A 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti sold for $22,005,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2022 classic car auction.
A 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti raced by amongst others Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, and Carroll Shelby sold for $22,005,000 as the most expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2022 classic car auction. This highly original 410 Sport Spider retains the matching-numbers engine, chassis, and body, and is fitted with the original fuel tank inscribed by Carroll Shelby “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built”. Shelby won more races in this Ferrari than in any other car. The 410 was entered into 40 races, won 11, and achieved podium finishes 19 times. The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider was the 11th most expensive car ever sold at public auction and one of only 15 to have sold for over $20 million (nominal).
1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider at RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2022
The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti, chassis 0598 CM, achieved $22,005,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2022 sale. Despite selling for below the presale estimate of $25,000,000 – $30,000,000, it was by far the most expensive car sold in any of the Monterey Motor Week 2022 auctions. At the time of the sale, it was the 11th most expensive car ever sold at public auction and one of only 15 to ever have sold for more than $20 million (nominal).
The $22-million car is one of just two factory-campaigned 410 Sports equipped with a 24-spark plug 4.9-liter V-12 and is one of a select few Ferrari models with coachwork both designed and built by Sergio Scaglietti. It was raced extensively and highly praised by amongst others Carroll Shelby and Enzo Ferrari.
0598 CM was the Scuderia Ferrari team car driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 1000 KM Buenos Aires and later piloted by Carroll Shelby during his landmark 1956 and 1957 seasons when driving for the renowned Southern California-based team principal John Edgar. Shelby won more races as a driver in 0598 CM than any other car in his racing career, with eight wins and ten podium finishes. There seemed to be no race it could not win as Shelby told a Los Angeles Times reporter, “Nothing can touch this Ferrari if it runs” and decades later he added, “It was the best Ferrari I ever drove.”
Also raced in-period by legendary drivers Phil Hill, Eugenio Castellotti, Masten Gregory, Richie Ginther, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce Kessler, Jim Rathmann, and Chuck Daigh, 0598 CM is one of the most important and colorful Ferraris to compete in racing during the 1950s. It is among the most successful of all even-numbered sports-racing Ferraris, entering nearly 40 races in-period with 11 victories and 19 total podium finishes from 1956-1958.
Best Ferrari Ever Built
As it remains a highly original example retaining the matching-numbers engine, chassis, and body, and fitted with the original fuel tank inscribed by Shelby, “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built,” this example offers an unparalleled opportunity to acquire a purpose-built, even chassis-numbered racing sports car of unequaled provenance. Faithfully presented in its period livery and desirably maintained, including the recent engine rebuild by a team of Ferrari experts, this 410 Sport can expect an enthusiastic welcome at the most exclusive vintage racing and exhibition events worldwide.
The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider is accompanied by the first (1956) and last (1958) trophies won by Shelby driving 0598 CM, along with the original 1957 Nassau racing license plate.
Most-Expensive Ferrari Ever
The 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider joined the exclusive club of 15 cars that have ever sold for over $20 million (nominal) at public auction. It sold for the same $22,005,000 achieved by the 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0628, at the RM Sotheby’s Los Angeles 2018 sale at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The most expensive Ferrari ever is the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that achieved $48,405,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2018 classic car auction. Another 1962-3 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $38,115,000 at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in 2014.
The most expensive Ferrari racing car (even numbers chassis) is the 1957 Ferrari 315 / 335 S, a works racer that sold for €32,075,200 ($35,711,359) at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2016 sale.