1962 and ended in 1964 after 36 were built. One of those cars, chassis #3765 with body designed by Scaglietti, is headed for auction, and it’s the only factory-owned Series I GTO built.
Out of the 36, 33 were Series I cars built between 1962-63. They feature bodywork familiar to most enthusiasts. The other three were Series II cars built in 1964 and feature updated body work that was influenced by the 250 LM’s styling; there also were four Series I cars that were updated with Series II bodies.
But there was only one Series I that was officially raced by Ferrari — this one. Here’s some stats:
- Class win and 2nd place overall at 1962 Nürburgring 1000 km
- 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans participant driven by Mike Parkes and Lorenzo Bandini
- 1965 Sicilian Hillclimb Championship runner-up
Since its racing tenure, this 250 GTO has been owned by a chairman of the Ferrari Club of America, and its current caretaker has owned it for 38 years. In those years, this vehicle has won an FCA Platinum Award, the Coppa Bella Macchina at the Cavallino Classic, 2nd Place in the GTO Class at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (among 23 GTOs), and Blue Ribbon Winner at the Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance.
Along with the car comes a chock full of factory build sheets, period racing coverage, feature articles from magazines, and more. Sound like your type of car and you can afford its $60 million estimate? Because, at RM Sotheby’s on November 13, 2023, you’ll be able to buy this Scaglietti-designed Series I 250 GTO that was campaigned by Ferrari.
Source: www.classiccars.com