The ‘Most Beautiful Ferrari Ever Built’ Could Fetch $38 Million at Auction
Dozens of truly stellar-looking Ferraris have left Maranello over the years, but few can compete with the 250 “Pontoon Fendered” Testa Rossa. And now one is going up for grabs.
A stunning 1958 example of one of the curvaceous roadsters will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s Sealed next month in Detroit. The blazing red speed machine is as rare as it is beautiful, with only 19 rolling off the line during the half-decade it was in production.
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The 250 Testa Rossa race car was introduced in late 1957 as a response to new competition mandates over engine displacement. The long-nosed sports car quickly proved itself to be a winner, with variations claiming victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1962, as well as helping Ferrari to four World Championships. The automaker would build just 33 examples of the vehicle before production was complete in 1962, 19 of which were left-hand drive customer cars that featured a shapelier body crafted by Scaglietti.
The example up for auction, which Sotheby’s calls “the most beautiful Ferrari ever built,” would compete in nearly 20 races during its decade-long competitive career, claiming four overall victories along the way, according to the auction listing. It’s finished in a gleaming coat of Ferrari’s trademark Rosso Corsa and has a white racing gumball adorned with the number 81. The two-seat interior is covered in tan leather and features a wood-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel. It and the rest of the car were fully restored in 2013 by Ferrari Classiche, meaning the dazzling stunner looks almost exactly as it did when it left the company’s Maranello factory back in 1958.
Sitting beneath the roadster’s hood is a 3.0-liter Tipo 128 Colombo V-12 that’s just as much of a sight to behold as its body. The mill produces 300 hp and was strong enough to have a top speed of 168 mph when it was new. This example is also one of the few that retains its original engine and gearbox. Sotheby’s didn’t revealed how many miles the lacer has logged, but it looks as if it has been well looked after and has belonged to the same collector for more than a decade now.
This 250 Testa Rossa will be auctioned off at a three-day event that will kick off in Detroit on Feb. 21. The listing does not mention an estimate for the car, but Forbes reports that the winning bidder should expect to pay between $34 million and $38 million if they want to call the car their own.
Click here to see more photos of the 1958 Ferrari 250 “Pontoon Fendered” Testa Rossa.
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