A 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider by Vignale, estimate €6,000,000 to €8,000,000, is on sale at the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2022 classic car auction.
The lead car for the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2022 classic car auction is the 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider by Vignale, chassis 0350 AM with an estimate of €6,000,000 to €8,000,000. It is one of ten 340 MM cars built and one of only four surviving Vignale-bodied Spiders. It is by far the most expensive car on offer at any of the Monaco 2022 classic car auctions.
RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2022 Sale
RM Sotheby’s biennial Monaco 2022 classic car auction: 14 May 2022 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo to coincide with the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.
RM Sotheby’s 2020 auction was canceled due to the Covid pandemic. RM Sotheby’s earned €23,317,290 at the Monaco 2018 sale. At the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2016 sale, RM Sotheby’s earned €27.5 million with the top result €7,280,000 for a 1951 Ferrari 340 America Touring Barchetta.
1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider at RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2022 Sale
The 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider by Vignale, chassis 0350 AM, on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2022 sale, is one of only four surviving 340 MM Vignale Spiders. It is the first time such a car has been publicly offered in a decade.
For the first 25 years of Ferrari’s life as a car manufacturer, they made a clear distinction for the true racing cars with their chassis numbers. Odd numbers were reserved for road-going or GT cars while even numbers were assigned to Ferrari’s special purpose-built race cars. The even numbered cars have always been the most sought after and collectible Ferraris, a trend which is likely to become more significant in the years to come.
It is among this elite class of Ferrari sports racers that chassis 0350 AM was born. This 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Spider boasts initial ownership by the famed American sportsman and sports car builder Sterling Edwards. Powered by the legendary Lampredi ‘long-block’ V-12 specifically developed for competition-intended Ferraris, the 340 MM is immensely powerful for its era with 300-horsepower at its disposal and is on par with 1950s racing legends such as the Mercedes-Benz SLR and Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa.
This car is one of the ten cars initially built, seven of which were campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari for the FIA’s new Sports Car Manufacturers’ Championship. Chassis 0350 AM was campaigned with great success between 1953 and 1955 in the USA, including overall victory at the 1954 Pebble Beach and Palm Springs Races amongst many other notable race finishes.
Acquired by the consignor in 2012, the Ferrari was sympathetically freshened in 2013, after which it was presented at Pebble Beach in August 2015 where it won the Phil Hill Cup.
Chassis number 0350 AM is currently fitted with what is believed to be the original engine block from chassis 0032MT, a very important 1950 Scuderia Ferrari Works sports racer, and is notably accompanied by its original Lampredi V-12 long-block engine, the same motor that captured Sterling Edwards four victories in eight racing appearances from 1953 to 1954. Boasting well-documented provenance from new, including nearly 30 years in the noted Sherman Wolf collection and the last ten years in a prominent American collection, this 340 MM has an estimate of €6,000,000 – €8,000,000.
Monaco Historic Grand Prix Week Classic Car Auctions in May 2022
Results 2022 Auctions:
Auction Previews: